Clayton Howard has filed a civil lawsuit accusing Cassie of forcing him into sex work with Diddy and exploiting his trauma for personal gain during their years-long association.
The former escort, who testified under the pseudonym “Dave” during Diddy’s federal sex trafficking investigation, now claims Cassie was not just a participant but a driving force in his alleged exploitation.
During an interview with TMZ, Howard alleges Cassie “embraced” Diddy’s influence and used it to manipulate him into sex acts with third parties.
“One, I was in an economic position where I really needed the money. Two, Mr. Combs is incredibly powerful and Ms. Ventura had no problem in her use of that power, which has actually been revealed now because we’ve heard recordings of her threatening people, we’ve seen text messages. There are many different sides to people…she has her side. There is a side for her that people don’t know, the side that manipulated Sean Combs’ power, the side that embraced his power and his position to do things that she wanted,” Howard said.
Howard’s complaint includes disturbing allegations, including being drugged, coerced into sex with strangers and infected with a sexually transmitted disease. He says he remained in the relationship for nearly a decade, driven by fear and financial dependence.
The lawsuit also takes aim at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, accusing prosecutors of ignoring male victims while focusing exclusively on Diddy’s alleged abuse of women.
Howard claims Cassie was not a passive victim but an active participant in the abuse.
“I was always afraid if I stopped coming, then I would start having problems because she threatened me several times to come and made me feel uncomfortable that I would come to see her just to avoid any problem with Sean Combs. He’s incredibly powerful. He has people that could follow me around damaging my life for years and it would cost him nothing to do it,” Howard added.
The complaint alleges she “used her position to lure and manipulate” him into situations that left him emotionally and physically scarred.
Howard’s attorney, Tyrone Blackburn, delayed filing the complaint until after Cassie’s testimony against Diddy was resolved, saying he wanted to avoid damaging her public image during the high-profile case.