FILE - Music mogul and entrepreneur Sean "Diddy" Combs arrives at the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, May 15, 2022. Combs, was accused in a lawsuit Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023, of subjecting R&B singer Cassie to abuse in a years-long relationship. Cassie, whose legal Casandra Ventura, alleged in the suit filed against the producer and music mogul in New York federal court. Combs’ lawyer denies the allegations.
Jordan Strauss - invision linkable, Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Sean 'Diddy' Combs and singer Cassie settle lawsuit alleging abuse 1 day after it was filed
Sean “Diddy” Combs and singer Cassie said Friday that they’ve settled a lawsuit containing allegations of beatings and abuse by the powerful music producer
FILE - Music mogul and entrepreneur Sean "Diddy" Combs arrives at the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, May 15, 2022. Combs, was accused in a lawsuit Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023, of subjecting R&B singer Cassie to abuse in a years-long relationship. Cassie, whose legal Casandra Ventura, alleged in the suit filed against the producer and music mogul in New York federal court. Combs’ lawyer denies the allegations.
Jordan Strauss - invision linkable, Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
NEW YORK (AP) — A lawsuit by singer Cassie containing allegations of beatings and abuse by music producer Sean “Diddy” Combs has been settled, the artists announced Friday, one day after the lawsuit was filed.
The settlement was announced in a statement sent by attorney Douglas Wigdor, who represents Cassie, whose full name is Casandra Ventura.
The statement said they had reached a deal "to their mutual satisfaction” Friday evening, but no terms of the agreement were disclosed, and no further statements would be issued beyond those made by Ventura, Combs and Wigdor in the email distributed by the lawyer.
In her statement, Ventura said: "I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control. I want to thank my family, fans and lawyers for their unwavering support.”
Combs said: "We have decided to resolve this matter amicably. I wish Cassie and her family all the best. Love.”
In his statement, Wigdor said: "I am very proud of Ms. Ventura for having the strength to go public with her lawsuit. She ought to be commended for doing so.”
Ben Brafman, an attorney for Combs, did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. On Thursday, he said Combs “vehemently denies” the allegations.
The lawsuit alleged that Combs brought the singer into his “ostentatious, fast-paced, and drug-fueled lifestyle” soon after she met him and signed to his label in 2005, when she was 19 and he was 37.
Ventura, now 37 herself, said Combs, now 54, began a pattern of abuse as soon as their relationship started.
The lawsuit alleged that, “prone to uncontrollable rage,” Combs subjected Ventura to “savage” beatings in which he punched, kicked and stomped her. It alleges he plied her with drugs and forced her to have sex with other men while he masturbated and filmed them.
According to the lawsuit, as Ventura was trying to end the relationship in 2018, Combs forced her into her Los Angeles home and raped her.
The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly as Ventura has.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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