Sean “Diddy” Combs is seen in a recently-surfaced 2016 video physically abusing his then-girlfriend, Cassie, at a Los Angeles hotel. The CNN-obtained surveillance footage, captured from multiple angles on March 5, 2016 at the InterContinental Hotel, shows Combs grabbing, shoving, dragging and kicking Cassie. As she exits the hotel room and heads toward an elevator, Combs runs after her, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. He then grabs Cassie by the neck before throwing her down and kicking her.
Combs is also seen grabbing Cassie’s purse and suitcase from the floor before kicking Ventura again as she remains on the ground. He then drags Cassie toward a hotel room and walks away while leaving her on the floor. Ventura stood up at that point, collected her items and picked up a hotel phone near the elevator. A short time later, Combs emerges from the hotel room and shoves Cassie. He then sits down on a chair in the hallway, grabs an item from a table and throws it in Cassie’s direction.
The details seen in the footage align with the allegations outlined in Cassie’s lawsuit against the rapper. The federal lawsuit, which is now settled, stated that Combs became “extremely intoxicated and punched Ms. Ventura in the face, giving her a black eye” during the 2016 altercation. The complaint adds that Combs “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,” Ventura stated in her lawsuit.
According to additional details from the complaint, Ventura went to her apartment in a cab after leaving the hotel that day.
“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 lawsuit states. “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 also states that Combs paid the hotel $50,000 for the hallway footage. Ventura brought additional complaints against Combs, saying he raped her in 2018.
Combs signed Cassie to his label when she was 19; he was 37 at the time. The “Me & U” singer maintained an off-and-on relationship with Combs from 2007 through 2018, CNN reported. Ventura said in her lawsuit that Combs forced her to take part in various sex acts with other men during their time together.
Combs’ attorney, Ben Brafman said his client “vehemently denies these offensive and outrageous allegations.”
“A decision to settle a lawsuit, especially in 2023, is in no way an admission of wrongdoing,” Brafman previously told CNN in a statement. “Mr. Combs‘ decision to settle the lawsuit does not in any way undermine his flat-out denial of the claims. He is happy they got to a mutual settlement and wishes Ms. Ventura the best.”
Combs still faces five additional civil lawsuits. He faces several allegations of sexual misconduct and other accusations of illegal activities. As Blavity reported, homeland Security Investigations raided Combs’ homes in Los Angeles and Miami in April. Aaron Dyer, an attorney for Combs, described the searches as a “gross overuse of military-level force.”
“This unprecedented ambush – paired with an advanced, coordinated media presence – leads to a premature rush to judgment of Mr. Combs and is nothing more than a witch hunt based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits,” Dyer said in a statement at that time, per CNN. “There has been no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations. Mr. Combs is innocent and will continue to fight every single day to clear his name.”