Music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs and his former partner Cassie Ventura have been named in a federal lawsuit filed in New York by Clayton Howard, a former male escort who accuses the pair of sexual exploitation and abuse.
Howard, who testified under the pseudonym “Dave” during Combs’ recent RICO trial, is seeking $20 million in punitive damages for what he describes as years of manipulation, trauma, and coercion.
In court filings, Howard alleges that Ventura, 38, manipulated him into participating in explicit encounters—referred to as “freak-offs”—while Combs, 55, watched. He claims he was trafficked and used as “entertainment to satisfy [their] sexual fetishes and personal ambitions.”
Howard also alleges Ventura drugged and coerced him into sexual acts with third parties, and that he remained involved with her for nearly a decade due to ongoing threats and manipulation. He says Ventura used Combs’ considerable influence and resources to instill fear and compliance.
“I was always afraid if I stopped coming, then I would start having problems,” Howard said in an interview with TMZ. “She threatened me several times to come and made me feel uncomfortable… Sean Combs is incredibly powerful. He has people who could follow me and damage my life for years, and it would cost him nothing.”
According to the lawsuit, Howard has provided text messages and audio recordings in which Ventura allegedly threatened others to get her way. He also accuses her of terminating a pregnancy without his knowledge and transmitting a sexually transmitted infection to him.
As of now, representatives for Combs and Ventura have not publicly responded to the latest allegations.
This lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal challenges facing Combs, who has been the subject of multiple federal investigations and lawsuits in recent months. Ventura previously filed a separate lawsuit against Combs in late 2023, which was settled out of court within 24 hours.
