A day after filing a lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs, accusing him of rape, sex trafficking and domestic violence, singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura has agreed to a settlement with the music mogul. The two parties released a statement on Friday, saying they have resolved the claims with “mutual satisfaction.” The pair also said they would not release details about the settlement terms.
“I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control,” Ventura said in a statement, according to People. “I want to thank my family, fans and lawyers for their unwavering support.”
Ventura’s attorney, Douglas Wigdor, praised his client.
“I am very proud of Ms. Ventura for having the strength to go public with her lawsuit,” the attorney said, People reported. “She ought to be commended for doing so.”
Diddy said the case has been resolved “amicably.”
“I wish Cassie and her family all the best. Love,” he said.
Ventura, now 37, was 19 when she met Combs in 2005, as Blavity previously reported. Combs, who was 37 years old then, signed her to his Bad Boy Records label, and the pair started dating soon after. In her lawsuit, however, Ventura said she was caught up in a decade-long “cycle of abuse, violence and sex trafficking.” According to the complaint, Combs was beating Ventura severely and hiding her at “hotels for days at a time to let her bruises heal.”
“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,” Ventura said in a statement after filing the lawsuit. “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 Adult Survivors Act, which gave a one-year window for sexual assault survivors to file complaints past the statute of limitations, is scheduled to expire on Thursday, NPR reported. In her complaint, Ventura added that Combs forced her to engage with sex workers. The 54-year-old music mogul called these encounters “freak offs” or “FOs,” the lawsuit states. These encounters involved ecstasy, cocaine, GHB, ketamine, marijuana and alcohol, Ventura added.
Combs’ lawyer, Ben Brafman, described the allegations as “offensive and outrageous.”
“Ms. Ventura’s demand of $30 million, under the threat of writing a damaging book about their relationship, was unequivocally rejected as blatant blackmail,” Brafman said when the singer filed the lawsuit.
Wigdor spoke out against Brafman’s statement.
“Mr. Combs offered Ms. Ventura eight figures to silence her and prevent the filing of this lawsuit,” he said. “She rejected his efforts and decided to give a voice to all women who suffer in silence. Ms. Ventura should be applauded for her bravery.”
