Casandra “Cassie” Ventura broke her silence nearly a week after 2016 hotel surveillance video surfaced of her ex-boyfriend Sean “Diddy” Combs assaulting her.
“The outpouring of love has created a place for my younger self to settle and feel safe now, but this is just the beginning,” she wrote on Instagram on May 23. I never thought I would become one. With hard work, I’m better today, but I’ll always be recovering from my past.”
The singer called on people showing their support now to “open their hearts to the believing victims for the first time.”
Kelly Rowland, Taraji P. Henson, Chloe Bailey and Jeannie Mai were among the many stars who supported Ventura in the comments. Her husband, Alex Fine, wrote: “I love you so much, perfect example for our daughters.”
Ventura accused Combs of physical abuse, rape and sex trafficking in a November lawsuit that was quickly resolved. The rap mogul, who denied the allegations, did not admit any wrongdoing as part of the settlement. After the video was published by CNN on May 17, Combs – who was seen kicking, hitting and dragging Ventura after she left her hotel room at the now-closed InterContinental Hotel in Century City, California – posted an apology admitting “ full responsibility.” for the aggression and calling her behavior “inexcusable”.
His legal team rejected his apology. “When Cassie and several other women came forward, he denied everything and suggested that his victims were looking for a payout,” said Meredith Firetog, one of her lawyers. “The fact that he was only forced to ‘apologize’ after his repeated denials were proven false shows his pathetic desperation, and no one will be swayed by his false words.”
Last week, Combs — who had two of his mansions raided by feds in March amid a sex trafficking investigation — saw his legal troubles mount. Former model Crystal McKinney alleged in a new lawsuit that he drugged and sexually assaulted her in 2003.
Since Ventura’s lawsuit last year, four other people have filed civil lawsuits against him, alleging sexual assault, sex trafficking and other claims. His lawyer promised to “continue to fight every day to clear his name.”
Pending lawsuits against Combs
It’s been nearly two months since Combs had two of her homes raided amid a federal sex trafficking investigation. Although there are no updates on this case, it is far from being his only legal crisis.
After Ventura — who dated Combs for a decade before they split in 2018 — filed and settled her explosive lawsuit against him, two other women hit him with civil lawsuits that month, also under New York’s Adult Survivors Act. The ASA gave people who said they had suffered sexual violence a period of one year to take legal action, even if the statute of limitations had expired.
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Plaintiff Joi Dickerson-Neal, in a lawsuit filed on November 23, 2023, accused Combs of drugging and raping her in New York City in 1991 when she was a college student. She also accused him of engaging in revenge porn, filming the attack and sharing it with people in the music industry. In April, Combs filed a motion to dismiss the sex trafficking allegation in the case.
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On the same day that Dickerson-Neal’s case was opened, Liza Gardner also processed Combs, alleging that he and R&B singer-songwriter Aaron Hall took turns raping her and a friend after they met at a 1990 event at the New York City office of MCA Records. Gardner was 16 at the time. The lawsuit was amended in March, with Gardner claiming she was “physically forced to have sex with Combs against her will.”
A fourth lawsuit was filed in December under New York’s Gender-Based Violence Victims Protection Act, giving survivors of alleged gender-motivated violence, including sexual abuse, until March 1, 2025, to file complaints. .
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The plaintiff, identified as Jane Doe, filed suit against Combs alleging sex trafficking and gang rape in 2003, when she was 17 years old. She alleged in the Dec. 6 lawsuit that Combs and two other men plied her with “large quantities of drugs.” and alcohol,” then raped her in the bathroom of Combs’ studio.
Combs vehemently denied the allegations, saying he has “seen people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy,” but “enough is enough.” A fifth process occurred in early 2024.
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On February 26, Combs was sued by Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, producer of his 2023 album, for sexual harassment and assault. Jones claimed he was drugged, waking up naked and disoriented in bed with Combs and two sex workers. He also claimed to have witnessed Combs and others “engaged in serious illegal activity,” including sex trafficking of underage sex workers and drugging them. Jones amended his lawsuit in March, removing some defendants and adding Cuba. Gooding Jr. Combs called Jones’ lawsuit “pure fiction.”
After the video of Combs assaulting Ventura was published, a fifth woman sued him.
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On May 21, McKinney filed suit in the Southern District of New York under the state’s Gender-Motivated Violence Victims Protection Act, alleging that Combs drugged and sexually assaulted her in his New York City studio in 2003. McKinney, who was a 22-year-old model at the time, also claims that Combs “rejected” her from the modeling industry.
What has happened to Diddy since the attacks
Almost exactly a month after Jones’ lawsuit, Combs’ homes were raided. Here’s everything that’s happened since then.
25th March: Diddy’s homes in Los Angeles and on Star Island in Miami Beach, Florida are raided due to a sex trafficking investigation. The only arrest is that of Diddy’s assistant, Brendan Paul, for possession of cocaine and marijuana. Jones’ lawsuit alleged that Paul was Combs’ “mule” who acquires and distributes his drugs and weapons.
March 26th: Diddy’s lawyer criticizes Homeland Security’s “excessive and gross use of military-grade force.” He calls it an “unprecedented ambush” and “witch hunt,” saying it “leads to premature judgment” and that “there has been no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations.”
April 2nd: Misa Hylton — the mother of Combs’ son Justin, who was at his father’s California home when it was broken into — shares video footage attacks and destroys the government’s “openly militarized force.”
April 3: It has been reported that Ventura is cooperating with the feds.
April 5th: Diddy shares a clip from his old “Victory” music video in which he runs from the police.
may 12: Diddy’s son Christian, also a defendant in Jones’ civil case, releases a “diss” track titled “Choose a side”, which refers to the attacks.
15th May: Comb posts on Instagram: “Time tells the truth.”
May 16: Combs’ alleged drug dealer, Paul, takes a plea deal to avoid prison.
may 17: CNN releases hotel surveillance video from 2016 in which Combs hits and kicks Cassie. The Los Angeles district attorney says Combs cannot be prosecuted.
May 19: Combs apologizes two days after video of assault becomes public.
Updated May 23, 2024, 10:15 am ET: This story has been updated to include Ventura speaking out.
