Cassie Hires Lawyers After Judge Lets Accuser's Lawsuit Proceed

BY Gabriel Bras Nevares 926 Views
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Cassie Hires Lawyers Judge Accuser Lawsuit Proceed Music News
LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 03: Dancer Cassie attends VH1's 3rd Annual "Dear Mama: A Love Letter To Moms" at The Theatre at Ace Hotel on May 3, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Allen Berezovsky/WireImage/Getty Images)
Former escort Clayton Howard was cleared to serve Cassie by alternative means with a lawsuit alleging sex trafficking, an STD, and abortion.

Cassie Ventura has been through a lot due to the Diddy scandal, and it seems like her story in court will yield more difficult times ahead. Former escort Clayton Howard is civilly suing her and Sean Combs for alleged sex trafficking, claiming that they subjected him to humiliation, that Ventura gave him an STD, and that she aborted their child.

As previously reported, a judge allowed Howard to serve her through alternative means, since he was not able to do so under normal circumstances. The singer and dancer allegedly made herself very difficult to locate, risking a $20 million default judgement if she didn't respond.

But according to Hollywood Unlocked on Instagram, she isn't fully done with this matter. Court documents reportedly indicate that Cassie's lawyer Melodie Han of Wigdor LLP filed a Notice of Appearance on Thursday (December 11) in the federal case. The Notice doesn't respond to the complaint, address the allegations against Ventura, or make any other motion. Instead, it just confirms that she has legal representation. We will see what the next step in this legal debacle is.

Who Is Clayton Howard?

For those unaware, Clayton Howard is a former escort and sex worker who allegedly participated in Diddy and Cassie's "freak-off" sessions in exchange for payment. He believes Ventura also deserves criminal charges for her alleged enablement of (and alleged participation in) Combs' crimes. But this civil lawsuit only covers part of that with no criminal implication.

Howard has been speaking to a lot of media and on his own platforms concerning his allegations and accusations. As such, his situation has gotten a lot of attention, especially from the Bad Boy mogul's supporters and those who question the singer's story.

While Cassie hasn't spoken out much recently, this new legal move indicates she's at least preparing some sort of response or strategy. Of course, this doesn't automatically remove the risk of a default judgement or affirm a future response.

As for Clayton Howard, we will see if he shares anything else online about this situation. It's been a rough road for everyone, but there are levels to this case.

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.

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