Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ lawyer says Cassie abuse, rape lawsuit settlement was not an ‘admission of wrongdoing’
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ attorney said in a statement that his client settling the rape and abuse lawsuit with Cassie was in “no way an admission of wrongdoing.”
“Just so we’re clear, a decision to settle a lawsuit, especially in 2023, is in no way an admission of wrongdoing,” attorney Ben Brafman said in a statement to Page Six Saturday.
“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.”
Brafman’s latest statement comes hours after news broke that the Bad Boy Records founder had settled the rape and abuse lawsuit his ex Cassie filed against him on Thursday.
“I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control,” the singer, whose full name is Casandra Ventura, said in a statement Friday following the settlement.
“I want to thank my family, fans and lawyers for their unwavering support.”
Diddy, 54, also spoke out in a statement, saying “We have decided to resolve this matter amicably. I wish Cassie and her family all the best. Love.”
The settlement came one day after the “Me & U” singer, 37, filed a bombshell lawsuit against her former boss and ex-boyfriend, accusing him of rape, physical abuse, introducing her to alcohol and drugs and forcing her to have sex with male prostitutes as he watched and masturbated.
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Cassie claimed in the lawsuit that the “Last Night” rapper “was prone to uncontrollable rage, and frequently beat Ms. Ventura savagely” throughout their 10-year relationship.
“Over the years that Mr. Combs abused Ms. Ventura physically and sexually, she again and again tried to escape his tight hold over her life,” the lawsuit stated. “Every time she hid, Mr. Combs’s vast network of corporations and affiliated entities found her, and those who worked for Mr. Combs’s companies implored her to return to him.
“Many went as far as to explicitly state that her failure to return to Mr. Combs would hinder her success in the entertainment industry.”
The “Long Way 2 Go” songstress claimed in the suit that Diddy allegedly raped her in her apartment in 2018.
“She told him to stop and attempted to push him away,” the lawsuit read. “Mr. Combs then forcibly pulled off Ms. Ventura’s clothing and unbuckled his belt. He proceeded to rape Ms. Ventura while she repeatedly said ‘no’ and tried to push him away.”
Diddy, via his attorney, “vehemently” denied all the allegations against him.
Former Danity Kane singer Aubrey O’Day — who was signed to Diddy’s Bad Boy Records label in the 2000s — spoke out after news of their settlement surfaced, criticizing the justice system for the way things turned out.
“Money > accountability. Every time,” she wrote on her Instagram Stories Friday alongside an article about the settlement.
“Welcome to another chapter of the system is well in place. 💔.”
Cassie and the Sean John founder dated on and off for 10 years until 2018.
She married fitness trainer Alex Fine in 2019 and they share two children together.
Meanwhile, Diddy is in an open relationship with rapper Yung Miami and welcomed his seventh child last October.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-330-0226.
