Cassie Ventura’s civil suit against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs preceded his criminal case. Here’s how her life has changed since
By Lisa Respers France, CNN
(CNN) — Cassie Ventura would not have been blamed had she decided to disappear from public life and social media.
The singer and actress first detailed years of disturbing abuse allegations in a lawsuit filed against her ex-boyfriend and former producer Sean “Diddy” Combs in November 2023. The two quickly settled her claim, but dozens of other civil lawsuits against Combs and a federal criminal indictment followed in the subsequent 18 months.
The embattled music industry vet has denied all allegations of wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty to federal charges that include racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.
Combs and Ventura’s longterm relationship, which played out between 2007 and 2018, is at the heart of the criminal case against him. Identified as “Victim 1” in the indictment, Ventura has chosen to testify under her own name and could be called to the witness stand during his trial as early as Monday.
Combs’ defense team wants to argue that she was violent toward Combs during their relationship.
“We are going to take the position that there was mutual violence in their relationship,” defense attorney Marc Agnifilo said in court Friday.
“There was hitting on both sides,” he said. “We’re probably going to refer to it as domestic violence.”
An attorney for Ventura declined to comment when reached by CNN.
Hotel surveillance video which shows Combs physically assaulting Ventura in 2016 will be shown to the jury at trial. For her supporters, the footage is validation for Ventura, who had been painted by some Combs fans as a disgruntled ex.
Ventura has said nothing publicly about either her suit or the fallout, beyond thanking her supporters at the time the video was first published by CNN last year.
“Domestic Violence is THE issue. It broke me down to someone I never thought I would become,” she said at the time. “With a lot of hard work, I am better today, but I will always be recovering from my past.”
“My only ask is that EVERYONE open your heart to believing victims the first time,” she added. “It takes a lot of heart to tell the truth out of a situation that you were powerless in.”
Since that time, Ventura has shared glimpses on social media of her private life.
‘Mastering Peace’
When she was Combs’ girlfriend and protegée, the spotlight was hard for Ventura to avoid.
Born Casandra Elizabeth Ventura in New London, Connecticut in August 1986, Ventura began her career in entertainment as a model. She linked with producer and songwriter Ryan Leslie and went on to release her debut album in 2006.
She quickly became a sought-after star. Her talent and beauty attracted the attention of Combs, who signed Ventura to his Bad Boy Entertainment label in 2006.
Also that year, Ventura scored a hit with her single “Me & U,” which became her biggest single.
In a 2006 interview, Ventura talked about how her family was responding to her newfound fame.
“It happened so fast I don’t think anyone could slow it down,” she said. “They always want to make sure that I’m happy and everything is okay. It’s more about if I’m happy and content with what I’m doing.”
The following year, Ventura became a spokesmodel for Combs’ fashion line Sean John. She leaned into acting as well as music, appearing in the dance film “Step Up 2: The Streets” and contributing a song to the movie’s soundtrack.
Ventura released other singles, including “Official Girl” featuring rapper Lil Wayne in 2008, and “Must Be Love,” featuring Combs performing under one of his professional monikers, Puff Daddy, in 2009.
While she would release other music, including 2017’s “Don’t Play It Safe” which Pitchfork deemed “her best track in nearly half a decade and arguably her proper comeback,” an expected album produced by Combs never came to pass.
They had a famously longterm romantic relationship, which they first went public with in 2012. They were soon regulars at fashion shows and Hollywood parties.
“Just being around him is a completely inspiring experience,” she told Madam Noire about Combs in 2013.
It would be years before the world learned of the tumult Ventura has alleged was a major part of their relationship prior to their split in 2018.
In her 2023 suit, Ventura said she still suffers from “immense emotional distress” and at one point she checked into an inpatient rehabilitation center after having suicidal thoughts she linked to abuse.
She found happiness in 2019, when she married personal trainer and actor Alex Fine after they met at a gym, according to an interview with Vogue.
Ventura told the publication that Fine went out all out for his proposal.
“I knew that Alex was designing a ring, but I honestly wasn’t expecting a super elaborate proposal because we already had the wedding date set, but he planned such a beautiful experience for me,” she said. “I was so surprised!”
The couple are now the parents of two young daughters, Frankie and Sunny, and in February they announced a new addition was joining the family.
In honor of Father’s Day last year, Ventura posted a series of photos and video of Fine.
“There is just no one like you,” she wrote in the caption.
Ventura’s most-recent post on April 9 featured several images in which she is visibly pregnant with their third child.
The caption read simply, “Mastering peace ☮️.”
The-CNN-Wire
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