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In November of last year, Cassie Ventura, known for her singing career under the mononym Cassie, sued Sean “Diddy” Combs, her former boyfriend and record label head, alleging that he raped her and, on multiple occasions, physically abused her. The lawsuit was settled within two days, but it kicked off a series of similar allegations against Combs by other people. And in March, federal agents raided his homes in Los Angeles and Miami on suspicion of sex trafficking, sexual assault, and the solicitation and distribution of illegal narcotics and firearms.
Now, Ventura’s allegations against Combs have come back to light. CNN has obtained surveillance footage from 2016 showing Combs physically assaulting Ventura in the hallway of a Los Angeles hotel. Ventura’s lawsuit described an incident “around March 2016” when Combs became “extremely intoxicated and punched Ms. Ventura in the face, giving her a black eye.” Per the account, when Combs fell asleep, she left the hotel room, but he woke up and followed her into the hallway, yelling at her. “He grabbed at her, and then took glass vases in the hallway and threw them at her, causing glass to crash around them as she ran to the elevator to escape,” the lawsuit reads. The footage acquired by CNN seems to depict this incident. It’s extremely graphic and hard to watch.
Ventura’s lawyer, Douglas H. Wigdor, issued this statement to CNN: “The gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behavior of Mr. Combs. Words cannot express the courage and fortitude that Ms. Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this to light.” Through his lawyer, Combs denied Ventura’s allegations at the time of the lawsuit and stated that the settlement was by no means an admission of wrongdoing. He has not issued a comment on the newly surfaced footage.
If you or someone you know is undergoing physical abuse, please visit www.thehotline.org or call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.