Sean Combs accused of abuse, rape in lawsuit filed by singer and former girlfriend Cassie

Producer and music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs was sued in federal court by singer and former girlfriend Cassie, according to the New York Times.

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The lawsuit was filed in Federal District Court in Manhattan, according to the Times. Cassie, also known as Casandra Ventura, accused Combs of rape and physical abuse over a decade. Ventura said she met Combs in 2005 when she was 19 years old.

The lawsuit alleges the abuse began after Ventura was signed to his label, Bad Boy Records, CNBC reported.

Warning, graphic details to follow

Ventura claims Combs controlled and abused her by supplying drugs, beating her, and “forcing her to have sex with a succession of male prostitutes while he filmed the encounters,” the newspaper reported.

According to the lawsuit, in 2018 Combs forced his way into her house and raped her, the Times reported.

“After years in silence and darkness,” Ventura said in a statement obtained by the newspaper, “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.”

In response to the allegations, a lawyer for Combs, Ben Frafman, said:

“Mr. Combs vehemently denies these offensive and outrageous allegations. For the past six 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’s reputation and seeking a payday,” Brafman said in a statement, obtained by the Times.

The lawsuit also names Bad Boy Records, Bad Boy Entertainment, Epic Records and Combs Enterprises as defendants, according to CNBC.

Combs founded Bad Boy in the early 1990s, according to CNBC. He launched a clothing line called Sean John and helped to create the Ciroc vodka brand. Last year, Forbes estimated his net worth at $1 billion.

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Through the years Rap music recording artist Sean "Puffy" Combs is interviewed by the media at the 2001 MTV Movie Awards June 2, 2001 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Chris Weeks/Getty Images) (Chris Weeks/Getty Images)