Sean Combs, a hip-hop icon and the founder of Bad Boy Records, has been accused of rape and abuse in a major lawsuit filed by the singer Cassie that alleges he used his powerful network to keep her trapped in a violent relationship with him.
Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, dated Combs for more than a decade. She alleges that over the course of their relationship, Combs assaulted her multiple times – viciously beating and raping her – and controlled every aspect of her life, the New York Times first reported on Thursday. She faced “a cycle of abuse, violence, and sex trafficking” until their relationship ended in 2018, according to the lawsuit.
