R&B/Hip-Hop

A 2016 surveillance video appears to show Sean “Diddy” Combs assaulting his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in a hotel, mirroring an assault allegation Ventura made in a now-settled lawsuit she filed against the hip-hop mogul in November.

In the video, obtained by CNN and dated March 5, 2016, Combs appears to shove Ventura to the ground near an elevator bank, kick her several times while she lies on the ground and drag her down a hallway.

After briefly dragging Ventura down the hallway, Combs, wrapped only in a bath towel, appears to release his grip. Ventura is then seen standing up before gathering some of her things from the floor and moving toward a phone in the hallway near the elevators. Combs can then be seen returning and appearing to shove Ventura. Just seconds later, he sits in a chair, grabs something off of a table and appears to throw it at her. He then walks away before turning toward Ventura once more, just as one of the elevator doors opens and someone is seen walking out.

“The gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behavior of Mr. Combs,” said Ventura’s attorney, Douglas Wigdor, in a statement sent to Billboard. “Words cannot express the courage and fortitude that Ms. Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this to light.”

A representative for Combs did not immediately respond to Billboard‘s request for comment.

Ventura sued Combs on Nov. 16, 2023, claiming that he repeatedly physically abused her over the course of a decade, including one allegation of rape when she tried to leave him in 2018. She also accused Combs of forcing her to have sex with male sex workers while he masturbated. In a statement at the time, Combs’ attorney, Ben Brafman, said the hip-hop giant “vehemently denies these offensive and outrageous allegations,” alleging that Ventura had made a “persistent demand” of a $30 million payout in the six months leading up to her lawsuit. Ventura’s lawyer responded by disputing Brafman’s claim, saying that Combs instead offered Ventura “eight figures to silence her and prevent the filing of this lawsuit.”

The case, which was filed under a newly enacted law in New York that created a limited window for abuse survivors to take legal action over years-old accusations that would otherwise be barred under the statute of limitations, was settled the day after it was filed.

Ventura had an on-again, off-again relationship with Combs for 11 years until they split in 2018. In the lawsuit, she said she met Combs in 2005 when she was 19 and he was 37. After signing to his Bad Boy Records label, Ventura claimed that Combs “lured” her into a romantic relationship in which he “asserted complete control” over her life.

Since Ventura filed her lawsuit, Combs has been hit with four additional sexual misconduct lawsuits. In November, the mogul stepped down as chairman of his digital media company Revolt before reportedly selling his stake in the company in March. Also in March, federal agents conducted raids of Combs’ L.A. and Miami homes “in connection” with a federal sex trafficking investigation, according to CNN.

Combs has strongly denied all allegations of sexual assault made against him. “Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged,” he said in a statement posted to social media on Dec. 6. “I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.”

UPDATE (5/16/24 at 3:41 p.m. ET):

Brendan Paul has qualified for a diversion program designed for non-violent drug defendants with no priors, a representative from the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office confirmed with Billboard on Thursday (May 16). According to the department’s website, these diversion programs “address first-time offenders’ charges if they complete program conditions, which may include classes, community service houses, and fines.” In a statement to Billboard, Paul’s attorney wrote, “Brendan accepted the prosecutor’s offer to permit his entry into the diversion program which, after completion, the case against him will be dismissed in its entirety.”

ORIGINAL STORY:

Brendan Paul, who has been accused of working as a “drug and gun mule” for Sean “Diddy” Combs, was arraigned in a Miami-Dade County courtroom on Wednesday (April 24), with his lawyer entering a not guilty plea for his 25-year-old client. Paul was arrested at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport on March 25 with cocaine and cannabis-infused candy allegedly in his possession the same day Diddy’s LA and Miami homes were raided.

TMZ captured footage of Diddy pacing around outside of that same airport on the day Paul was detained by federal agents. Paul made bond and was released the next day, on Tuesday, March 26.

According to NBC Miami, the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office filed a cocaine possession charge but dropped a possession of a controlled substance charge against Paul. Although Paul wasn’t in attendance at the arraignment on Wednesday, his lawyer Brian Bieber a not guilty plea on his client’s behalf.

From 2018 to 2020, Paul played two seasons for the Syracuse men’s basketball team. He didn’t get too much playing time, appearing in 16 games total and averaging less than a point, according to Sports Reference. He then became interested in becoming a music producer and transferred to a Division II school in West Virginia where he graduated with a business degree. By 2022, he was traveling around with Diddy on his private jet.

Paul’s arrest stems from a sex-trafficking probe involving Combs, who has maintained his innocence. NBC reports that at least five law enforcement sources have said the raids are connected to an ongoing sex trafficking probe. A day after the late-March raids of his homes, Diddy’s attorney Aaron Dyer shared this statement with Billboard: “Yesterday, there was a gross overuse of military-level force as search warrants were executed at Mr. Combs’ residences. There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated. Mr. Combs was never detained but spoke to and cooperated with authorities.”

Diddy’s former girlfriend Cassie Ventura opened the floodgates against Combs with her now-settled lawsuit back in November. The music mogul has faced a slew of other sexual misconduct lawsuits since and was forced to step down as chairman of Revolt TV.