Diddy Trial: Cathy gives an overview of sexual and physical abuse from the stand
Sean Combs’ ex-girlfriend, Kathy, was in the position on the third day of the trial, explaining Combs’ physical, sexual and psychological abuse.
A few months after Sean “Diddy” Combs’ team first hinted at a “slightly eight-figure settlement” in Cathy Ventura Fine’s 2023 lawsuit against him, her testimony revealed how much Combs agreed to pay when she dismissed the legal action a day later.
Towards the end of the second day of testimony at Combs’ sex offence trial on May 14, Ventura Fine’s settlement amounted to a $20 million payment. The 38-year-old, pregnant with her third child, said the settlement was paid by Combs, 55, and his company.
The revelation delves into the 2018 breakup of her and Combs for several years, revealing that she was involved in writing a book about her experiences while she was dating.
She wanted the comb to read it, so he would understand what she went through in their decades of relationship, she told the court. There she reached out to the comb through her lawyer and asked her to read the draft and provide compensation.
Ventura Fine said she won the rights to her book and gave her a price tag of $30 million. However, after being told he had failed to respond, she sued him in November 2023, claiming that he had trafficked, sexually assaulted and physically abused.
The two have agreed by the next day, and announced that Ventura Fine will dismiss the lawsuit following an unspecified settlement.
“I have decided to settle this issue in a friendly manner on the condition that I have some control and I would like to thank my family, fans and lawyers for their unwavering support,” Ventura Fine said in a November 17 statement shared by her lawyer, Douglas Wigdoll.
“We decided to resolve this issue in a friendly way. We hope that Cathy and her family will be the best,” Combs said in his own statement the same day. “love.”
What did Cathy say in her lawsuit?
On November 16, 2023, the Ventura fine was fined in a bombing lawsuit filed in federal court in New York, alleging that Combs had been trafficked, sexually assaulted and physically abused her.
Ventura Fine, well known by its stage name, is the hit maker behind the song “Me&U,” which dominated the early Billboard charts.
A 2016 hotel surveillance video shared by CNN in May 2024 shows Combs kicking, hitting and dragging Cassie. A few days later, Combs announced a video apology, saying he was “fully responsible for my actions in that video.”
The Combs team claimed to have launched a federal investigation into the actions of Bad Boy Records Founder, including home raids in Los Angeles and Miami in March 2024. Since the Ventura Fine case, Combs has faced the basis for a civil lawsuit. The comb deny allegations of fraud.
His team reiterates that “no matter how many cases are filed, Combs will not change the fact that no one, a man or woman, an adult or a minor, has ever sexually assaulted or trafficked sex.”
After months of federal investigation, Combs was arrested on September 16 on charges of assault, sex trafficking and transporting to engage in prostitution. He pleads not guilty to all charges.
Combs’ criminal trial in New York City is expected to last for an estimated eight weeks.
Contribution: Aysha Bagchi, USA Today
