- X says 'alert' to manipulation efforts after pro-Russia bots report
- US, European markets rise before Boeing unveils sweeping job cuts
- Small Quebec company dominates one part of NHL hockey: jerseys
- Comoros shock Tunisia, Salah, Mbeumo strike in AFCON qualifiers
- Boeing to cut 10% of workforce as it sees big Q3 loss
- Germany win in Nations League as 10-man Dutch rescue point
- Undav brace sends Germany to victory against Bosnia
- Israel says fired at 'threat' near UN position in Lebanon
- Want to film in Paris? No sexism allowed
- Ecuador's last mountain iceman dies at 80
- Milton leaves at least 16 dead, millions without power in Florida
- Senegal set to announce breakaway development agenda: PM
- UN says 2 peacekeepers wounded in south Lebanon explosions
- Injury-hit Australia thrash 'embarrassing' Pakistan at Women's T20 World Cup
- Internal TikTok documents show prioritization of traffic over well-being
- Israel says fired at 'immediate threat' near UN position in Lebanon
- New US coach Pochettino hails Pulisic but worries over workload
- Brazil orders closure of 2,000 betting sites
- UK govt urged to raise pro-democracy tycoon's case with China
- Sculptor Lalanne's animal creations sell for $59 mn
- From Tesla to Trump: Behind Musk's giant leap into politics
- US, European markets rise as investors weigh rates, earnings
- In Colombia, children trade plastic waste for school supplies
- Supercharged hurricanes trigger 'perfect storm' for disinformation
- JPMorgan Chase profits top estimates, bank sees 'resilient' US economy
- Djokovic proves staying power as he progresses to Shanghai semi-finals
- Sheffield Utd boss Wilder 'numb' after Baldock death
- Little progress at key meet ahead of COP29 climate summit
- Fans immerse themselves in Marina Abramovic's first China exhibition
- Israel says conducting review after UN peacekeepers wounded in Lebanon
- 'Party atmosphere': Skygazers treated to another aurora show
- Djokovic 'overwhelmed' after 'greatest rival' Nadal's retirement
- Zelensky in Berlin says hopes war with Russia will end next year
- Kyrgyzstan opens rare probe into glacier destruction
- European Mediterranean states discuss Middle East, migration
- Djokovic proves staying power as progresses to Shanghai semi-finals
- Hurricane Milton leaves at least 16 dead as Florida cleans up
- Britain face 'ultimate challenge' in America's Cup duel with New Zealand
- Lebanon calls for 'immediate' ceasefire in Israel-Hezbollah war
- Nihon Hidankyo: Japan's A-bomb survivors awarded Nobel
- Thunberg leads pro-Palestinian, climate protest in Milan
- Boat captain rescued clinging to cooler in Gulf of Mexico after storm Milton
- Tears, warnings after Japan atomic survivors group win Nobel
- 'Unspeakable horror': the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
- Stock markets diverge before China weekend briefing
- Christian villagers 'trapped' in south Lebanon crossfire
- Sabalenka sets up Gauff showdown in Wuhan semis
- EU questions shopping app Temu over illegal products risk
- Kim Sei-young holds lead with late birdies at LPGA Shanghai
- Toulouse welcome Dupont 'boost' as Olympic star returns to Top 14
Rap mogul Sean Combs sued for rape by singer Cassie
Superstar rapper and music industry mogul Sean Combs was sued Thursday by the singer Cassie, who accused him of rape and physical abuse.
The hip-hop artist -- also known as both Puff Daddy or Diddy -- subjected the R&B singer, whose real name is Casandra Ventura, to more than a decade of coercion by physical force and drugs as well as a 2018 rape, she said in her suit, filed in federal court in Manhattan.
The suit says that Ventura met Combs in 2005, when she was 19 and he was 37.
He signed her to his label, Bad Boy Records, after which she began a romantic relationship with him.
Court documents characterized it as "an ostentatious, fast-paced, and drug-fueled lifestyle" and called Combs "a vicious, cruel, and controlling man" who wielded power over Ventura, both as her boss and as one of hip-hop's leading figures.
In a statement to AFP, Combs's lawyer Ben Brafman "vehemently" denied the allegations, calling them "offensive and outrageous."
Combs accused Ventura of blackmail, saying her aim was to "tarnish" his reputation and gain a payout.
- Adult Survivors Act -
Combs, now 54, founded Bad Boy in 1993, and was a major figure in hip-hop's commercialization over the course of the decades that followed. His proteges included the late Notorious B.I.G. and Mary J. Blige.
He is among hip-hop's billionaires, not least due to his ventures in the liquor industry.
The suit describes him as a violent man, recounting disturbing scenes of his violent outbursts, including forcing Ventura to engage in sex acts with male sex workers, which she alleges Combs filmed.
Other allegations include that Combs forced Ventura to carry a firearm in her purse as a means of intimidating her and making her uncomfortable.
It also indicates that Combs blew up the car of another person interested in Ventura.
Court documents also detail that in 2018 Combs and Ventura had dinner, after which the magnate forced himself into her apartment and raped her.
The complaint says her association with Bad Boy ended in 2019.
Ventura is seeking damages including for "mental pain and anguish and severe emotional distress" as well as lost wages.
Ventura brought her case under the Adult Survivors Act, a New York law allowing alleged victims of sexual abuse to file civil suits past the statute of limitations.
Her legal team cites the law in her filing.
"Although Ms. Ventura was unable to speak up against the years of abuse she endured at the hands of Mr. Combs, she has since been able to rebuild her life and confront her trauma," court documents say.
"Thanks to the passage of New York's Adult Survivors' Act and California's Sexual Abuse Accountability and Cover-Up Act, she is now ready and able to also confront her abuser, and to hold him and those who enabled his abuse accountable for their actions."
D.Kaufman--AMWN