FORMER members of the music group Danity Kane have voiced their support for singer Cassie after she accused their ex-manager Sean Combs of years of abuse.
A bombshell lawsuit filed on Thursday alleges the rapper and producer P Diddy spent years sexually and emotionally abusing his ex-girlfriend Cassie while she was signed to his record label.
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Born Casandra Ventura, Cassie met P Diddy in 2005 when she was 19 and trying to break into the music scene.
In the lawsuit, she alleges that Diddy began a pattern of control and abuse that led her to live a “lifestyle of excessive alcohol and substance abuse.”
The singer also accused the Bad Boy for Life rapper of forcing her to have sex with a succession of male prostitutes while he filmed the encounters.
In 2018, near the end of their relationship, Combs forced his way into her home and sexually assaulted her, according to the lawsuit.
Cassie was one of a list of artists who were signed to Bad Boy Records, which was worth a reported $100 million at its peak.
Also previously signed to the label was Danity Kane, a female-only singing group that was active sporadically from 2005 to 2020.
Dawn Richard, a member throughout the group’s entirety, voiced her support for Cassie after news broke of the filing.
She wrote: “Praying for Cassie and her family, for peace and healing.
“You are beautiful and brave.”
Another prominent member Aubrey O’Day reposted a headline on Instagram and wrote, “Been tryna tell y’all for years. Prayers up for this queen.”
In another post, she shared a clip from MTV’s reality TV show Making The Band, where Danity Kane was formed.
The video showed Diddy and O’Day getting into a yelling match before he stood up and said he was questioning why she should be in the group.
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She added a caption to the clip that said: “If you think what made the cut was as ugly as it got… you’re wrong.”
In December 2022, O’Day claimed in an episode of the Call Her Daddy Podcast that she was fired from the label because she “wasn’t willing to do what was expected.”
“Not talent-wise, but in other areas,” she told the host.
“You know, I have such a love-hate [relationship] with it all because I don’t think I would’ve been able to be so successful in so many other areas had I not been trained under Diddy.
“He was the hardest person that you can work for, and it was torture. And not the work part of it, but the other stuff — mind games.”
SHOCKING ALLEGATIONS
The suit claims that Diddy “was prone to uncontrollable rage, and frequently beat Ms. Ventura savagely,” The New York Times first reported.
“These beatings were witnessed by Mr. Combs’ staff and employees of Bad Boy Entertainment and Mr. Combs’s related businesses, but no one dared to speak up against their frightening and ferocious boss.”
The Me & U singer released a statement saying she’s finally ready to speak out after years of silence.
“After years in silence and darkness, I am finally ready to tell my story, and to speak up on behalf of myself and for the benefit of other women who face violence and abuse in their relationships,” Cassie said.
“With the expiration of New York’s Adult Survivors Act fast approaching, it became clear that this was an opportunity to speak up about the trauma I have experienced and that I will be recovering from for the rest of my life.”
Combs denied the allegations, calling the suit baseless as part of Cassie’s attempt to seek a payday.
“Mr. Combs vehemently denies these offensive and outrageous allegations,” Comb’s attorney, Ben Brafman, said in a statement.
“For the past six months, Mr. Combs has been subjected to Ms. Venturea’s persistent demand of $30 million, under the threat of writing a damaging book about their relationship, which was unequivocally rejected as blatant blackmail.
“Despite withdrawing her initial threat, Ms. Ventura has not resorted to filing a lawsuit riddled with baseless and outrageous lies, aiming to tarnish Mr. Comb’s reputation and seeking a payday.”
Cassie’s attorney, Douglas Wigdor, claims the parties spoke before the lawsuit was filed.
“Mr. Combs offered Ms. Ventura eight figures to silence her and prevent the filing of this lawsuit. She rejected his efforts,” Wigdor claims.
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