'I Am Finally Ready To Tell My Story': Cassie Sues Ex Sean Combs, Accuses Him Of Control & Abuse
In a shocking turn of events, a lawsuit brought to federal court on Thursday (Nov. 16), R&B singer Casandra "Cassie" Ventura accuses rapper and media mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs of rape and subjecting her to years of control and abuse throughout their decade-long relationship.
Per The New York Times, Cassie, who was a signed artist under Diddy's label and 19 at the time they met, alleges in her suit against the famed record executive that she experienced a cycle of abuse and control from Diddy starting not long after they met in 2005 and later signed to Bad Boy.
According to the filing, this reportedly included several incidents of physical abuse (the filing notes beatings that occurred "multiple times each year") as well as forcing her to engage in sexual encounters with male prostitutes where he watched and filmed the acts as a part of his "voyeurism" fantasy that was referred to as "freak offs" by Diddy according to the documents. Cassie also alleges being raped toward the end of their relationship in 2018.
The lawsuit asserts that Diddy kept Cassie plied with "copious amounts of drugs," including ketamine and ecstasy, drugs that "allowed her to disassociate." Due to the alleged violence and beatings she would receive, the lawsuit notes that she was fearful that seeking help from law enforcement "would merely give Mr. Combs another excuse to hurt her."
Additionally, Cassie claims in her lawsuit that Diddy's control included having access to her medical records, paying for her car, her clothes, and her apartment, and beating her as a means of intimidation or retribution in incidents where she didn't adhere to his methods of control. "Ms. Ventura felt that saying ‘no’ to Mr. Combs would cost her something — her family, her friends, her career, or even her life," the suit reads.
The 37-year-old "Me & U" singer detailed an incident that happened involving rapper Kid Cudi, whom she briefly dated in 2011 during a time she and Diddy had cooled off their relationship. Diddy became irate after discovering their email correspondences on her phone. Cassie tried to run away at the time, but "feeling like she could not escape Mr. Combs and his network of enforcers, Ms. Ventura returned to Mr. Combs," the suit says. "He hit her several times, and then kicked her in the back as she tried to run out the door."
The suit goes on to say that in 2012, Diddy threatened to blow up Kid Cudi's car "and that he wanted to ensure that Kid Cudi was home with his friends when it happened," the lawsuit states. "Around that time, Kid Cuid's car exploded in his driveway," the suit went on to say.
Since news of her lawsuit broke, Kid Cudi has confirmed Cassie's claims of what went down. "This is all true," the "Rose Golden" rapper said in a statement via a spokesperson.
"In one incident described in the court papers, Cassie says that in early 2012, Diddy grew so angry about her dating Kid Cudi that he said he would blow up the rapper’s car. “Around that time,” the suit says, “Kid Cudi’s car exploded in his driveway.”
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) November 16, 2023
Through a spokeswoman, Kid… pic.twitter.com/11j0RSgdZl
Regarding Thursday's filing, Cassie shared a statement within the legal document where she says:
“After years in silence and darkness. I am finally ready to tell my story, and to speak up on behalf of myself and for the benefit of other women who face violence and abuse in their relationships.”
Diddy has responded to the lawsuit, calling the allegations "offensive and outrageous" and implying that it's all blackmail. In a statement for Diddy, his lawyer, Ben Brafman said, "Mr. Combs vehemently denies these offensive and outrageous allegations. For the past six months, Mr. Combs has been subjected to Ms. Ventura’s persistent demand of $30 million, under the threat of writing a damaging book about their relationship, which was unequivocally rejected as blatant blackmail.
"Despite withdrawing her initial threat, Ms. Ventura has now resorted to filing a lawsuit riddled with baseless and outrageous lies, aiming to tarnish Mr. Combs’s reputation and seeking a payday," Brafman adds.
The damages Cassie is seeking with her filing have not been specified, but her suit was filed under New York's Adult Survivors Act, which allows people who claim to be victims of sexual offenses to file lawsuits even if the statute of limitations has expired.
"With the expiration of New York's Adult Survivors Act fast approaching it became clear that this was an opportunity to speak up about the trauma I have experienced and that I will be recovering from for the rest of my life," Cassie said in her filing.
Sending prayers of protection over Cassie and her family during this time.
For additional details, read the New York Times article here. You can also read the lawsuit in full here.
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ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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You've Never Seen Luke James In A Role Quite Like This
Over the years, we've watched Luke James play countless characters we'd deem sex symbols, movie stars, and even his complicated character in Lena Waithe's The Chi. For the first time in his career, the New Orleans-born actor has taken on a role where his signature good looks take a backseat as he transforms into Edmund in Them: The Scare—a mentally deranged character in the second installment of the horror anthology series that you won't be able to take your eyes off.
Trust us, Edmund will literally make you do a double take.
xoNecole sat down with Luke James to talk about his latest series and all the complexity surrounding it—from the challenges taking on this out-of-the-box role to the show's depiction of the perplexing history of the relationship between Black Americans and police. When describing the opportunity to bring Edmund's character to life, Luke was overjoyed to show the audience yet another level of his masterful acting talents.
"It was like bathing in the sun," he said. "I was like, thank you! Another opportunity for me to be great—for me to expand my territory. I'm just elated to be a part of it and to see myself in a different light, something I didn't think I could do." He continued, "There are parts of you that says, 'Go for it because this is what you do.' But then also that's why it's a challenge because you're like, 'um, I don't know if I'm as free as I need to be to be able to do this.' Little Marvin just created such a safe space for me to be able to do this, and I'm grateful for everything I've been able to do to lead to this."
Courtesy
Them: The Scare, like the first season, shines a light on the plight of Black Americans in the United States. This time, the story is taking place in the 1990s, at the height of the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles. While the series presents many underlying themes, one that stands out is Black people and the complicated relationship with the police. "For the audience, I think it sets the tone for the era that we're in and the amount of chaos that's in the air in Los Angeles and around the country from this heinous incident. And I say it just sets the tone of the anxiety and anxiousness that everybody is feeling in their own households."
James has been a longtime advocate against police brutality himself. He has even featured Elijah McClain, the 23-year-old Colorado man who died after being forcibly detained by officers, as his Instagram avatar for the past five years. So, as you can imagine, this script was close to his heart. "Elijah was a soft-loving oddball. Different than anyone but loving and a musical genius. He was just open and wanted to be loved and seen."
Getty Images
Luke continued, "His life was taken from him. I resonate with his spirit and his words...through all the struggle and the pain he still found it in him to say, 'I love you and I forgive you.' And that's who we are as people—to our own detriment sometimes. He's someone I don't want people to forget. I have yet to remove his face from my world because I have yet to let go of his voice, let go of that being [because] there's so many people we have lost in our history that so often get forgotten."
He concluded, "I think that's the importance of such artwork that moves us to think and talk about it. Yes, it's entertaining. We get to come together and be spooked together. But then we come together and we think, 'Damn, Edmund needed someone to talk to. Edmund needed help... a lot [of] things could have been different. Edmund could have been saved.'
Check out the full interview below.
Luke James Talks Ditching Sex Symbol Status For "Them: The Scare", Elijah McClain, & Morewww.youtube.com
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