Renowned music personality Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs recently vacated his chairmanship from the entertainment channel Revolt amidst sexual assault accusations from three separate litigations. An update from Revolt’s official Instagram handle on November 28 announced that Combs decided to resign.
His departure is seen by the company as a crucial move in keeping Revolt’s attention devoted to its objective of continually producing significant cultural content and echoing the stories of Black individuals nationally and from the African diaspora.
The official statement ended by emphasizing that the emphasis of the network remains on its wider commitment to the communal journey of Revolt, as opposed to being influenced by any one individual.
The emergence of Revolt can be traced back to 2013, a brainchild of Diddy and co-founder Andy Schuon. Combs made the decision to step down not long after his former partner, Cassie, brought forward a lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault.
Cassie, a 37-year-old artist known by her real name Casandra Ventura, is depicted in the court documents as a ‘victim of sex trafficking.’
According to the documents obtained by Us Weekly, she claimed that subsequent to her introduction to Diddy in 2005, he started a consistent pattern of abusive behavior. Among her accusations were instances of him pressuring her into drug use and coercing her into sexual acts with male sex workers on camera.
In her lawsuit, Ventura also accuses Combs of forcing himself into her residence and sexually assaulting her in 2018. Combs and Ventura reportedly had a intermittent romantic relationship that spanned from 2007 to 2018. In response to such serious allegations, Combs issued a denial through a statement provided by his legal representative.
Combs’ attorney stated that his client strongly refutes these severe accusations. He added that for the past half year, Combs has been faced with Ventura’s consistent request of $30 million. She threatened to release a potentially damaging book about their relationship, but this demand was resolutely dismissed as a bald attempt at blackmail.
In the wake of Ventura’s filing, she and Combs reached a settlement the next day. ‘I’ve chosen to settle this matter in a way that grants me some degree of control,’ Cassie expressed through her lawyer, Douglas Wigdor, on November 17. She extended her gratitude to her family, followers, and legal team for their unwavering support.
Combs also communicated a statement via Wigdor, declaring that they chose an agreeable settlement. Still, he extended his best wishes to Cassie and her family. Following the settlement, Combs’ attorney, Ben Brafman, was quick to clarify that settling does not imply guilt.
Brafman insisted that it’s crucial to understand that a lawsuit settlement, particularly in 2023, doesn’t suggest any admission of misconduct. Mr. Combs’ choice to settle does not in any form dilute his absolute denial of the allegations. He expressed his satisfaction over reaching a mutual settlement and wished Ventura all the success in her future endeavors.
Shortly after resolving things with Cassie, Diddy found himself confronting further allegations. Joi Dickerson-Neal filed a complaint on November 23, alleging that Diddy had drugged and sexually abused her. The court documents procured by Us contained accusations of her being a victim of ‘revenge porn,’ allegedly created and disseminated by Diddy.
Combs again denied the accusations, this time through a spokesperson’s statement to CNN. The spokesperson dismissed Dickerson-Neal’s allegations as ‘manufactured and unreliable,’ dubbing the incident as nothing more than a ‘ploy for money’. On the same day Dickerson-Neal filed her lawsuit, an anonymous claimant stepped forward with additional allegations against Diddy.
The unidentified plaintiff alleges that Diddy and an associate took turns sexually assaulting her in the early 1990s. At the time of these allegations, Us approached Diddy for an official comment. The arrival of these lawsuits coincided with the nearing termination date of New York’s Adult Survivors Act.
The Adult Survivors Act, which allows survivors of sexual assault to file lawsuits without considering the date of the incidence, expired on November 24, shortly after the lawsuits against Diddy were filed. If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual assault, resources are available such as the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).