In a newly surfaced video obtained by CNN, Sean “Diddy” Combs appears to attack his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, in 2016 at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles.
In the footage, the woman who resembles Ventura is seen exiting a hotel room and moving towards elevators before the man resembling Combs shoves her to the ground, drags and kicks her. “The gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behavior of Mr. Combs,” Douglas Wigdor, Ventura’s attorney, said. “Words cannot express the courage and fortitude that Ms. Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this to light.”
Last November, Ventura sued Combs for allegedly sexually abusing her for years (the pair met when she was 19 and he was 37, and dated for a decade). Through his attorney, Combs denied the accusations and called them an extortion attempt. However, the surveillance footage appears to match claims made by Ventura about this specific incident, during which she said Combs “became extremely intoxicated and punched [her] in the face,” and that he paid the hotel $50,000 for the video.
Somewhat unexpectedly, the suit was settled the next day, with Combs saying, “We have decided to resolve this matter amicably. I wish Cassie and her family all the best,” Combs said. “Love.” The mogul’s longtime attorney, Ben Brafman, insisted, “Just so we’re clear, a decision to settle a lawsuit, especially in 2023, is in no way an admission of wrongdoing. 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.”
The suit was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York just before the expiration of the Adult Survivors Act, which allowed victims to seek legal action against perpetrators outside the constraints of regular statutes of limitation. Since Ventura’s filing, Combs has been named in four additional sexual misconduct and abuse lawsuits. He has denied any wrongdoing.