The graphic surveillance footage obtained by CNN supports Cassie’s previous allegations against the rapper.
Last November, Sean “Diddy” Combs and Casandra “Cassie” Ventura settled out of court after she filed a federal lawsuit in which she accused him of physical assault and rape. Now, a video obtained by CNN shows Combs physically assaulting Ventura in a hotel in 2016, appearing to line up with allegations from Cassie’s suit.
The graphic surveillance-footage video — which CNN reports was taken at L.A.’s now-closed InterContinental Hotel on March 5, 2016 — shows Ventura leaving a hotel room and walking to an elevator bay. Shortly after, Combs runs out wearing only a towel. He finds Ventura, then appears to grab her by the back of her head and throw her to the ground. He then kicks her twice and attempts to drag her back down the hallway by her sweatshirt. Later, he returns and shoves her into a corner before throwing what appears to be a vase at her.
In her lawsuit, Ventura described a strikingly similar event. Her complaint claimed that she had tried to leave the hotel room after Combs fell asleep, but he woke up and began screaming at her. “He followed her into the hallway of the hotel while yelling at her. He grabbed at her, and then took glass vases in the hallway and threw them at her, causing glass to crash around them as she ran to the elevator to escape,” the complaint reads.
According to her suit, Ventura managed to get into the elevator and take a cab to her apartment. She eventually returned, claiming that “her running away would cause Mr. Combs to be even angrier with her.” Once she got back to the hotel, she claimed that the hotel staff urged her to return to her apartment, leading her to believe that they had seen the security footage. Ventura also claimed that Combs paid the hotel $50,000 for the surveillance footage of the assault.
In a statement provided to CNN and the Cut, Ventura’s attorney Douglas H. Wigdor said, “The gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behavior of Mr. Combs. Words cannot express the courage and fortitude that Ms. Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this to light.”
Ventura’s husband, Alex Fine, shared an anti-domestic-violence post on Instagram shortly after the video was made public. “I want my kids and every kid to live in a world that’s safe for women and girls, protects them and treats them as equals. To the women and children, you’re not alone, and you are heard,” Fine wrote in the caption.
Since Ventura’s lawsuit, several people have come forward to accuse Combs of sexual assault. Combs has denied all claims of sexual assault. Investigators also raided his homes in Miami and Los Angeles in March, apparently in connection with the Southern District of New York’s federal sex-trafficking investigation.
The Cut has reached out to representatives for both Combs and Ventura. We will update this post when we hear back.
This post has been updated.
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