Editor’s Note: This story contains discussions of rape or sexual assault that may be disturbing. Reader discretion is advised. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can find help and discreet resources on the National Sexual Assault Hotline website or by calling 1-800-656-4673.
(NewsNation) — Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura settled a 2023 lawsuit against her ex-partner, Sean “Diddy” Combs, for $20 million, Ventura told jurors on Wednesday in the second day of her testimony in Combs’ federal trial in New York.
The lawsuit, in which Ventura claimed that Combs raped and abused her for years, was filed in November, 2023. It was resolved the next day, Ventura testified.
Despite settling the lawsuit more than a year ago, Ventura is the star witness for the prosecution against Combs. Asked on Wednesday why she is testifying against the disgraced hip-hop music mogul during the trial, Ventura said she can no longer carry the shame of the abuse she claims she suffered.
“I can’t carry the shame, the guilt,” she said on Wednesday.
Attorneys for Combs argued in court on Wednesday that testimony surrounding allegations of abuse by Combs was too vague.
That led Ventura to describe several incidents involving Combs, including claims that he lunged at her with a corkscrew and kicked her in the back after she had started dating rapper Kid Cudi during a low point in their relationship.
Ventura testified that Combs first assaulted her in 2007, although she told jurors that she lied to her mother by saying that Combs first hit her in 2011.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
