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Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
FILE - Singer Cassie Ventura besides known arsenic Cassie arrives for the screening of Killing Them Softly astatine the 65th planetary movie festival, successful Cannes, confederate France, Tuesday, May 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau, File)
NEW YORK – Casandra Ventura, the R&B vocalist and histrion known simply arsenic Cassie, began testifying Tuesday successful Sean “Diddy” Combs ' enactment trafficking trial.
The euphony mogul is charged with utilizing his presumption arsenic a almighty enforcement to coerce women — including Cassie — into abusive intersexual encounters and becoming convulsive if they refused. He has pleaded not guilty. Cassie sued Combs successful 2023 alleging years of rape and abuse. The suit was settled wrong hours, but was followed by dozens of akin ineligible claims and touched disconnected a transgression investigation.
Here’s what you request to cognize astir the 38-year-old prima witness:
A talented performer
A singer, actor, dancer and model, Cassie's nonrecreational ambitions began successful adolescence, erstwhile she signed to the top-tier talent and modeling bureau Wilhelmina. Her euphony vocation launched soon thereafter, erstwhile she near her location authorities of Connecticut for New York, wherever she signed with manager Tony Mottola and archetypal met Combs.
Cassie is possibly champion known for the 2006 deed azygous “Me & U,” which secured the No. 1 spot connected the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs illustration and No. 3 connected the Billboard Hot 100 each genres chart. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The Ryan Leslie-produced opus was the pb azygous of her lone workplace album, released by Combs' Bad Boy Records, and was self-titled. She near the statement successful 2019.
As an actor, she appeared successful respective tv and films projects including Fox’s “Empire," “The Perfect Match” and “Spenser Confidential.” She made her acting debut successful 2008 successful “Step Up 2: The Streets” and contributed the opus "Is It You" to its soundtrack.
She's appeared successful a fig of euphony videos arsenic well, including Wiz Khalifa's “Roll Up” and Mario's “Just A Friend 2002.”
Although she ne'er released her long-teased sophomore album, astatine erstwhile constituent tentatively titled “Electro Love," she did driblet a fewer tracks: the R&B-pop “Official Girl” with Lil Wayne, “Must Be Love” with Combs, and “Let's Get Crazy” with Akon. And successful 2012, Nicki Minaj tapped her for a diagnostic connected “The Boys” from Minaj's “Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded — The Re-Up.”
Cassie is besides a woman and a mother. She joined idiosyncratic trainer Alex Fine successful September 2019. Their archetypal daughter, Frankie Stone Fine, was calved that aforesaid twelvemonth and they welcomed their 2nd daughter, Sunny Cinco Fine, successful 2021. She is presently large with their 3rd child, a son.
The Combs' connection
Cassie met Combs successful 2005 erstwhile she was 19 and helium was 37. He signed her to his Bad Boy Records statement and, wrong a fewer years, they started dating.
In her 2023 civilian lawsuit, Cassie alleges Combs trapped her successful a “cycle of abuse, violence, and enactment trafficking” for much than a decade, including raping her and forcing her to prosecute successful enactment acts with antheral enactment workers. Combs settled the suit the adjacent day.
In May 2024, CNN aired video that showed Combs attacking Cassie successful edifice hallway successful 2016. The video intimately mirrored an battle described successful her lawsuit, which said Combs had already punched her that night, and she was trying to permission the InterContinental Hotel successful Los Angeles erstwhile helium woke and came aft her. In the footage, a antheral who appears to beryllium Diddy, wearing lone a towel, punches Cassie, kicks her, and throws her connected to the floor. The suit alleges Combs paid $50,000 to hide the video astatine the time.
Later, Combs apologized for the battle connected Cassie successful his first real acknowledgment of wrongdoing since the watercourse of allegations began.
Among different things, Cassie alleges Combs raped her erstwhile she tried to permission him and often punched, kicked and bushed her, causing injuries including bruises, burst lips, achromatic eyes and bleeding.
She besides alleges that Combs was progressive successful blowing up rival rapper Kid Cudi’s car erstwhile helium learned that Cudi was romantically funny successful her, and she alleges that Combs ran retired of his location with guns erstwhile helium learned that Suge Knight, a rival producer, was eating nearby.
On the archetypal day of Combs' enactment trafficking trial, a witness, Daniel Phillip, said helium was a nonrecreational stripper who was paid $700 to $6,000 to person enactment with Cassie portion Combs watched and gave instructions, with the archetypal brushwood successful 2012.
Phillip told jurors that helium stopped gathering with the mates aft helium saw Combs propulsion a vessel astatine her and past resistance her by her hairsbreadth into a chamber arsenic she screamed.
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AP writer Mike Sisak contributed to this report.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.
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