Inside the horrifying abuse lawsuit levelled at rapper P Diddy including claims he raped and abused ex girlfriend Cassie
BILLIONAIRE rap star P Diddy is facing extraordinary accusations of rape, voyeurism and violence – including a claim he blew up a love rival’s car.
Ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura is suing the three-time Grammy winner over allegations she was drugged and forced to have sex with male prostitutes in front of him for days at a time.
Lawyers for singer Cassie, 37, filed a bombshell 35-page lawsuit against the music mogul — real name Sean Combs — in New York on Thursday.
It included claims that he stomped on her and left her bleeding; raped her when she tried to leave him; trafficked her for sex; and went after a rival label boss with a gun.
Combs, 54 — who has been romantically linked to Jennifer Lopez, Cameron Diaz and Naomi Campbell in the past — denies all the allegations.
But Cassie claimed: “After years in silence and darkness, I am finally ready to tell my story, to speak up on behalf of myself and for the benefit of other women who face violence and abuse in their relationships.”
Combs — who has been accused of violence in the past — met Cassie in 2005, when she was 19, shortly after she signed a deal with his music firm, Bad Boy Records, to release her debut self-titled album.
They were together on and off for 11 years until 2018.
Within a couple of years, Combs — who was in a relationship with actress Kim Porter at the time — is said to have made unwanted advances towards his young star.
‘Unable to escape’
In the autumn of 2007, the lawsuit claims, he plied Cassie with drugs during a trip to Miami and the pair had sex. Not long after that, Combs is said to have started making bizarre demands upon her, which he called “freak offs.”
In the civil claim for damages, Cassie’s lawyers say Combs got his kicks by pleasuring himself while watching other men — often wearing masks and costumes — having sex with her.
Of one incident, it claims: “He directed Ms Ventura and the man to do specific sexual acts. The entire encounter lasted multiple days.”
The rapper is said to have demanded she cover herself in oil, dress in lingerie and wear white nail polish for the degrading performances.
Many were reportedly recorded, with Combs managing the video lighting.
The lawsuit states that Cassie was asked to find the black male sex workers — with her star boyfriend insisting they were all well endowed.
In order to get through these “horrific” ordeals, his girlfriend reportedly took an array of drugs.
Papers say: “Ms Ventura was given ecstasy, cocaine, GHB, ketamine, marijuana and alcohol in excessive amounts during FOs (freaks offs), which allowed her to disassociate during these horrific encounters.”
Cassie says that she did not refuse her record boss’s demands because of how he might react. The lawsuit states: “Throughout their relationship, Mr Combs was prone to uncontrollable rage and frequently beat Ms Ventura savagely.”
Following a party with Jay-Z, Combs is alleged to have kicked Cassie in a car and, in 2009, he is accused of stomping on her face. But finding happiness with another man did not appear to be an option for the young star.
In 2011, she started seeing award-winning rapper Kid Cudi. But when Combs found out, he allegedly took revenge. Cassie claims that during Paris Fashion Week the next year, Combs told her that he was going to “blow up Kid Cudi’s car”.
Not long afterwards, the star’s vehicle DID explode on his driveway while he was home, it is claimed.
When the New York Times, which first reported the lawsuit, approached Cudi for comment, his spokesperson said the story about the exploding car is “all true”.
Combs denies being responsible for the blast. During their relationship, Cassie reportedly saw the entrepreneur brandishing a weapon.
After one of his security team spotted Death Row Records founder Suge Knight in Los Angeles, Combs “retrieved multiple guns from a safe and ran out of his home to where he believed Mr Knight was dining”, the lawsuit says.
Knight, who is serving a 28-year prison sentence for manslaughter, had been feuding with the Bad Boy Records boss since 1995.
Despite a number of allegations of violence against Combs in the past, he has never been convicted of any serious offences. In 1999, Interscope Records exec Steve Stoute claimed Combs and two men attacked him in his office, using a champagne bottle as a weapon.
Combs apologised, admitting: “I handled myself in the wrong way.”
But he claimed the incident had been blown out of proportion and only admitted a minor harassment offence. He was ordered to take a one-day anger management class.
‘Police investigating’
In 2001, he was found not guilty of possessing an illegal weapon following an earlier shooting at a New York nightclub and, in 2015, charges that he assaulted his son’s football coach were dropped.
Cassie’s legal team allege that she was unable to get out of the dangerous relationship she had with Combs because he was so controlling — and that she did not go to the police because she feared the consequences.
The lawsuit goes on to state: “Combs asserted complete control over Ms Ventura’s personal and professional life, thereby ensuring her inability to escape his hold.”
He is said to have even demanded at one point that her medical records be sent to him.
When Cassie eventually did tell him she was leaving, in September 2018, she claims he raped her.
“She repeatedly said ‘no’ and tried to push him away,” the legal papers allege.
Afterwards, Cassie left the rapper for good and, later that year, started a relationship with fitness trainer Alex Fine. The couple tied the knot in the summer of 2019 and now have two daughters.
Despite the alleged offences having taken place several years ago, her lawyers were able to bring the civil case under New York’s Adult Survivors’ Act.
The rapper’s lawyers issued a stinging denial.
One of Combs’ team alleged in a statement that Cassie had asked for £24million. It 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 $30million, under the threat of writing a damaging book about their relationship.”
But in response, one of Cassie’s lawyers said: “Mr Combs offered Ms Ventura eight figures to silence her and prevent the filing of this lawsuit. She rejected his efforts.’’
Combs, who has never married but has seven children by four different women, has risen to become one of music’s most powerful figures. He had a troubled start to life in Harlem, New York.
His drug dealer dad Melvin was shot dead in his car when Combs was a toddler, and his mum Janice worked four jobs to look after her two kids.
Her work ethic rubbed off on Combs, who climbed the ladder from being an intern at Uptown Records in 1990 to establishing his own label three years later.
Under the name Puff Daddy, he enjoyed a massive US number one hit with I’ll Be Missing You.
And he signed acts including legendary rapper The Notorious B.I.G., who was killed in a drive-by shooting in 1997.
He is credited with helping launch the careers of Mary J Blige and Usher, and is good friends with the likes of fellow music icons Jay-Z and Kanye West. Last night, US website TMZ claimed that the New York police department was investigating Combs, but it is unclear if it is in relation to matters involving Cassie.
Whatever happens with this new civil case, it is sure to damage Combs’ numerous businesses, which are said to be worth around £800million.
He has a television company, tequila and water brands and a fashion label.
On his Instagram account, a number of followers quickly made up their minds about the star.
But if any of the allegations are established in a court of law, he will be one of the biggest names to fall in the #MeToo era.
Business student to rap icon
RAPPER Diddy was born Sean Combs in Harlem, New York, in 1969. He studied business at Howard University in Washington DC for two years before dropping out in 1990.
In the same year Combs joined Uptown Records as an intern.
During a gig in 1991, where he performed as Puff Daddy, nine people died during a crush.
In 1993 he set up Bad Boy Records – and one of his first signings was rapper The Notorious B.I.G. A year later he launched his fashion brand Sean John.
In 2005 he said he would be calling himself Diddy or P Diddy.
In 2017 he changed his stage name to Love, although he released his latest album under the name Diddy.
The seventh of his children, a girl called Love Sean Combs, was born last October to 28-year-old partner Dana Tran. He has seven children by four different mothers.
He had his first child, son Justin, now 29, with fashion designer Misa Hylton.
His partner of 13 years, actress Kim Porter, was mum to four of his children – Quincy, King and twins D’Lila Star and Jessie James.
Kim died of pneumonia in 2018.
He had daughter Chance in 2006 with Sarah Chapman.