Sean “Diddy” Combs’ life changed forever a year ago.
On November 16, 2023, Cassie Ventura — the “Me & U” singer with whom Combs had a long-term relationship that lasted a decade — filed a bombshell lawsuit against him alleging rape, abuse and sex trafficking. The case was filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan under New York State’s Adult Survivors Act, which allows victims of sexual abuse to file civil lawsuits against their alleged attackers even though the statute of limitations has expired.
A day later, Combs settled the lawsuit with Ventura. However, it didn’t magically erase her explosive accusations against him. Ventura claimed she was a victim of abuse and sex trafficking for years. She alleged that Combs, whom she started dating in 2007, gave her drugs and would beat her and force her to have sex with male sex workers while he filmed the encounters, known as “freak offs.” She also accused him of raping her at her home in 2018 after he broke in.
Ventura’s lawsuit opened the floodgates for others who had leveled allegations of abuse against the music producer for decades. He faces more than 100 sexual misconduct lawsuits, as well as an assault claim. The fallout included the federal investigation into Ventura’s sex trafficking claims, for which Combs was indicted in September.
Combs maintains his innocence in his federal case, which will go to trial in May 2025, and in the civil lawsuits. In May, the “I’ll Be Missing You” rapper acknowledged assaulting Ventura after surveillance video of a 2016 incident surfaced.
Ventura’s lawsuit is ‘an example of the power survivors have when they are believed’
“Ms. Ventura’s lawsuit was impressive and an example of the power survivors have when they are believed by first responders, police, prosecutors, medical professionals, family and friends,” said legal expert Judie Saunders, an attorney leading the department of sexual abuse and human trafficking at the law firm ASK, told Yahoo Entertainment.
Other alleged victims can learn from Ventura coming forward, Saunders said.
“Alleged victims must learn that surviving sexual violence is not a game of ‘he said, she said,’ where the powerful always win,” Saunders said. “There is value in victims raising the alarm at institutions and individuals who abuse. Survivors of sexual violence are led to believe that they are powerless and that their credibility will be underestimated. Survivors need to learn that the right trauma-informed counselors and medical professionals will support them.”
In September 2023, Combs celebrated “Diddy Day” and was given the keys to New York City. Two months later, his life began to unravel. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images)
Ventura’s relationship with Combs ended in 2018. She subsequently married Alex Fine, an actor and model, and they have two children together. Filing the lawsuit against Combs in November 2023 opened old wounds but was necessary “after years of silence and darkness,” Ventura said at the time.
An attorney for Combs attacked Ventura, claiming she was trying to blackmail Combs. He also claimed that Ventura demanded $30 million or she would write a comprehensive book. Combs’ attorney said her lawsuit was filled with “outrageous lies” in an effort to get “a payday.” In the war of words, Ventura’s attorney alleged that Combs offered her “eight figures to silence her and prevent charges from being filed.” [the] lawsuit,” Ventura says “should be applauded for her courage.”
When the lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed amount on November 17, 2023, Combs said in a statement: “We have decided to resolve this matter amicably. I wish Cassie and her family all the best. Love.”
What Ventura has said publicly since her trial
Ventura did not give an interview about the legal ramifications Combs has faced over the past year. It is suspected that she has signed a non-disclosure agreement that prevents her from speaking publicly about the case, but it would not prevent her from testifying in the federal case against him.
After the lawsuit was settled, she released a brief statement saying she had resolved her case “amicably” to maintain “some level of control.”
Ventura finally divorced Combs in 2018 and has since married and started a family. (Gotham/Getty Images)
When Combs’ homes were raided by federal investigators in March, Ventura’s attorney said in a statement: “We will always support law enforcement as it seeks to prosecute those who broke the law. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a process that will hold Mr. Combs accountable for his depraved behavior.”
In May, CNN released the video of Combs attacking Ventura, which mirrored an incident she alleged in her lawsuit. Combs released a video in which he took “full responsibility” for his actions. Ventura herself released a statement saying that domestic violence “has broken me down into someone I never thought I would become.” She called on people to ‘open your hearts to religious victims for the first time’.
After Combs was arrested on September 16 – with federal prosecutors alleging that beginning in 2008, he “abused, threatened and coerced women and others, and led a racketeering conspiracy that engaged in sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice, in addition other crimes” – Ventura’s camp said she “hoped justice would come.”
“The amount of courage it took for Cassie to speak out and be one of the first to speak out cannot be overstated,” a Ventura insider told People. “It was terrifying in a very real way. There are so many people who have protected Diddy for so long and it is no exaggeration to say that her life was in danger because of all of this.”
Ventura’s testimony is likely “necessary” to the prosecution’s case
Combs continues to fight for his release from prison after being denied bail multiple times prior to his criminal trial. It is thought Ventura will be called to testify against him, as a witness for the prosecution, because the allegations in her lawsuit are similar to those outlined in the government’s indictment and may be at the heart of their case. (A federal grand jury has continued to hear new testimony against Combs, with prosecutors saying their investigation is ongoing.)
“Based on the indictment, Ms. Ventura’s testimony may be necessary to prove elements of the government’s case,” Saunders told Yahoo.
Combs has been in jail since September with a trial date set for 2025. (Courtroom sketch by Jane Rosenberg/Reuters)
And to think that Combs’ demise, after years of rumors and arrests that went nowhere, actually all traces back to Ventura’s lawsuit from a year ago.
“To be honest, I don’t understand how [Ventura’s lawsuit] was settled on behalf of Combs,” trial attorney Joe Tacopina said of the Tubi series TMZ presents: The Downfall of Diddy in October.
“There is no reason for those settlement negotiations, which they have been in the middle of for quite some time, not to agree to a settlement, to have her file the case, to have a front page of every newspaper with explosive allegations against your client, and then reach a settlement. day later. That was absolutely the worst of all worlds,” he said. Not only did it destroy his reputation, but “it basically started this federal investigation.”
In another episode of the series, BET News’ Marc Lamont Hill said, “Diddy’s most egregious and fatal mistake strategically was not settling for Cassie behind closed doors. If he settles for Cassie behind closed doors, chances are this controversy won’t arise. Chances are, other people aren’t piling up their own lawsuits. There’s a good chance that law enforcement radars wouldn’t have been activated by all the allegations of illegal activity. There’s a chance Diddy is just living his normal billionaire life now.
Combs, who faces a prison sentence of 15 years to life, will be back in court on Nov. 22 to hear whether he will be granted pretrial bail. It is his third attempt to be released since his arrest in September.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, free, anonymous help is available at RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline: (800) 656-HOPE (4673) and at online.rainn.org.
