Sean Combs (Puff Daddy), the hip-hop icon and founder of Bad Boy Records, has been accused of rape and abuse in a high-profile lawsuit filed by singer Cassie, who claims she used his powerful network to keep her captive. relationship with him.

Cassie, whose real name is Cassandra Ventura, was in a relationship with Combs for more than a decade.

She claims that during their relationship, Combs repeatedly assaulted her — brutally beating and raping her — and controlled every aspect of her life, the New York Times reported Thursday.

According to court documents, she faced a “chain of abuse, violence and sex trafficking” until their relationship ended in 2018.

She told the Times that after “years of silence and darkness” she was “finally ready to tell her story and speak up for herself and other women who face violence and abuse in their relationships.”

A representative for Combs, who has also been known in the past as Puff Daddy, P Diddy, Diddy and Love, denied the allegations, writing that the allegations were “offensive and outrageous” and came after Ventura demanded $30 million from the mogul.

“Ms. Ventura has now resorted to filing a lawsuit full of baseless and outrageous lies to smear Mr. Combs’ reputation and gain revenue,” the statement said.

Ventura’s lawyer told The New York Times that she was offered “eight-figure sums to shut her up and prevent this lawsuit,” which she refused.

Details in court filings paint a grim picture of their relationship, in which Combs gained control of her personal and professional life and subjected her to years of brutal beatings, forced meetings and constant threats of violence.

Combs, a three-time Grammy Award winner who runs an empire with businesses ranging from alcohol to music, has been a major figure in hip-hop since founding Bad Boy Records in 1993, debuting and working closely with the likes of Notorious B.I.G. , Mary J Blige and Lil Kim. (News.ro)