A fifth attempt to keep Cassie Ventura in Clayton Howard’s $35 million lawsuit should be his last, according to her attorneys. The singer is asking a federal judge to dismiss Howard’s remaining trafficking and sexual assault claims with prejudice, arguing that his newest complaint still fails to show that she forced or coerced him into the paid sexual encounters at the center of the case.
Her legal team is also making a broader argument about what allowing the case to continue could mean for people who speak publicly about sexual abuse. “It is precisely baseless and harassing lawsuits like Mr. Howard’s that disincentivize actual victims of sexual abuse from coming forward or testifying truthfully as government witnesses,” attorney Douglas Wigdor said in the latest filing, according to AllHipHop.
Howard, a former male escort who says he participated in sexual encounters involving Cassie and Sean “Diddy” Combs for years, first sued the pair in 2025. He alleges that he was trafficked and sexually exploited after Cassie contacted him for paid encounters beginning around 2009. His complaint accuses Combs of watching and directing the sessions and alleges that security personnel sometimes took Howard’s phone, identification, and clothing. Howard also claims that Cassie arranged travel and helped keep him involved by offering money and other benefits. He is seeking $35 million in damages.
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Cassie Has Denied Howard's Allegations
Cassie's attorneys contend that Howard’s own account makes it difficult to cast her as the person controlling those encounters. His complaint repeatedly describes Combs as directing the sessions and determining when they ended. It also recounts violence Combs allegedly inflicted on the singer, including an alleged December 2016 incident in Miami, and incorporates accounts from another escort who said he witnessed Combs abusing her. Cassie's lawyers argue those allegations describe someone operating under Combs’ control rather than independently running a trafficking operation.
The filing separately challenges Howard’s accusation that Cassie knowingly exposed him to chlamydia during a May 2016 encounter. Howard points in part to testimony Cassie gave during Combs’ federal criminal trial about health problems she experienced during their relationship. Her attorneys argue he conflates urinary tract infections with sexually transmitted infections and has not alleged facts showing Cassie knew she had chlamydia when the encounter occurred. They also dispute his attempt to use a later reference to a chlamydia scare as proof of what she knew months earlier.
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Howard’s allegations against Cassie have already run into trouble with U.S. District Judge Anne Hwang. The court dismissed every claim against her in July but allowed Howard another opportunity to amend his complaint. He filed a fifth amended version on August 3, preserving claims under federal and state trafficking laws along with sexual assault allegations. Hwang previously found that Howard had not identified a timely incident involving Cassie that exceeded conduct to which he had agreed.
Cassie's role in Combs’ criminal prosecution sits behind much of her attorneys’ argument about the consequences of Howard’s lawsuit. She was a central government witness during the 2025 trial and testified extensively about abuse and the sexual encounters Combs called “freak-offs.” A jury ultimately acquitted Combs of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking but convicted him on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution under the Mann Act.
Howard’s lawsuit is a separate civil proceeding, and none of his accusations against Cassie have been proven in court. Her latest motion asks the judge to prevent him from filing another amended complaint if the remaining claims against her are dismissed. A hearing on that request is scheduled for October 21.
