The rapper settled a lawsuit with Cassie the day after she accused him of years of sexual and physical assault, and he has refuted prior claims of abuse.
By Antonio Planas and Diana Dasrath
Music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs is seen on security footage obtained by CNN allegedly attacking his ex-girlfriend Cassie in a 2016 hotel attack. Cassie described the incident in a lawsuit that has since been resolved, alleging the rapper had been abusing her physically and sexually for years.
According to CNN, the footage was from an event that happened in March 2016. It records from many perspectives.
In a federal lawsuit filed in November, Cassie, 37, also known as Casandra Ventura, claimed that during their relationship, Combs had sexually assaulted her and had physically mistreated her, hitting, beating, kicking, and stomping her. The day following its filing, the lawsuit was resolved.
Requests for comment on Friday were not immediately answered by Combs’s 54-year-old representatives. He has previously called the accusations disgusting and rejected them. Not long after the agreement with
Cassie claimed in the lawsuit that Combs had seduced her into the partnership from the beginning of their collaboration when she was a rising star at Combs’ company. In the lawsuit, she claimed that Combs was in complete control of every area of her life and that the abuse had continued for over ten years.
Following Cassie’s complaint, Combs has been charged with gang rape, physical and sexual abuse, and “serious illegal activity” in a number of additional claims.
Investigators from the federal government are looking into him, and this spring they searched his houses.
Combs has promised to clear his name and has refuted all of the accusations.
In the footage, which CNN claims was taken in a hotel hallway, Combs is seen naked and wrapped in a towel. A woman is walking close to an elevator when he approaches from behind, snatches her, and tosses her to the ground. Thereafter, the man CNN named as Combs seems to kick her twice. Then, with her on the ground, he starts dragging her by her hooded sweatshirt.
In the footage, the woman is seen picking up a phone while Combs is out of frame. The woman is no longer in the camera’s field of view when Combs appears to shove her when he enters the frame of the footage.
A few moments later, Combs looks to be picking up and throwing something while seated in a chair. There is no audio in the video.
The video has not been independently authenticated by NBC News.
The “disturbing and difficult to watch” video was brought to the attention of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office on Saturday.
“Unfortunately, we would be unable to charge if the conduct shown had happened in 2016 because it would have happened after the time frame in which an assault crime can be prosecuted has passed.”
Cassie’s lawyer, Douglas Wigdor, stated on Friday that the video “has only further confirmed Mr. Combs’s disturbing and predatory behavior.” The bravery and tenacity displayed by Ms. Ventura in speaking up and bringing this to light are beyond words.
In her lawsuit, Cassie described an alleged attack that she said occurred in 2016 at a hotel in Los Angeles, when she was hit in the face by Combs after he became intoxicated, leaving her with a “black eye.”
She claimed that after that, Combs dozed off but kept acting violently when he woke up and Cassie tried to get out of the hotel room, according to the lawsuit.
“He yelled at her as he followed her into the hotel corridor. She fled to the elevator as he grabbed her and proceeded to throw glass vases from the corridor at her, breaking glass around them, according to the lawsuit.
According to the lawsuit, she left the hotel but came back with the intention of “apologizing for running away from her abuser.”
According to the lawsuit, hotel employees advised her to return to her apartment by “suggesting that they had seen the security footage showing Mr. Combs beating Ms. Ventura and throwing glass at her in the hotel hallway.”
Cassie claimed in her lawsuit that Combs paid $50,000 to the hotel in order to get video evidence of the event in the corridor.
The hotel at the center of the purported event is no longer managed by IHG Hotels & Resorts, the company announced on Friday.
It added in a statement, “IHG did not produce this footage, did not receive payment for this footage, and does not have access to it.”
Three women and a man were questioned by federal investigators in Manhattan in March, according to a person with knowledge of Combs’ criminal investigation. The interviews were related to claims of sex trafficking, sexual assault, and the soliciting and distribution of illegal drugs and weapons.
The rapper has been the target of five lawsuits in New York since last October, alleging that he engaged in sexual assault, trafficking in persons, and other criminal activities.
The lawsuits with Cassie have been settled, but the others are still pending.
Attorneys representing Combs have submitted court documents requesting the partial dismissal of one woman’s complaint and the dismissal of a Jane Doe lawsuit.
The rapper’s Miami and Los Angeles residences were searched by federal officials in March. NBC News was informed by three people who are acquainted with the situation that weapons were discovered at his homes; however, they did not offer any other information.
Following the raids, Combs’ lawyer, Aaron Dyer, released a statement in which he claimed that Combs “was never detained but spoke to and cooperated with authorities.” There has been a rush to judgment based on “meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits,” he said, characterizing the raid as an ambush.
“With regard to any of these allegations, no finding of criminal or civil liability has been made,” Dyer stated. “Mr. Combs will fight every day to clear his name because he is innocent.”
A plea agreement was reached on Thursday by a man who had been detained on drug-related charges while Combs’ premises were being searched by federal officials.
According to a police report, Brendan Paul was with Combs when federal authorities searched the rapper’s aircraft. He was detained at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport in March on suspicion of possessing suspected cocaine and suspected marijuana candy.
“Brendan agreed to the prosecutor’s proposal to be admitted into the diversion program, whereupon the case against him will be completely dropped,” said Brian, his lawyer.
