NEW YORK (AP) — A lawsuit by singer Cassie containing allegations of beatings and abuse by music producer Sean “Diddy” Combs has been settled, the artists introduced Friday, at some point after the lawsuit was filed.
The settlement was introduced in a press release despatched by lawyer Douglas Wigdor, who represents Cassie, whose full identify is Casandra Ventura.
The assertion mentioned that they had reached a deal “to their mutual satisfaction” Friday night, however no phrases of the settlement have been disclosed and no additional statements can be issued past these made by Ventura, Combs and Wigdor within the e-mail distributed by the lawyer.
In her assertion, Ventura mentioned: “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.”
Combs mentioned: “We have decided to resolve this matter amicably. I wish Cassie and her family all the best. Love.”
Ben Brafman, an lawyer for Combs, didn’t instantly reply to a message looking for remark. On Thursday, he mentioned in a press release that Combs “vehemently denies” the allegations.
The lawsuit alleged Combs introduced the singer into his “ostentatious, fast-paced, and drug-fueled lifestyle” quickly after she met him and signed to his label in 2005, when she was 19 and he was 37.
Ventura, now 37, mentioned Combs, now 54, started a sample of abuse as quickly as their on-and-off relationship started in 2007.
The lawsuit alleged that, “prone to uncontrollable rage,” Combs subjected Ventura to “savage” beatings during which he punched, kicked and stomped her. It alleges he plied her with medication and pressured her to have intercourse with different males whereas he masturbated and filmed them.
According to the lawsuit, as Ventura was making an attempt to finish the connection in 2018, Combs pressured her into her Los Angeles residence and raped her.
The Associated Press doesn’t sometimes identify individuals who say they’ve been sexually abused except they arrive ahead publicly as Ventura has.
Combs is among the many most influential hip-hop producers and executives of the previous three a long time. The founding father of Bad Boy Records and a three-time Grammy winner, he has labored with a slew of top-tier artists together with Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, Usher, Lil Kim, Faith Evans and 112.
This 12 months, he launched his fifth studio album, “The Love Album: Off the Grid,” which earned two Grammy nominations this month. It was his first studio album in 17 years.
“The bad boy of entertainment is getting the key to the city from the bad boy of politics!” Mayor Eric Adams mentioned in September as he introduced a large key to Combs in Times Square. Combs was born in New York City and raised in close by Mount Vernon.
Ventura gained fame with the Ryan Leslie-produced hit single “Me & U,” which rose to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart in 2006. It was her solely studio album. As an actor, she was in a number of tasks together with Fox’s “Empire,” “Step Up 2:The Streets” and “Spenser Confidential.”
Brafman’s assertion on Thursday mentioned Ventura had for the previous six months persistently demanded $30 million whereas threatening to put in writing a harmful ebook about her relationship with Combs. The lawyer mentioned the calls for have been rejected as “blatant blackmail.”
Ventura withdrew the preliminary risk earlier than submitting a lawsuit “riddled with baseless and outrageous lies, aiming to tarnish Mr. Combs’s reputation and seeking a payday,” Brafman mentioned.
Wigdor responded Thursday in a press release saying Combs had supplied her “eight figures to silence her” and forestall the lawsuit from being filed.
“She rejected his efforts and decided to give a voice to all woman who suffer in silence,” Wigdor mentioned.
Wigdor praised his consumer in a press release included in his e-mail saying the settlement on Friday.
“I am very proud of Ms. Ventura for having the strength to go public with her lawsuit. She ought to be commended for doing so,” he mentioned.
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