Singer Cassie, Sean Combs settle lawsuit alleging rape
Singer Cassie and rap mogul Sean Combs have reached a settlement "amicably" a day after she filed a lawsuit accusing him of rape and physical abuse, US media reported late on Friday. The R&B singer, whose real name is Casandra Ventura, said in a suit filed on Thursday that hip-hop artist Combs subjected her to more than a decade of coercion by physical force and drugs as well as a 2018 rape. A lawyer for Combs, also known as both Puff Daddy or Diddy, has denied the allegations. The parties said on Friday evening that they had agreed to resolve the case, but did not disclose the settlement terms, The New York Times and other US media reported. "I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control," Ventura said in a statement published by US media. "I want to thank my family, fans and lawyers for their unwavering support," she added. In a separate statement also carried by US media, Combs said: "We have decided to resolve this matter amicably. I wish Cassie and her family all the best. Love." According to Ventura's lawsuit, filed in federal court in Manhattan, she met Combs in 2005, when she was 19 and he was 37. He signed her to his label, Bad Boy Records, with her hits including tracks like "Me & U." They also began a romantic relationship. Court documents called Combs a violent man, recounting disturbing scenes of his outbursts, including forcing Ventura to engage in sex acts with male sex workers, which she alleges Combs filmed. The complaint said that in 2018 Combs and Ventura had dinner, after which he forced his way into her apartment and raped her. In an earlier statement, Combs's lawyer Ben Brafman "vehemently" denied the allegations, calling them "offensive and outrageous." Combs accused Ventura of blackmail, saying her aim was to "tarnish" his reputation and gain a payout. (AFP)