How Cassie’s Lawsuit Against Diddy Galvanized A Movement Of Survivors

Before Diddy’s sex trafficking trial, survivors, activists and experts reflected on what the charges and onslaught of accusations against him mean for the future.

In November 2024, a year after Casandra “Cassie” Ventura filed a lawsuit accusing her ex-partner and former record label head Sean “Diddy” Combs of physical violence and sexual abuse, HuffPost reporters Njera Perkins and Taiyler S. Mitchell talked to survivors, activists and experts about the mogul’s trial, Cassie’s impact and a possible industry-wide reckoning. The piece has been updated with details from Combs’ trial, which began earlier this month.

It all started with Cassie’s bravery.

On Nov. 16, 2023, Cassie took a courageous stand for survivors everywhere when she filed a searing lawsuit against her ex-boss, former partner and alleged abuser, Sean “Diddy” Combs.

In a 35-page complaint, the “Me & U” singer, born Casandra Ventura, accused the now-disgraced mogul of inflicting hellish physical violence and sexual abuse on her throughout their relationship, which began when she was 19 and he was 37, and lasted over a decade. Within 24 hours, the trigger warning-labeled suit was stunningly settled between both parties. However, Combs’ attorney clarified that the decision was “in no way an admission of wrongdoing” from his client. Then, a domino effect of civil lawsuits followed in the months after, triggering a federal investigation that led to a three-count criminal indictment of Combs in September. Prosecutors added two more charges a month before Combs’ trial.

Combs has been detained in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center for months as he faced charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. An additional 120 lawsuits were said to be filed against him, alleging more sexual and physical abuse, including some claims involving minors as young as 9 years old, according to Houston attorney Tony Buzbee.