A 2016 surveillance video appears to show Sean “Diddy” Combs assaulting his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura at a hotel, mirroring an assault allegation Ventura made in a now-settled lawsuit she filed against the hip-hop mogul in November.
In the video, secured by CNN and dated March 5, 2016, Combs is seen pushing Ventura to the ground near an elevator bank, kicking her several times while she is lying on the ground and dragging her down the hall.
After briefly dragging Ventura down the hall, Combs, wrapped only in a bath towel, appears to release his grip. Ventura is then seen standing up before picking up some of her things off the floor and moving towards a phone in the hallway near the elevators. Combs then returns and is seen shoving Ventura. A few seconds later, he sits in a chair, grabs something from a table and appears to throw it at her. He then walks away before turning once more towards Ventura, just as one of the elevator doors opens and someone is seen stepping out.
“The shocking video further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behavior of Mr. Combs,” Ventura's attorney said. Douglas Wigdorin a statement sent to Advertising sign. “Words cannot express the courage and fortitude Ms. Ventura displayed in bringing this to light.”
A representative for Combs did not immediately respond Advertising signhis request for comment.
Ventura sued Combs on November 16, 2023, alleging that he repeatedly physically abused her over the course of a decade, including an allegation of rape when she tried to leave him in 2018. She also accused Combs of forcing her to have sex with male sex workers. while masturbating. In a statement at the time, Combs' attorney, Ben Brafman, the hip-hop giant said it “strongly denies these offensive and outrageous allegations,” claiming Ventura had made a “persistent demand” for a $30 million payment in the six months leading up to her lawsuit. Ventura's attorney responded by disputing Brafman's claim, saying Combs offered Ventura “eight figures to silence her and prevent this lawsuit from being filed.”
The case, which was filed under a newly enacted New York law that created a limited window for abuse survivors to sue for years that would otherwise have been barred under the statute of limitations, was settled the day after it was filed.
Ventura was in an on-again, off-again relationship with Combs for 11 years until they split in 2018. In the lawsuit, she said she met Combs in 2005 when she was 19 and he was 37. After signing to his label Bad Boy Records, Ventura she claimed Combs “lured” her into a romantic relationship in which he “asserted complete control” of her life.
Since Ventura filed her lawsuit, Combs has received four additional sexual misconduct lawsuits. In November, the tycoon stepped down as chairman of digital media company Revolt, before reportedly selling his stake in the company in March. Also in March, federal agents raided Combs' LA and Miami homes “in connection” with a federal sex-trafficking investigation, according to CNN.
Combs has vehemently denied all allegations of sexual assault made against him. “Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things that they claim,” he said in a statement posted on social media on Dec. 6. “I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.”
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