Sean Combs, a superstar rapper and businessman in the music industry, was accused of rape and physical abuse by singer Cassie on Thursday in New York.
In her lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in Manhattan, the hip-hop artist claimed that the R&B singer, whose real name is Casandra Ventura, was subjected to more than ten years of drug and physical coercion as well as a 2018 rape.
According to the lawsuit, Ventura first met Combs in 2005 when she was 19 and he was 37. He was also known as Puff Daddy or Diddy.
Her hits include songs like Me & U, which he signed her to his Bad Boy Records label.
Additionally, she started dating him.
According to court documents, Ventura led” an ostentatious, fast-paced, and drug-fueled lifestyle,” and Combs, who held power over her as both her boss and one of hip-hop’s leading figures, was” a vicious, cruel and controlling man.”
Ben Brafman, Combs ‘ attorney, “vehemently” denied the accusations, calling them “offensive and outrageous,” in an AFP statement.
Ventura was charged with blackmail by Combs, who claimed that she wanted to “tarnish” his reputation and collect money.
Douglas Wigdor, a member of Ventura’s legal team, responded to the statement by stating that Combs had previously offered her money to stop the filing but that she had “rejected his efforts and decided to give voice to all women who suffer in silence.” Ms. Ventura deserves praise for her bravery.
Wigdor continued,” No human should have to go through what Ms. Ventura has gone through.”
Separately, Ventura, now 37, declared that” I am finally prepared to tell my story and to speak up on behalf of myself and for the benefit of other women who experience violence and abuse in their relationships after years of silence and darkness.”
ACT ON ADULT SURVIVORS
In the decades that followed, Combs, 54, who founded Bad Boy in 1993, played a significant role in the commercialization of hip-hop. The late Notorious B. I. G. and Mary J. Blige were among his protégés.
He is one of the billionaires of hip-hop, in large part because of his business dealings in the booze sector.
He is described as a violent man in the lawsuit, which claims Combs filmed Ventura engaging in sexual acts with male sex workers as one of his disturbing outbursts.
In order to intimidate and uneasy Ventura, Combs allegedly made her carry a gun in her purse.
Additionally, it suggests that Combs destroyed another person’s car who had a romantic interest in Ventura.
According to court records, Combs and Ventura had dinner together in 2018 before the magnate broke into her apartment and sexually assaulted her.
According to the complaint, she left Bad Boy in 2019.
Ventura is suing for damages, including lost wages and “mental pain and anguish and severe emotional distress.”
Ventura used the Adult Survivors Act, a New York statute that permits alleged sexual abuse victims to bring civil lawsuits outside of the statute of limitations, to support her case.
The law, which expires next week, is cited by her legal team in her filing, and Ventura made a statement mentioning its impending expiration.
It became apparent that this was a chance for me to discuss the trauma I have gone through and will be recovering from for the rest of my life as the expiration of New York’s Adult Survivors Act drew near.
