Sean Combs will not face charges for beating Cassie in 2016, DA says

“We find the images extremely disturbing and difficult to watch,” the prosecutor, who is running for re-election, said of the attack on the singer by her then-boyfriend, Combs. “If the behavior described had occurred in 2016, we would unfortunately not be able to press charges because the behavior would have occurred beyond the period in which a crime of aggression can be prosecuted.”

In California, the statute of limitations for domestic violence is five years. The statute of limitations for simple and felonious assault is one year and three years, respectively, in the Golden State.

While sticking to the letter of the law, the prosecutor’s office’s media-sensitive response fails the spirit of the law. However, a senior law enforcement source told Deadline that the much-accused Combs himself may have provided a potential avenue of investigation.

“Reports that Combs paid the hotel $50,000 for footage of the incident shortly after it occurred could, I mean, could present the possibility of an intent to cover up a crime,” the source said. “On the surface, this could justify opening an investigation.”

However, the law enforcement official stressed that no formal LAPD investigation has been opened. The department is collecting basic information about the physical assault shown in the graphic 8-year-old video, he added.

In her quickly settled November 2023 lawsuit, Ventura detailed a March 2016 attack on her by Combs at the upscale hotel. Attorney Doug Wigdor’s complaint also said she was informed that the Combs “paid $50,000 to the InterContinental Century City for the hallway security footage from that evening.”

Shortly after Combs’ attorney Ben Brafman called Ventura’s action a “shakedown” full of “offensive and outrageous allegations,” his client settled the matter with his ex. Although the details were kept under wraps, as these things are, Deadline was informed that the final settlement figure was in the eight-figure range.

Since Cassie filed her complaint on November 16, 2023, a half-dozen other lawsuits have been filed accusing Combs of sexual assault and other misconduct. At least one of those filings alleges sex trafficking of a minor, and another comes from a producer of Combs’ latest album.

Combs has denied all claims. However, on March 25 of this year, FBI and Homeland Security agents searched his homes in Los Angeles and Miami. A federal spokesperson called the raids part of an “ongoing investigation.”