R&B singer Cassie sued music producer Sean Combs in federal court Thursday, accusing him of rape and repeated physical and sexual abuse over the course of years.
Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, filed suit in Federal District Court in Manhattan. The suit alleges that starting when Cassie was 19, Combs began abusive behavior against Ventura including beatings, the provision of drugs including ecstasy and cocaine, and forcing her to have sex with male prostitutes while he filmed the encounters. The suit alleges that in 2018, Combs forced entry into Ventura's home and raped her.
The lawsuit alleges that starting when she was 19, "Mr. Combs asserted complete control over Ms. Ventura’s personal and professional life, thereby ensuring her inability to escape his hold." It alleges numerous cases of physical and sexual assault.
The suit alleges that Ventura is a victim of sex trafficking, due to the nature of multiple sexual encounters she was coerced into across the country.
"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," Ventura said in a statement, as first reported by the New York Times.
A lawyer for Combs also released a statement to the outlet that read in part, "Mr. Combs vehemently denies these offensive and outrageous allegations." It characterizes the lawsuit as "riddled with baseless and outrageous lies, aiming to tarnish Mr. Combs’s reputation and seeking a payday."
The lawsuit, which is against Combs and several of his companies, is seeking unspecified damages.
