Disgraced music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs said over the weekend that he had “hit rock bottom” at the time of a 2016 video showing he assaulted his then-girlfriend Cassie. His legal team doubts the sincerity of his apology.
“Combs’ most recent statement is more about himself than the many people he has hurt,” attorney Meredith Firetog, who represents Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, said in a statement to the Times. “When Cassie and many other women came forward, he denied everything and suggested his victims were looking for a payday.”
Diddy, who faces multiple allegations of sexual abuse and sex trafficking, apparently apologized Saturday for the 2016 assault, a day after CNN released hotel security footage of the incident. The video shows the hip-hop star and businessman chasing, kicking, dragging and throwing a glass vase at Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel.
“It's so hard to reflect on the darkest moments in your life, but sometimes you have to,” Combs said in his Instagram apology. “I was screwed, I hit rock bottom, but I don't make excuses. My behavior in that video is inexcusable. “I take full responsibility for my actions in that video.”
The footage seemingly confirms at least some of the physical abuse allegations Cassie leveled against Combs in a lawsuit she filed in November, allegations Combs initially denied. The complaint, filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, details an alleged incident in which Combs “became extremely intoxicated and punched” him in the face, “leaving him with a black eye” during an attack in March 2016. at the same time as the events in the video.
Cassie and Diddy settled the lawsuit one day after it was filed.
“The fact that he was only forced to 'apologise' once his repeated denials were proven false shows his pathetic desperation, and no one will be swayed by his false words,” Firetog's statement added.
When the video surfaced Friday, Diddy's legal team did not respond to the Times' request for comment. Cassie's attorney, Douglas H. Wigdor, called the video “heartbreaking” and said it “only further confirmed Mr. Combs' disturbing and predatory behavior.”
Diddy received criticism from more than just Cassie's legal team over the weekend. Former Bad Boy rapper and Belizean politician Shyne condemned Comb's “disgusting behavior” in the 2016 video in an Instagram statement shared on Sunday.
“There is no place for Violence against Women anywhere on the planet. “As a father of a precious daughter, a global citizen and the next Prime Minister of Belize, I want to have absolutely nothing to do with people who participate in this pattern of diabolical behavior,” she said. “My prayers are with Cassie and all the other victims who have come forward with horrendous accusations against Mr. Combs.”
Shyne (born Jamal Michael Barrow) served eight years in prison, from 2001 to 2009, for a 1999 shooting involving Combs and his then-girlfriend, Jennifer Lopez.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office also acknowledged the video over the weekend, calling it “extremely disturbing and difficult to watch.” However, LAPD said there was no current investigation into the matter.
“If the conduct described occurred in 2016, unfortunately we would not be able to bring charges as the conduct would have occurred beyond the time frame in which an assault offense can be prosecuted,” the police statement said. “To date, authorities have not filed any cases related to the attack depicted in the video against Mr. Combs.”
The dramatic security footage emerged as Combs faces a federal investigation and multiple lawsuits, including one from producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, who accused the Bad Boy Records founder and former Revolt president of sexual assault and harassment.
In March, U.S. Department of Homeland Security agents launched searches of Combs' mansions in Holmby Hills and Miami as part of a federal investigation into sex trafficking allegations. At the time, Aaron Dyer, one of Combs' attorneys, called the raids a “witch hunt.”
Times staff writer Richard Winton contributed to this report.
