The assault in the surveillance video matches the description of an alleged March 2016 incident that Cassie, previously known as Cassie Ventura and who now also uses her married name of Casandra Fine, had detailed in a sexual abuse, sex trafficking and battery lawsuit she had filed against Combs in November 2023 and settled one day later. At the time, the producer’s lawyer told E! News in a statement that “Mr. Combs’ decision to settle the lawsuit does not in any way undermine his flat-out denial of the claims.”
Combs still faces five other civil lawsuits filed in New York since last fall, accusing him of sexual assault, sexual trafficking and other criminal activity. He has denied all the allegations.
The Grammy winner also remains the subject of a federal investigation following raids on his properties in California and Florida in March. A source familiar with the investigation told NBC News at the time that the inquiry came amid a wave of lawsuits that have been filed against him and that federal officials have already interviewed three people in relation to allegations of sex trafficking, sexual assault, and the solicitation and distribution of illegal narcotics and firearms.
One of Combs’ attorneys told NBC News in a statement after the raids that the rapper “was never detained but spoke to and cooperated with authorities” and that his client is innocent and “will continue to fight every single day to clear his name.”
(E! and NBC News are part of the NBCUniversal family.)
Read on to find out more about Combs’ legal troubles…
