What Did Cassie Accuse Diddy Of? All About the Singer's Lawsuit

In November 2023, Casandra “Cassie” Ventura filed a lawsuit against her ex-partner Sean “Diddy” Combs accusing him of sexual assault and physical abuse.

The “Me & U” singer alleged that during her relationship with Diddy, she was stuck in a decade-long “cycle of abuse, violence and sex trafficking,” including a 2018 rape after she tried to leave him.

“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,” she said in a statement.

Cassie continued, “With the expiration of New York’s Adult Survivors Act fast approaching, it became clear that this was an opportunity to speak up about the trauma I have experienced and that I will be recovering from for the rest of my life.”

The lawsuit was settled a day later in New York City, but in May 2024, a video surfaced of the rapper allegedly physically assaulting the “Me & U” singer.

In her lawsuit, Cassie referenced the altercation that was captured by the video, alleging that in March 2016, “Mr. Combs became extremely intoxicated and punched Ms. Ventura in the face giving her a black eye.”

At the time of the allegations, Diddy denied any wrongdoing, with his lawyer, Ben Brafman, telling PEOPLE in a statement that the claims were “offensive and outrageous.”

"Mr. Combs vehemently denies these offensive and outrageous allegations," Brafman said. "Ms. Ventura's demand of $30 million, under the threat of writing a damaging book about their relationship, was unequivocally rejected as blatant blackmail."

He added, "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' reputation, and seeking a pay day."

Here’s everything to know about what Cassie accused Diddy of in her lawsuit.

What did Cassie accuse Diddy of?

In her complaint obtained by PEOPLE, Cassie detailed how after meeting Diddy in 2005, when she was 19 and he was 37, she signed to his record label, Bad Boy Records, after which point he allegedly commanded “complete control” of her life, “thereby ensuring her inability to escape his hold.”

By 2007, she alleged that he pressured her to start dating him, and she did so in fear of retaliation, per the complaint. During their relationship, Cassie alleged that he gave her “copious amounts of drugs” and would exhibit “uncontrollable rage” while “frequently beat[ing] Ms. Ventura savagely.”

She added that she was allegedly forced to hide in hotels for days until her bruises went away, and eventually “began to blindly follow his instructions out of fear of again being on the receiving end of a vicious beating.”

Cassie also detailed other alleged instances of abuse and “freak offs,” which she said are what Diddy called instances in which he wanted to watch the singer perform sexual acts with sex workers. She said the encounters “always” included drug use, such as ecstasy, cocaine, GHB, ketamine, marijuana and alcohol.

In 2018, Cassie said that she tried to leave Diddy for the last time, but after she broke up with him at dinner, he allegedly forced his way into her home and raped her.

“Ms. Ventura has now fully escaped Mr. Combs, but the harm that the assaults and sexual abuse he caused her to experience for nearly a decade will forever haunt her,” the complaint said. “She has required intensive medical and psychological care to recover from the trauma she lived through.”

When did Cassie settle the lawsuit against Diddy?

A day after her complaint was filed, the singers reached a settlement to their “mutual satisfaction” on Nov. 17, 2023.

“I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control,” Cassie said in a statement. “I want to thank my family, fans and lawyers for their unwavering support.”

Her attorney, Douglas 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.”

Diddy’s lawyer added that the settlement was “in no way an admission of wrongdoing.”

“We have decided to resolve this matter amicably,” Diddy said in a statement. “I wish Cassie and her family all the best. Love.”

What was in the video that surfaced in May 2024?

In the months after the settled lawsuit, a number of other accusations and suits were filed against Diddy, culminating in his home being raided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in March 2024.

Two months later, CNN released video footage from a March 2016 altercation at the now-closed InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles. The surveillance video showed Cassie attempting to leave her hotel room, walking down the hallway toward the elevator, when Diddy chased after her and threw her to the ground.

While Cassie lay motionless on the ground, Diddy violently kicked her and picked up her purse and suitcase before kicking her again. He then grabbed her and attempted to drag her in the direction of his hotel room before letting her go and sitting down in a chair. Per the video, he then took an object off a table to throw at her.

Diddy proceeded to walk away when the elevator doors opened, and someone exited.

The altercation aligns with a description of the scenario Cassie outlined in her lawsuit.

"After he fell asleep, Ms. Ventura tried to leave the hotel room, but as she exited, Mr. Combs awoke and began screaming at Ms. Ventura," the lawsuit claimed. "He followed her into the hallway of the hotel while 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."

According to the lawsuit, Cassie left the hotel by taking the elevator and getting a cab.

“Upon realizing that her running away would cause Mr. Combs to be even angrier with her, and completely stuck in his vicious cycle of abuse, Ms. Ventura returned to the hotel with the intention of apologizing for running away from her abuser,” the complaint claimed. “When she returned, hotel security staff urged her to get back into a cab and go to her apartment, suggesting that they had seen the security footage showing Mr. Combs beating Ms. Ventura and throwing glass at her in the hotel hallway.”

The lawsuit added that Diddy allegedly paid the hotel $50,000 for the hallway security footage capturing the fight.

After the March 2024 video surfaced, IHG Hotels said in a statement to PEOPLE, "This hotel is no longer under IHG management, and we do not have any access to prior incident records or footage."

What has Cassie said about the video?

A week after the video surfaced, Cassie spoke out on Instagram, expressing her thanks "for all of the love and support from my family, friends, strangers and those I have yet to meet."

She added that while "the outpouring of love has created a place for my younger self to settle and feel safe now," this was only "the beginning."

"Domestic Violence is THE issue. It broke me down to someone I never thought I would become," she wrote. "With a lot of hard work, I am better today, but I will always be recovering from the past. This healing journey is never ending, but this support means everything to me."

Cassie ended her statement by asking people to believe victims "the first time" and offered her "hand" to people who are still "living in fear."

The same day the video came to light, her lawyer, Douglas Wigdor, praised the singer’s “courage” in sharing her story.

“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," he said in a statement shared with PEOPLE.

A rep for Diddy did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

What has Diddy said about the video?

A couple of days after the hotel footage was released, Diddy posted a video on his Instagram breaking his silence on the altercation.

"It's so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life," he said in the footage. "Sometimes you gotta do that. I was f----- up. I mean I hit rock bottom but I make no excuses. My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video."

He continued, "Disgusted. I was disgusted then when I did it, I'm disgusted now. I went and I sought out professional help, going to therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I'm so sorry, but I'm committed to be a better man. Each and every day."

Cassie's lawyer Meredith Firetog, Partner at Wigdor LLP, responded to Diddy's video in a statement obtained by PEOPLE, calling his apology "more about himself than the many people he has hurt."

"When Cassie and multiple other women came forward, he denied everything and suggested that his victims were looking for a payday," she wrote. "That he was only compelled to ‘apologize’ once his repeated denials were proven false shows his pathetic desperation, and no one will be swayed by his disingenuous words."