• Fr. Diddy Sean Combs arrested for assaulting his son's coach with a dumbbell

Sean Combs, American rap star and one of hip-hop's great music producers, was accused Thursday by singer Cassie of rape and physical abuse for more than a decade.

The entertainment mogul, known as Puff Daddy orDiddy, subjected the R&B singer, whose real name is Casandra Ventura, to more than a decade of physical abuse, forced her to take drugs and raped her in 2018, according to the lawsuit filed by the artist in Manhattan Federal Court.

Cassie met the producer in 2005 when she was 19 and he was 37.

He signed her to his record label Bad Boy Records and soon after they began a romantic relationship in which the billionaire exercised "total control over the personal and professional life" of the artist, according to the lawsuit.

In a statement sent to AFP, Combs' lawyer, Ben Brafman, "vehemently" refutes the allegations, calling them "offensive and outrageous".

Combs, now 54, accuses Ventura of blackmail and wanting to "besmirch" his reputation and extort money from him.

The founder of the Bad Boy label in 1993, he was an essential figure in the marketing of hip-hop from then on. His protégés include artists such as the Notorious B.I.G. and Mary J. Blige.

His business dealings in the alcohol industry increased his fortune, estimated, according to the press, at more than $1 billion.

The lawsuit describes him as a violent man and recounts scenes of his violent outbursts, such as forcing Ventura to have sex with male sex workers, which she says Combs filmed.

Combs also allegedly forced her to carry a firearm in her purse in order to intimidate and make her uncomfortable and blew up the car of a person interested in having a relationship with her.

Court documents also detail that in 2018 Combs and Ventura had dinner, after which the mogul forced his way into her apartment and raped her.

The lawsuit says Ventura's partnership with Bad Boy ended in 2019.

The artist is seeking damages for the "mental pain, anguish and severe emotional distress" it caused her, as well as lost wages.

Ventura filed her lawsuit under the Adult Survivors Act, a New York law that allows alleged victims of sexual abuse to file civil lawsuits once the statute of limitations has expired.

His legal team cites the law in the lawsuit. "Although Ms. Ventura was unable to report the years of abuse she suffered at the hands of Mr. Combs, she has since been able to rebuild her life and cope with her trauma," court documents say.