Hip hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs was captured on a 2016 surveillance video attacking his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in a Los Angeles hotel hallway.
The altercation between Combs and Ventura at the InterContinental Hotel in Century City shows him kicking, grabbing and dragging her in the graphic video obtained by CNN.
Ventura filed a federal lawsuit against Combs in November of last year, accusing Combs of years of violence and abuse. The legal action was amicably settled.
Combs is now at the center of other lawsuits, which accuse him of sexual harassment, drugging, making threats, "revenge porn," sex trafficking, rape and physical abuse. The Department of Homeland Security raided properties belonging to Combs in West Los Angeles and Miami in March.
In the 2016 hotel surveillance video, Ventura is seen walking down a hotel hallway toward the elevators. Combs chases after her, wearing only a white towel and socks.
When Combs catches up to Ventura, he grabs the back of her neck and throws her onto the ground. He uses one hand to keep the towel in place as he kicks Ventura, who is still laying on the ground.
Combs picks up her purse and travel bag before kicking her again. Ventura places a hand on the area that was kicked. He then grabs her by her sweatshirt and drags her away.
Ventura is later seen using a phone next to the elevators. Combs walks back to the hotel room, then returns to the elevators, still wearing the towel.
The video shows him shoving Ventura into a corner. He grabs an object off of a table near the elevators and throws it toward her.
Ventura's lawsuit was one of three filed against Combs under the New York Adult Survivors Act. Combs' lawyer Aaron Dyer previously denied their claims in a statement to Newsweek.
"These are fabricated claims falsely alleging misconduct from over 30 years ago and filed at the last minute. This is nothing but a money grab," Dyer said.
The legal actions were filed right ahead of the deadline established by the act. The law, passed in November of 2022, allowed adult survivors of sexual abuse to sue their abusers in New York even if the statute of limitations had expired.
Ventura met Combs when she was 19 and he was 37. They began dating about two years later and broke up in 2018.
Ventura alleged that she struggles with drug and alcohol addiction "that were established and fueled" by Combs. She also claims she suffers from "immense emotional distress" and experienced suicidal thoughts.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
fairness meter
To Rate This Article
About the writer
Jenna Sundel is a Newsweek reporter based in New Jersey. Her focus is reporting on breaking news. Jenna joined Newsweek ... Read more
