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Cassie has revealed the hefty amount of money she received from Sean "Diddy" Combs after they settled her sexual assault lawsuit in 2023.
During her second day of testimony at Combs' trial on Wednesday, May 14, the artist-model was asked about the bombshell lawsuit she filed against Combs that set off a multitude of other legal complaints from other alleged victims. She told the jury her lawsuit was settled 24 hours after it was filed. When asked how much she received, Cassie said Combs agreed to pay her $20 million. Even though her lawsuit was settled, the "Me & You" singer said the overwhelming guilt and shame inspired her to testify.
"I can't carry this anymore," she said. "I can't carry the shame, the guilt... I was guided to treat people like they were disposable. What's right is right and what's wrong is wrong. And I'm here to do the right thing."
Cassie filed her lawsuit against Combs five years after they broke up. She met her husband Alex Fine shortly after she parted ways with Combs for good, and got married a year later. She had two children with Fine, but she testified that she was haunted by flashbacks of the abuse she suffered at the hands of her ex-boyfriend. She had tears in her eyes as she told the jury she experienced suicidal thoughts and once attempted to end her life. Cassie described an incident in March 2023 when she tried to walk out her front door and into oncoming traffic while her family was sleeping inside their home.
“I was spinning out. I didn’t want to be alive anymore at that point," she explained, per People. "I couldn’t take the pain I was in anymore and just tried to walk out the front door into traffic." She recalled telling her husband, "You can do this without me, you don’t need me anymore.”
Fine ended up stopping Cassie from doing the worst that day. Soon afterward, the singer entered rehab and was treated for her trauma. Cassie filed the lawsuit against Combs several months later.
Cassie will return to the witness stand today to face questioning from the defense. Combs is facing five counts of sex trafficking, transportation to engage in prostitution, and racketeering. His charges aren't directly related to the physical, mental, and sexual abuse he allegedly inflicted on Cassie. The prosecution put her on the witness stand to help illustrate the Bad Boy Records founder's alleged pattern of deviant violence and abuse that he allegedly displayed over the years. Combs pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 or go to 988lifeline.org.