Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, the R&B singer who accused Sean Combs of raping, sex trafficking and abusing her, announced Friday that she had resolved her dispute with the hip-hop legend a day after suing him.
“I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control,” Ventura said in a statement released by her law firm, Wigdor LLP. “I want to thank my family, fans and lawyers for their unwavering support.”
The law firm also released a statement attributed to Combs, whose powerful status in the music industry was threatened when Ventura went public this week with detailed and graphic allegations of abuse during their years-long relationship: “We have decided to resolve this matter amicably. I wish Cassie and her family all the best. Love.”
No further details about the settlement have been publicly shared.
Cassie filed her lawsuit against Combs Thursday in Manhattan’s District Court, claiming that after she joined his label in 2005, he introduced her to “a lifestyle of excessive alcohol and substance abuse,” frequently beat her, forced her to engage in sex acts with male sex workers called “freak offs” and raped the singer when she attempted to leave him.
Cassie tried to escape the abuse multiple times, the complaint stated, but Combs’s control over her personal and professional life and his influence in the music industry made it difficult.
“I am very proud of Ms. Ventura for having the strength to go public with her lawsuit,” Cassie’s attorney, Douglas Wigdor, said in a statement announcing the settlement. “She ought to be commended for doing so.”
Herb Scribner and Anne Branigin contributed to this report.
