Cassie Ventura breaks her silence over 2016 video that showed her physically assaulted by Sean “Diddy” Combs

CNN
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Cassie Ventura shared a statement expressing gratitude for the support she has received since CNN released surveillance video in 2016 that showed her being physically assaulted by her then-boyfriend, Sean “Diddy” Combs.

“Thank you for all the love and support from my family, friends, strangers and those I haven’t met yet,” Ventura wrote in a message shared on Instagram. “The outpouring of love has created a place where my younger self can settle down and feel safe now, but that’s just the beginning.”

Ventura continued: “Domestic violence is THE problem. It broke me into someone I never thought I would become. With a lot of hard work, I am better today, but I will always recover from my past.

She then focused on finding support for others.

“My only request is that EVERYONE opens their hearts to believing victims the first time. It takes a lot of heart to tell the truth in a situation in which you were helpless,” Ventura wrote. “I extend my hand to those who still live in fear. Contact your colleagues, don’t cut them off. No one should carry this weight alone.

“This healing journey is never-ending, but this support means everything to me,” she concluded her message.

Combs and Ventura dated on and off from 2007 to 2018. In her complaint which was settled within a day of it being filed in November 2023, Ventura alleged that Combs raped her in 2018 and subjected her to years of of repeated physical and other violence during his relationship. their relationship.

Combs has denied his allegations.

“A decision to settle a lawsuit, especially in 2023, is in no way an admission of wrongdoing,” Ben Brafman, Combs’ lawyer, told CNN in a statement in November. “Mr. Combs’ decision to settle the lawsuit in no way calls into question his adamant denial of the allegations. He is pleased that they have reached a mutual settlement and wishes Ms. Ventura the best.

Combs apologized Sunday for his actions in the surveillance video.

Ventura’s attorney, Meredith Firetog, criticized his response.

“When Cassie and several other women came forward, he denied everything and suggested his victims were looking for pay,” she told CNN.

Ventura and Combs did not name each other in their respective statements. Their November agreement stipulates that neither can speak about the other, according to multiple sources familiar with the deal.

Including the Ventura lawsuit, Combs has been named in seven civil lawsuits in recent months. Six of those lawsuits, including one filed Tuesday, contain allegations of sexual assault. One of the six lawsuits names Combs as a defendant, but was filed against Combs’ son, Christian Combs. Only Ventura’s has been resolved.

Authorities searched Diddy’s home on March 25, 2024, because he is the target of a federal investigation by a Department of Homeland Security team that focuses on human trafficking and other crimes, according to a top federal law enforcement official briefed on the investigation.

The investigation stems from many of the same sexual assault allegations made in the civil lawsuits, according to a second law enforcement source familiar with the searches.

Combs and his lawyers have denied the allegations. Six lawsuits remain active.

CNN’s Sandra Gonzalez, Alli Rosenbloom and Elizabeth Wagmeister contributed to this story.