CNN
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A 2016 surveillance video obtained exclusively by CNN shows Sean “Diddy” Combs grabbing, shoving, dragging and kicking his then-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, during an altercation that matches allegations of a now-settled federal lawsuit filed by Ventura in November.
The footage, compiled from multiple camera angles and dated March 5, 2016, appears to show the rapper, producer and business mogul during an incident that Ventura’s complaint says occurred at the InterContinental Hotel, now closed, in Century City, Los Angeles. CNN verified the location based on publicly available photos of the former hotel’s interior.
In the video, Ventura walks out of a hotel room and toward a bank of elevators. Combs, holding a towel around his waist, runs down a hallway after Ventura. He grabs her by the back of her neck and throws her to the ground. Still holding his towel closed with one hand, he then turns around to kick it, the video shows.
While Ventura is on the ground, Combs retrieves a purse and suitcase from the floor near the elevators. He turns around and kicks Ventura again as she lies motionless on the ground. About four seconds pass between the two kicks, according to the video. He then briefly drags Ventura by his sweatshirt towards a room before walking away.
Ventura is then seen slowly getting up. She gathers things from the floor and looks for a phone on the wall in the hallway, near the elevators. Combs, still in towel and socks, returns. A mirror directly in front of the security camera shows Combs appearing to push Ventura.
Seconds later, he sits in a chair, grabs an object from a table and throws it forcefully towards Ventura. Combs is seen walking away, then turns to face Ventura again when an elevator door opens and someone appears to come out.
Ventura, who reached an undisclosed agreement with Combs, declined to comment on the video obtained by CNN.
Ventura’s attorney, Douglas H. Wigdor, said, “The heartbreaking video only further confirmed Mr. Combs’ disturbing and predatory behavior.” Words cannot express the courage and fortitude Ms. Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this to light.
CNN has reached out to representatives for Combs and InterContinental Hotels for comment. Combs has previously denied Ventura’s allegations.
Combs and Ventura, a model and singer known for songs like “Me & U,” had an on-and-off relationship from 2007 to 2018. The two were photographed together at the Los Angeles premiere of the film “A Perfect Match.” on March 7, 2016.
According to Ventura’s complaint, which cited the altercation as occurring “around March 2016,” Combs became “extremely intoxicated and punched Ms. Ventura in the face, giving her a black eye.”
After Combs fell asleep, Ventura tried to leave the hotel room, but he woke up and “followed her down the hotel hallway while yelling at her,” the complaint states.
“He grabbed her, then took glass vases from the hallway and threw them at her, causing the glass around them to crash as she ran toward the elevator to escape,” the woman alleges. complaint.
After Ventura got in the elevator, her complaint says she took a taxi to her apartment.
“Realizing that her running away would make Mr. Combs even more angry with her and that he was completely stuck in her vicious cycle of abuse, Ms. Ventura returned to the hotel with the intention of apologizing for running away. her attacker,” the statement said. complaints. “When she returned, hotel security personnel urged her to get back in a taxi and go to her apartment, suggesting that they had seen the security footage showing Mr. Combs beating Ms. Ventura and him throwing glass in the hotel corridor.”
The complaint alleges that Combs paid the InterContinental Century City $50,000 for hallway security footage of the incident. The incident was among a number of allegations made in the November lawsuit in which Ventura claimed she was raped in 2018 and subjected to years of repeated physical and other abuse at the hands of Combs.
Ventura, who was officially signed to Combs’ label, claimed in his complaint that he “exercised his power and influence” over her throughout their professional and romantic relationship. According to the complaint, she was 19 when they met and Combs was 37, and their business relationship lasted until 2019. It detailed allegations that Combs was physically violent toward Ventura and forced her to engaging in various sexual acts with other men during this time.
Ben Brafman, an attorney for Combs, said in a statement to CNN the day of the filing: “Mr. Combs vehemently denies these offensive and outrageous allegations.
The lawsuit was resolved the next day.
“A decision to settle a lawsuit, especially in 2023, is in no way an admission of wrongdoing,” Brafman told CNN in a statement at the time. “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.
Details of the settlement were not disclosed.
Since November, Combs has faced five other civil lawsuits accusing him of various sexual misconduct and other illegal activities. He has denied the allegations and the cases remain active.
Authorities searched Combs’ homes in California and Florida in April as part of a federal investigation by a Department of Homeland Security team that focuses on human trafficking crimes, according to a senior federal official law enforcement officer informed of 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.
Aaron Dyer, an attorney for Combs, issued a statement at the time, calling the searches a “gross overuse of military force.”
“This unprecedented ambush – coupled with an advanced and coordinated media presence – leads to a premature rush to judgment for Mr. Combs and is nothing more than a witch hunt based on baseless accusations made in the framework of civil proceedings,” he said. “None of these allegations have resulted in criminal or civil liability. Mr. Combs is innocent and will continue to fight every day to clear his name.
Editor’s note: If you or someone you know is struggling with domestic violence, resources are available, including National Domestic Violence Hotline.
