A former male escort has filed a civil lawsuit alleging singer Cassie Ventura coerced him into sexual encounters with music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, court documents show.
Clayton Howard, who used the alias “Dave” while testifying in Combs’ federal trial, claims Ventura manipulated him over nearly a decade by exploiting his financial dependence and Combs’ power, according to the complaint filed this week.
In the lawsuit, Howard says he was drugged, forced into sex acts with strangers, contracted a sexually transmitted disease, and pressured to continue meeting with Combs for fear of retaliation. “She threatened me several times … I would start having problems … Sean Combs’ power … could follow me around damaging my life for years,” he said.
Howard’s attorney, Tyrone Blackburn, waited to file the suit until after Ventura completed her testimony in Combs’ criminal trial. Howard contends prosecutors overlooked male victims, quoting him as saying the government “only cared about Diddy”.
Ventura previously testified in the May–June federal sex trafficking and racketeering case against Combs, recounting years of alleged drug-fueled, escort-led “freak-off” parties at his direction. Combs was acquitted of the most serious charges but convicted on two counts of transporting individuals for prostitution and remains in federal custody pending sentencing, scheduled for October.
The lawsuit names both Ventura and Combs as defendants. Neither has publicly responded. Ventura’s attorney declined to comment to TMZ days ago, and Combs’ legal team has not responded to inquiries.
Howard is seeking unspecified damages, saying he endured years of emotional and physical trauma. The lawsuit aims to spotlight allegations of exploitation involving a male victim, which his attorney says were ignored during Combs’ criminal proceedings.
