Judge dismisses Cassie Ventura from Howard lawsuit

U.S. District Judge Anne Hwang dismissed Cassie Ventura with prejudice from Clayton Howard’s civil lawsuit, leaving Sean Combs as a defendant in the case. The ruling, made at a hearing in Los Angeles on October 21, bars Howard from bringing the same claims against Ventura again but does not resolve his allegations against Combs. Howard, who worked as an escort under the name Dave, filed the lawsuit in 2025 against Ventura, Combs and two companies, Bad Boy Entertainment LLC and CeOpco LLC. He sought $35 million in damages. His complaint alleges that Ventura arranged paid sexual encounters under Combs’s direction and that the encounters involved coercion, drugs or abuse. The allegations have not been established as judicial findings. Ventura’s lawyers argued that Howard’s claims against her could not be repaired through further revisions to his complaint. They also disputed that his account showed she used threats, deception or force, pointing to his allegations of repeated payments and return visits. Judge Hwang granted Ventura’s request to dismiss the claims against her. The judge’s ruling did not end the entire case. Combs remains a defendant, and his response was due...