Puff Daddy settles rape lawsuit with ex-lover

Rap’s ‘Bad Boy’ superstar Sean Combs has settled a lawsuit brought by his ex-girlfriend, Cassie, including wild allegations he blew up the car of a rival suitor.

‘Bad Boy’ rap mogul Sean Combs has settled a lawsuit where he was accused of rape and sex trafficking brought by his long-time ex-girlfriend.

The singer Cassie, real name Casandra Ventura, filed a civil lawsuit in New York accusing the superstar, who goes by Puff Daddy, Puffy, P-Diddy, and Diddy, of more than a decade of coercion by physical force and drugs.

Both artists released statements a day after she filed the case in court, with no detail on the agreement they made.

“I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control,’ Casandra Ventura, said in a statement.

“I want to thank my family, fans and lawyers for their unwavering support.”

Combs said: “We have decided to resolve this matter amicably. I wish Cassie and her family all the best. Love.”

It comes as law enforcement sources claim to the website TMZ that there is a separate, criminal case in New York under the name “Sean Combs” that has been “locked” due to its sensitivity.

While the NYPD did not comment on whether the two cases were connected, a spokesman said in a statement that any victim is urged to file a police report so an investigation can be conducted.

“The NYPD takes sexual assault and rape cases extremely seriously,” the statement said.

In a statement to AFP, Combs’s lawyer Ben Brafman “vehemently” denied the allegations, calling them “offensive and outrageous.”

Sean P. Diddy Combs with Cassie Ventura attend the premiere of 'The Perfect Match' at the Arclight Theatre in 2016. Picture: AFP

Combs accused Ventura of blackmail, saying she aimed to “tarnish” his reputation and gain a payout.

In response to that statement, Douglas Wigdor, an lawyer on Ventura’s legal team, said Combs had previously offered her money to prevent a filing, but that she “rejected his efforts and decided to give a voice to all women who suffer in silence.

The suit said Ventura met Combs, also known as both Puff Daddy or Diddy, in 2005, when she was 19 and he was 37.

He signed her to his label, Bad Boy Records, with her hits including tracks like “Me & U.”

She also began a romantic relationship with him.

Court documents characterised it as “an ostentatious, fast-paced, and drug-fuelled lifestyle” and called Combs “a vicious, cruel, and controlling man” who wielded power over Ventura, both as her boss and as one of hip-hop’s leading figures.

Mr Wigdor said his client should be applauded for her bravery.”

Cassie and P Diddy in 2018, the year Cassie accuses him of rape. Picture: AFP

“No human should have to endure what Ms. Ventura has endured,” Wigdor added.

Separately, Ventura, now 37, said in a statement that “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.”

Combs, 54, founded Bad Boy in 1993, and was a major figure in hip-hop’s commercialisation over the course of the decades that followed. His proteges included the late Notorious B.I.G. and Mary J. Blige.

The suit describes him as a violent man, recounting disturbing scenes of his violent outbursts, including forcing Ventura to engage in sex acts with male sex workers, which she alleged Combs filmed.

Other allegations include that Combs forced Ventura to carry a firearm in her purse as a means of intimidating her and making her uncomfortable.

It also indicated Combs blew up the car of another person who was romantically interested in Ventura.

Court documents detail that in 2018 Combs and Ventura had dinner, after which he allegedly forced his way into her apartment and raped her.

The complaint says her association with Bad Boy ended in 2019.

Originally published as Puff Daddy settles rape lawsuit with ex-lover