1 week ago
1
Casandra “Cassie” Ventura revealed Friday that she is expecting a $10 million settlement from InterContinental in relation to the 2016 hotel incident at the heart of the Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking trial.
Surveillance footage from the Century City hotel that was first published by CNN in May 2024 and is now being shown in court depicts Combs violently assaulting Ventura in a hallway and dragging her across the floor by her hair. The footage has been used by federal prosecutors as evidence of Combs’ physical abuse.
During the final day of Ventura’s cross-examination, Combs’ lawyers asked if she had any pending lawsuits. (Ventura filed a civil lawsuit against Combs in 2023, revealing yesterday that she received a $20 million settlement.) Ventura said no, later clarifying that she is expected to receive a settlement from InterContinental after filing a demand against the hotel. She said she has reached the end of settlement discussions and has not yet received the settlement, which she estimated at $10 million.
Ventura said the settlement discussions concluded sometime this month, but emphasized that she has no financial stake in the results of Combs’ criminal trial. Asked on Thursday why she chose to testify against her longtime ex-boyfriend, Ventura said, “I’m here to do the right thing. I can’t carry this anymore … the shame, the guilt.”
The news of Ventura’s settlement with InterContinental came as a shock to the courtroom, with many people in the overflow room audibly gasping and wondering why the prosecution did not introduce the settlement in their initial questioning.
English (US) ·