Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs and singer Cassie settle lawsuit alleging abuse 1 day after it was filed
NEW YORK — A lawsuit from singer Cassie alleging assault and abuse by music producer Sean “Diddy” Combs has been settled, the artists announced Friday, a day after the lawsuit was filed.
The settlement was announced in a statement from attorney Douglas Wigdor, who represents Cassie, whose full name is Casandra Ventura.
The statement said they had reached a deal “to their mutual satisfaction” on Friday evening, but no terms of the agreement were disclosed and no further statements would be made beyond those made by Ventura, Combs and Wigdor in the email obtained by the lawyer was dispersed.
In her statement, Ventura said: “I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some control over. I would like to thank my family, fans and advocates for their continued support.”
Combs said: “We have decided to resolve this matter amicably. I wish Cassie and her family all the best. Love.”
Ben Brafman, an attorney for Combs, did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. He said in a statement Thursday that Combs “vehemently denies” the allegations.
The lawsuit alleged that Combs introduced the singer to his “flashy, fast-paced and drug-fueled lifestyle” shortly after she met him and signed to his label in 2005, when she was 19 and he was 37.
Ventura, now 37, says Combs, now 54, began showing a pattern of abuse once their on-again, off-again relationship began in 2007.
The lawsuit alleged that Combs, “prone to uncontrollable rage,” subjected Ventura to “savage” beatings in which he punched, kicked and stomped her. It is alleged that he gave her drugs and forced her to have sex with other men while he masturbated and filmed them.
According to the lawsuit, when Ventura tried to end the relationship in 2018, Combs forced her into her Los Angeles home and raped her.
The Associated Press generally does not name people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they come forward publicly, as Ventura has done.
Combs is one of the most influential hip-hop producers and managers of the past thirty years. As the founder of Bad Boy Records and a three-time Grammy winner, he has collaborated with a host of top artists, including Notorious BIG, Mary J. Blige, Usher, Lil Kim, Faith Evans and 112.
This year he released his fifth studio album, “The Love Album: Off the Grid,” which earned two Grammy nominations this month. It was his first studio album in 17 years.
“The bad boy of entertainment gets the key to the city from the bad boy of politics!” That’s what Mayor Eric Adams said in September when he presented a giant key to Combs in Times Square. Combs was born in New York City and grew up in nearby Mount Vernon.
Ventura rose to fame with the Ryan Leslie-produced hit single ‘Me & U,” which rose to No. 1 on Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs on the Chart in 2006. It was her only studio album. As an actor, she has appeared in several projects, including Fox’s ‘Empire’, ‘Step Up 2:The Streets’ and ‘Spenser Confidential’.
Brafman’s statement Thursday said Ventura had continuously demanded $30 million over the past six months while threatening to write a damaging book about her relationship with Combs. The lawyer said the demands were rejected as “blatant blackmail.”
Ventura withdrew the initial threat before filing a lawsuit “full of baseless and outrageous lies, designed to tarnish Mr. Combs’ reputation and seek a payday,” Brafman said.
Wigdor responded in a statement Thursday, saying Combs had offered her “eight figures to silence her” and prevent the lawsuit from being filed.
“She rejected his attempts and decided to give a voice to all the women who suffer in silence,” Wigdor said.
Wigdor praised his client in a statement in his email announcing the settlement Friday.
“I am very proud of Ms. Ventura for having the strength to make her lawsuit public. She deserves a compliment for that,” he said.
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Associated Press writer Andrew Dalton in Los Angeles contributed to this report.