A new legal battle has surfaced in Clayton Howard’s $20 million lawsuit against Cassie, this time involving whether records from Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal criminal case should be included in the civil lawsuit.
Howard, a former escort, alleges that he was trafficked by Combs and Cassie during years of alleged “freak-offs.” He filed the lawsuit shortly after Combs’ federal racketeering trial ended, accusing Cassie of taking part in the encounters rather than being a victim herself. Both Cassie and Combs have requested that the court dismiss the case.
According to AllHipHop, Howard, who is now representing himself, is asking the court to officially consider testimony and documents from Combs’ criminal trial. He reportedly argues that materials such as the government’s sentencing memorandum support his allegations.
Cassie’s legal team is pushing back, arguing that a lawsuit complaint cannot be altered by adding outside materials after it has already been filed. Her attorneys also argue that statements or descriptions from a criminal proceeding should not automatically be accepted as proven facts in a separate civil case.
The filing also highlights what Cassie’s attorneys describe as a major issue with Howard’s request. They point out that the same sentencing memorandum he wants the court to review identifies Cassie as one of the victims connected to Combs’ conviction. According to her legal team, that designation contradicts Howard’s claim that she played a role in arranging the alleged encounters. They further argue that the criminal jury’s findings focused on Combs’ actions, not Cassie’s, meaning those conclusions should not apply to the allegations against her.
Cassie was a key witness in Combs’ federal trial, where she spent several days testifying about years of alleged abuse and coercion. Meanwhile, Howard continues to move forward with his civil lawsuit as both Cassie and Combs seek to have the case dismissed. A judge has not yet ruled on whether the contested criminal trial records will be allowed into the proceedings.
