Cassie has opened up in court about the heartbreaking reason why she had to wear a specific dress to a film premiere while dating Diddy.
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On May 14, the singer and actress, full name Cassandra Ventura Fine, resumed her explosive testimony in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ ongoing federal sex crimes trial.
Cassie and Diddy dated on and off for nearly a decade before splitting in 2018.
But behind the red carpets and music videos, she alleges a dark pattern of violence and control — including rape, coercion, and disturbing “freak-off” parties where she and others were allegedly exploited.
“I can’t carry the shame, the guilt,” Cassie testified. “I was guided to treat people like they were disposable.”
Those allegations are back in court, and one 2016 event in particular has taken center stage: the premiere of Cassie’s film The Perfect Match, per USA Today.
During her second day of testimony, Cassie described a violent incident at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles on March 5, 2016 — just two days before the film’s red carpet premiere.
She testified that Diddy hit her in the face, and that she wore large sunglasses to the event to hide her injuries.
Jurors were shown a photo from Combs’ bedroom taken that day, with Ventura Fine dressed in her premiere gown and sunglasses. “To cover up my eye,” she explained.
They were also shown red carpet images where a bruise was visible on her shoulder, and another from the afterparty revealing a bruise on her shin.
Text messages between Cassie and Diddy revealed she had pleaded for him not to ruin her big moment. “I have a premiere on Monday for the biggest thing of my life,” she told him.
Despite the alleged attack, Cassie and Diddy appeared together at the premiere on March 7 and attended the afterparty later that night.
Photos from the event show her alongside Diddy, as well as guests like director Bille Woodruff and Queen Latifah, whose company produced the film.
Cassie starred in The Perfect Match alongside Terrence J and Donald Faison. She’s also appeared in Step Up 2: The Streets and Spenser Confidential.
Among her most shocking revelations was that the rapper paid her $20 million to settle a 2023 lawsuit accusing him of years of physical and sexual abuse. But she says it was never about silence — it was about survival.
Among her many allegations, Cassie told jurors that in 2018 — while in a new relationship — she met Diddy at a Malibu restaurant where he was “really nice.” She claimed he later brought her back to his apartment and sexually assaulted her, per E News.
“I went inside, he came in and raped me on the living room floor,” she told the court. “I just remember crying and saying no, but it was very fast. His eyes were black, he wasn’t himself, it was like somebody taking something from you."
Diddy has denied all charges. His legal team maintains that he has never engaged in non-consensual sex and claims that all encounters were voluntary.
Back in November 2023, Cassie filed a lawsuit in New York accusing Diddy of “punch[ing], beat[ing], kick[ing] and stomp[ing] on” her, forcing her into sex acts with male sex workers, and creating a hostile environment that made her feel she had no choice but to stay.
She also claimed she was “lured” into the relationship shortly after signing with Diddy’s label, calling him a “vicious, cruel, and controlling man.”
“I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control,” Cassie said at the time of the $20 million settlement. “I want to thank my family, fans and lawyers for their unwavering support.”
Her attorney Douglas Wigdor added: “I am very proud of Ms. Ventura for having the strength to go public with her lawsuit. She ought to be commended for doing so.”