Cassie has settled the lawsuit that accused ex-boyfriend Sean “Diddy” Combs of sexual assault and abuse, Us Weekly can confirm.
“I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control,” Cassie, 37, told Us through her attorney Douglas Wigdor in a Friday, November 17, statement. “I want to thank my family, fans and lawyers for their unwavering support.”
Diddy also released a statement distributed by Wigdor: “We have decided to resolve this matter amicably. I wish Cassie and her family all the best. Love.”
On Saturday, November 18, Diddy’s lawyer Ben Brafman, said that the settlement does not indicate that Diddy is guilt. “Just so we’re clear, a decision to settle a lawsuit, especially in 2023, is in no way an admission of wrongdoing,” Brafman shared a statement to Us Weekly. “Mr. Combs‘ decision to settle the lawsuit does not in any way undermine his flat-out denial of the claims. He is happy they got to a mutual settlement and wishes Ms. Ventura the best.”
News of the settlement came one day after the singer, whose real name is Casandra Ventura, filed a lawsuit that claimed Diddy, 54, often tried to control her when they were dating by taking drugs, physically hurting her and forcing her to have sex with male prostitutes on camera. She also claimed that Diddy forced his way into her home in 2018 and sexually assaulted her. (The pair had an on-off relationship from 2007 to 2018.)
“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,” Cassie said in a Thursday, November 16, statement to The New York Times.
Elsewhere in her filing, which was obtained by Us, Cassie alleged that Diddy, threatened to blow up Kid Cudi’s car. “Around that time, Kid Cudi’s car exploded in his driveway,” the documents stated. A spokesperson for Cudi, who Cassie started dating during one of her splits from Diddy, told the NY Times on Thursday that Cassie’s claim was “all true.”
Diddy, meanwhile, issued a statement of denial via his legal team that same day.
“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,” Diddy’s lawyer told the NYT, adding, “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.”
Cassie’s legal team claimed that she rejected an eight-figure offer from Diddy made in an attempt “to silence her.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
