Sean Combs, the rapper widely known as Diddy, has been sued for rape and abuse by his former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura.
Ventura, 37, filed the complaint Thursday in New York City federal court under the New York Adult Survivors Acts, which gives survivors of sexual assault one year to sue regardless of the statute of limitations. The musician claimed that Combs raped and physically abused her during their relationship in the 2000s.
The lawsuit states that Ventura "was held down by Mr. Combs and endured over a decade of his violent behavior and disturbed demands." It accuses Combs of punching, beating, kicking, and stomping Ventura on multiple occasions, as well as forcing her to have sex with male sex workers while he watched and recorded.
Ventura also claimed that when another man was romantically interested in her, Combs became jealous and blew up his car.
Diddy Accused of Rape and Abuse
The lawsuit states that Combs was “prone to uncontrollable rage” and often "beat Ms. Ventura savagely," including one instance where he was kicking her face so severely that his security team attempted to intervene. Ventura said she was then forced to stay in a hotel for a week while she healed so that no one would see the injuries.
It was after that instance in which Ventura "recognized that she was powerless, and that reporting Mr. Combs to the authorities would not alter Mr. Combs’s status or influence but would merely give Mr. Combs another excuse to hurt her," according to the suit. "She found herself becoming numb to the abuse she was experiencing, and became entirely beholden to Mr. Combs’s demands. She began to blindly follow his instructions out of fear of again being on the receiving end of a vicious beating."
Ventura also claimed that Combs consistently pressured her to consume drugs and alcohol, "introducing her to a drug-fueled lifestyle that kept her complacent and compliant." Because their relationship began in 2005 when she was an aspiring artist signed under Combs, Ventura said she feared she would lose her career if she were to refuse.
"All aspects of Ms. Ventura’s life were controlled by either Mr. Combs or his management companies," the lawsuit states.
In a statement, Ventura said she was “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."
