Update:
Rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs and R&B artist Casandra “Cassie” Ventura have settled a legal case one day after she accused him of rape and sex trafficking.
The pair said they reached an agreement on Friday, without disclosing details.
In a joint statement with Mr Combs, Ms Ventura said that she “decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control.
“I want to thank my family, fans and lawyers for their unwavering support.”
Mr Combs wrote: “We have decided to resolve this matter amicably. I wish Cassie and her family all the best. Love.”
Ms Ventura filed the lawsuit on Thursday, in which she said she was trapped for a decade by Mr Combs, her-ex-boyfriend, in a cycle of abuse and violence.
The rapper and record executive – who also goes by the stage name Puff Daddy – denied the allegations, and accused the singer of trying to extort him.
His lawyer said the claims were “offensive and outrageous”.
Confirming the settlement, Ms Ventura’s lawyer Douglas Wigdor said: “I am very proud of Ms Ventura for having the strength to go public with her lawsuit. She ought to be commended for doing so.”
Ms Ventura had alleged that the rap producer raped and beat her over 10 years starting when she was 19 and he was 37.
“After years in silence and darkness, I am finally ready to tell my story,” she said in a statement on Thursday.
The lawsuit included multiple graphic descriptions of the violent abuse that she says began after she met the rapper in 2005.
According to the complaint, Mr Combs signed her to his record label, Bad Boy, and “plied the vulnerable Ms Ventura with drugs and alcohol, causing her to fall into dangerous addictions that controlled her life”.
Following the settlement, Mr Combs’ lawyer Benjamin Brafman said: “Just so we’re clear, a decision to settle a lawsuit, especially in 2023, is in no way an admission of wrongdoing.
“Mr Combs’ decision to settle the lawsuit does not in any way undermine his flat-out denial of the claims. He is happy they got to a mutual settlement and wishes Ms Ventura the best.”
The lawsuit labelled the musician a “serial domestic abuser, who would regularly beat and kick Ms Ventura, leaving black eyes, bruises, and blood”.
In a statement to BBC News in response to the lawsuit and before the settlement was announced, Mr Combs’ lawyer said Ms Ventura had demanded $30m (£24m) “under the threat of writing a damaging book about their relationship”.
Mr Brafman said the lawsuit was “riddled with baseless and outrageous lies” and the alleged demand “was unequivocally rejected as blatant blackmail”.
In response to Mr Brafman, Ms Ventura’s lawyer – also speaking before the settlement – said Mr Combs had offered her a payment of “eight figures to silence her and prevent the filing of this lawsuit”.
“She rejected his efforts and decided to give a voice to all woman who suffer in silence,” the lawyer, Doug Wigdor, said.
Ms Ventura released several hits in the 2000s, including songs that featured Diddy.
Her most famous tracks include Me & U, Long Way to Go and Official Girl, featuring Lil Wayne.
Friday:
The suit was filed by former girlfriend Cassie Ventura.
American businessman, producer, and musician Sean Combs has been sued in federal court in New York City on Thursday by his former girlfriend Casandra Ventura, who alleges she was raped and subjected to years of physical and other abuse by Combs.
“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.
“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,” Ventura – an R&B singer who goes by the stage name Cassie – said in a statement.
The complaint alleges Combs “lured Ms Ventura into an ostentatious, fast-paced, and drug-fueled lifestyle, and into a romantic relationship with him” within two years of the pair meeting in 2005 or 2006 and Combs signing Ventura to his record label, Bad Boy Records, soon after.
Ventura claims in the suit that Combs “exerted his power and influence” over her throughout the course of their professional and romantic relationship.
According to the complaint, she was 19 when they met and Combs was 37, and their business relationship lasted until 2019.
The complaint details claims that Combs was physically violent toward Ventura, controlled all aspects of her personal life, “introduced” her to a lifestyle of “excessive” alcohol and substance abuse,” and forced her to engage in various sex acts with other men during that time.
In addition to Combs, the lawsuit names his companies, including Bad Boy Records, Bad Boy Entertainment and Combs Enterprises.
It also names Epic Records, which it lists as an employer of Ventura.
Ben Brafman, attorney for Combs, has denied these claims calling them outrageous and claiming Ventura was out to get a payday.
“Mr. Combs vehemently denies these offensive and outrageous allegations.
For the past 6 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’ reputation and seeking a payday.”
