Disclaimer: This story contains graphic details that some may find disturbing.
Surveillance footage obtained by CNN appears to show Sean “Diddy” Combs physically assaulting his former girlfriend Cassie Ventura in a hotel hallway in 2016, seemingly matching claims she made in her now-settled rape and sexual abuse lawsuit against the music mogul.
The video CNN released Friday comprises footage from multiple angles dated March, 5, 2016. Ventura, whose stage name is Cassie, alleged in her suit that Combs became extremely intoxicated and punched her in the face that month at the now-closed InterContinental Hotel in Century City.
Ventura claimed in her suit that she tried to leave her hotel room after Combs fell asleep, but he awoke as she exited and followed her into the hallway while yelling at her. The newly released footage shows what appears to be Ventura walking with bags in a hotel hallway toward the elevators and Combs running with a towel around his waist after her.
When he reaches her, he forcefully grabs Ventura by the back of the neck and throws her to the ground, where he then kicks her, the video shows. Combs is seen picking up Ventura’s bags before kicking her again while she lies motionless. Then he appears to grab Ventura by the hood of her sweatshirt and drag her back toward the hallway for about five seconds.
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The video next shows Ventura picking up a hotel phone near the elevators as Combs appears to walk back toward his room with her bags. He’s then shown returning to the elevators, where he shoves Ventura into a corner under the security camera. Combs can then be seen in a mirror sitting in a nearby chair, grabbing an object from a table and throwing it toward Ventura.
Ventura’s suit claims Combs took glass vases in the hotel hallway and threw them at her before she escaped through the elevator. She alleged she got a cab to her apartment but returned to the hotel after “realizing that her running away would cause Mr. Combs to be even angrier with her,” the suit says.
“Completely stuck in his vicious cycle of abuse,” she wanted to apologize for running away from Combs, her suit states, but upon arriving there, the hotel security staff urged her to get back into the cab, having seen the disturbing security footage.
Ventura claimed Combs paid the InterContinental Hotel $50,000 for the now-released footage. She declined to comment to CNN after it obtained the footage.
“The gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behavior of Mr. Combs,” Ventura’s attorney, Douglas H. Wigdor, told Scripps News in response to the video. “Words cannot express the courage and fortitude that Ms. Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this to light.”
Combs and Ventura dated on and off from 2007 to 2018. She filed her lawsuit against him in federal court in November, alleging the music executive started abusing her when she was 19. This abuse, Ventura alleged, included beatings, provision of drugs like ecstasy and cocaine, forcing her to have sex with male prostitutes while he filmed them, and Combs raping her in 2018.
She also alleged she was a victim of sex trafficking due to the multiple sexual encounters she says she was coerced into across the country. Federal authorities search two of Combs’ homes in March in a sex trafficking investigation, according to The Associated Press.
Combs has faced allegations in other lawsuits, including one from a music producer who claimed Combs ran a RICO enterprise set up to acquire and transport drugs, firearms and sex workers — some being minors.
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After Ventura filed her suit, a lawyer for Combs released a statement to New York Times saying in part, “Mr. Combs vehemently denies these offensive and outrageous allegations.” It characterizes the lawsuit as “riddled with baseless and outrageous lies, aiming to tarnish Mr. Combs’s reputation and seeking a payday.” Combs has also denied the claims made in multiple other suits.
Ventura’s suit against Combs was settled one day after it was filed, with the plaintiff saying in a statement published by the Times, “I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control. I want to thank my family, fans and lawyers for their unwavering support.”
In a separate statement, Combs said, “We have decided to resolve this matter amicably. I wish Cassie and her family all the best. Love.”
Combs has not commented on the video CNN released on Friday.
