Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura reached a settlement with ex-boyfriend Sean “Diddy” Combs on Friday, November 17, just one day after filing a lawsuit that accused the rapper of rape and abuse during their 11-year relationship.
“I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control,” Ventura, 37, said in a statement, per ABC News. “I want to thank my family, fans and lawyers for their unwavering support.”
Combs, 54, gave a similar statement, saying, “We have decided to resolve this matter amicably. I wish Cassie and her family all the best. Love.”
Details of their settlement have not been publicly disclosed. However, in a separate statement obtained by Hollywood Life by Combs’ attorney, Ben Brafman, he states, “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.”
Ventura filed the lawsuit in New York federal court on Thursday, November 16, and it included many claims of rape and abuse that occurred throughout their decade-long relationship. The model claimed Combs “lured [her] into his ostentatious, fast-paced, and drug-fueled lifestyle” shortly after she met him and signed to his label, Bad Boy Records, when she was 19 and he was 37 in 2005. Combs’ attorney, Ben Brafman, said the rapper “vehemently denies” the allegations.
Ventura and Combs began dating publicly in 2007 after his split from Kim Porter, who died in 2018 from a lung infection.
The suit alleged that Combs was “prone to uncontrollable rage” and Ventura allegedly endured “savage” beatings in which he punched and kicked her. The suit also claimed he plied her with drugs and forced her to have sex with other men while he masturbated and filmed them. In addition, Ventura claimed that Combs forced her into her Los Angeles home and raped her when she was trying to end their relationship in 2018.
“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, per Associated Press.
Combs’ lawyer claimed Ventura’s allegations were “lies,” writing in a statement, “For the past six months, Mr. Combs has been subjected to Ms. Ventura’s persistent demand of $30 million, under the threat of writing a damaging book about their relationship, which was unequivocally rejected as blatant blackmail. 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’s reputation and seeking a payday.”