A newly released video shows Sean “Diddy” Combs manhandling and kicking singer Cassie Ventura, his former girlfriend, in plain view of hotel surveillance cameras in 2016, before the rapper, music producer and businessman rapidly settled a lawsuit that she brought against him this past November, according to footage exclusively obtained by CNN.
The video in question illustrates in the most graphic nature possible one of the beatings alleged and described in Ventura’s lawsuit, which Combs had vehemently denied.
Ventura’s lawsuit preceded federal authorities’ March raid of Combs’ properties in Los Angeles and Miami as part of a sex-trafficking investigation.
Combs, in the footage obtained by CNN, is seen exiting a room at the since-shuttered InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles’s Century City neighborhood while holding a towel around his waist. He runs down a hallway after Ventura, grabs her by the back of the neck and throws her to the floor near a bank of elevators.
The video – which had never before been seen publicly – shows Combs then kick Ventura twice and drag her before letting her go and walking away.
Ventura later stands up, gathers some of her items from the floor, and picks up a telephone on the wall next to the elevators. Combs soon returns – still clad in just a towel and socks – and shoves Ventura into a corner while they are in front of a mirror directly across from one of the security cameras that captured footage of the attack.
He throws something at Ventura before starting to walk away. The clip shows Combs then double back to Ventura when one of the elevator doors opens and someone apparently exits.
A statement that Ventura’s attorney, Douglas H Wigdor, provided to CNN called the video “gut-wrenching”. Wigdor said the footage “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,” Wigdor said.
Combs did not immediately comment on the footage, which vividly contradicted his prior vehement denials of Ventura’s allegations.
Ventura’s lawsuit in November accused Combs of rape and severe physical abuse spanning more than a decade. She detailed how he allegedly forced her to have sex with male prostitutes and used his network of powerful entertainment contacts to entrap her in the relationship, which reportedly started in 2007 – when she was 19 and he was 37 – and lasted on and off until 2018.
And she alleged that Combs paid $50,000 to buy from the hotel the security footage that CNN aired Friday.
Combs and Ventura settled the lawsuit one day after she filed it. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed, and commentary about the agreement overwhelmingly focused on how quickly Combs moved to resolve the case in a manner that prevented it from even coming close to a courtroom.
Since then, Combs has faced several more lawsuits attributing rapes, sexual assaults, other instances of physical violence and “revenge porn” distribution to him.
Combs has denied all allegations while pledging to “fight for [his] name”. But one legal commentator on Friday predicted that the video published by CNN would hurt Combs’ chances of resolving the various legal cases against him in his favor.
“The video will embolden the who are suing Diddy on behalf of plaintiffs who have accused him of violence and sexual assault,” entertainment attorney Camron Dowlatshahi said in a statement. “They will aggressively seek to have this video admitted as evidence if any of their cases goes to trial.
“It’s rare to have smoking gun evidence in those types of cases, and this video is a form of smoking-gun evidence with respect to Diddy’s propensity for violence.”
The extent of Combs’ metastasizing legal problems became clearer than ever when federal agents searched his homes in Los Angeles and Miami in the course of a sex-trafficking investigation. The 54-year-old three-time Grammy winner once known as P Diddy, Puff Daddy and Love spoke with authorities during the searches but was not detained, was not charged and was not restricted from traveling as he wished, his attorney told media outlets that day.
Many prominent entertainment industry figures swiftly condemned Combs on Friday in reaction to the video of him battering Ventura.
Supermodel Emily Ratajkowski wrote “Monster”, on a Twitter/X post containing the video.
Singer Aubrey O’Day, whom Combs once fired from the girl group Danity Kane, separately wrote on X in reference to the video: “The picture is getting a lot more clear for you all I can imagine.”
In the US, the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). In the UK, call the national domestic abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247, or visit Women’s Aid. In Australia, the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. Other international helplines may be found via www.befrienders.org