Cassie reveals staggering amount Diddy paid her in 2023 settlement

Warning: This article contains distressing details

On the third day of Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking trial, his ex-girlfriend of 11 years, Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura, returned to the stand to testify against the former music mogul, where she revealed the settlement sum from her 2023 lawsuit.

In November 2023, Cassie filed a lawsuit in Manhattan's Federal District Court, alleging Combs "frequently beat" and raped her in 2018. Combs "vehemently denied" the claims at the time.

Just 24 hours later, Cassie and Combs reached a settlement.

"This evening, Ms. Ventura and Mr. Combs resolved the claims that she filed against him yesterday in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York to their mutual satisfaction," Cassie's legal team said in a statement at the time in 2023.

Cassie, herself, said in a statement at the time: "I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control. I want to thank my family, fans and lawyers for their unwavering support."

Combs also issued his own statement at the time, writing: "We have decided to resolve this matter amicably. I wish Cassie and her family all the best. Love."

The settlement amount had remained undisclosed until Cassie’s second day of testimony on 14 May 2025, when it was revealed she had accepted a staggering $20 million from Combs and subsequently withdrew the legal action. When asked who paid the large sum, Cassie said: "Sean and his companies."

Cassie confirmed she had been in talks about writing a book during the time she filed the 2023 lawsuit against Combs.

"I wanted to be compensated for the time and the pain and the many, many years of having to try to fix my life," she shared, explaining that she wanted "to do the right thing" by standing in court now.

Several more shocking moments came from Cassie's 14 May testimony, as reported by The Independent:

• "How she couldn't refuse his demands for hundreds of sexual encounters with men because she feared he would make the videos of the encounters public
• "One time, Diddy threw her into a bed frame, leaving her with a gash on her eye
• "She lied to her mother in 2011 at Christmas, claiming that was the first time Diddy had hit her - when really there had been years of abuse
• "How she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder before ending their relationship
• "In 2023, her flashbacks were so strong she nearly walked into traffic and eventually went to rehab"

Combs has pleaded not guilty to the allegations, firmly denying any claims of sexual abuse. While his legal team acknowledged that he could be violent, they maintained that all sexual encounters were consensual and did not involve sex trafficking or racketeering.

Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.