A female singer has accused rap star Sean "Diddy" Combs of rape and sex trafficking.
In a lawsuit filed in Manhattan, ex-girlfriend Casandra Ventura, an R&B singer and dancer who performs under the stage name Cassie, said she was "trapped for a decade in a cycle of abuse and violence", said the BBC.
Ventura claims that not long after she met Combs in 2005, when she was 19, he "began a pattern of control and abuse", said The New York Times. This included "plying her with drugs", "beating her" and "forcing her to have sex with a succession of male prostitutes while he filmed the encounters".
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The lawsuit labels Combs, 54, a "serial domestic abuser" who would "regularly" leave her with "black eyes, bruises, and blood". One "shocking allegation" in the document, said Variety, is that Combs "blew up a man's car after he learned that he was romantically interested in Ventura".
In a statement, Ventura said that "after years in silence and darkness", she was ready "to speak up on behalf of myself and for the benefit of other women who face violence and abuse".
Combs has denied the allegations, accusing the singer of extortion, said the BBC. His lawyer said: "Ventura has now resorted to filing a lawsuit riddled with baseless and outrageous lies, aiming to tarnish Mr Combs' reputation, and seeking a pay day."
But in response, Ventura's lawyer said the parties had spoken before the suit was filed and "Combs offered Ventura eight figures to silence her and prevent the filing of this lawsuit" but "she rejected his efforts".
Combs is among the "most influential hip-hop producers and executives of the past three decades", said Sky News. Ventura is best known for the hit single "Me & U" and appearing in TV and film projects including "Empire", and "Step Up 2: The Streets".
-
September 13 editorial cartoonsCartoons Saturday's political cartoons include court-approved racial profiling and America's moral compass
-
Giorgio Armani obituary: designer revolutionised the business of fashionIn the Spotlight ‘King Giorgio’ came from humble beginnings to become a titan of the fashion industry and redefine 20th century clothing
-
Kim Jong Un’s triumph: the rise and rise of North Korea’s dictatorIn the Spotlight North Korean leader has strengthened ties with Russia and China, and recently revealed his ‘respected child’ to the world
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Kneecap: the Belfast rappers courting controversyIn the Spotlight Trio, known for anti-British views and fierce support for Palestine, under fire for alleged call to murder MPs
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
