CNN
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Sean “Diddy” Combs has been accused of sexual battery by a woman who claims that in September 2016 the music producer dangled her from a 17-story balcony as others were on site, including his former girlfriend Cassie Ventura.
In a suit filed late last week, Bryana “Bana” Bongolan, who was an aspiring fashion designer at the time of the alleged incident, accuses Combs of “outrageous and abhorrent conduct” that violated her “fundamental dignity, bodily autonomy and sense of safety.”
Bongolan’s suit calls what she says happened on September 26, 2016 the “culmination of a series of threats, intimidation and violence that colored many of Ms. Bongolan’s interactions with Mr. Combs from the day she met him.”
Bongolan claims that on that day, Combs showed up to Ventura’s apartment and “began shouting and banging on the door.” Bongolan instructed her unnamed then-girlfriend to “hide in the guest bathroom and lock the door” because she knew “of his violent temper,” according to the suit.
Once Combs gained entry, he spotted Bongolan on the balcony and “advanced on her,” the suit states. Combs then grabbed her, turned her back to his chest and “molested her by groping her breasts as she yelled to be left alone,” before shifting his hands to her armpits and lifting her up on the banister of the 17th-floor balcony, according to the suit.
Bongolan’s suit claims Combs was angry with her but she “did not then, and does not know now, what Mr. Combs believed she did.”
The lawsuit states Bongolan managed to get herself back over the banister to safety but that Combs lifted her up again “with only Combs’ grip keeping her from falling to her death.” Upon seeing what was happening, Ventura intervened and Combs pulled Bongolan back over the balcony but then “slammed” her onto patio furniture, the suit claims.
Attorneys for Combs said the musician, who is currently is custody awaiting trial on federal charges, “firmly denies these serious allegations and remains confident they will ultimately be proven baseless.”
“He has unwavering faith in the facts and in the fairness of the judicial process,” his lawyers’ statement said in part. “In court, the truth will come to light, demonstrating that the claims against Mr. Combs are without merit.”
Bongolan’s suit echos a situation mentioned in Ventura’s dam-breaking November 2023 lawsuit that, while settled quickly, was the first in what turned out to be a barrage of civil lawsuits against Combs. He now faces over 30 civil complaints, in addition to being the subject of an ongoing federal investigation.
Ventura’s lawsuit, which was settled the day after it was filed, made mention of an incident in which Combs allegedly “picked up one of Ms. Ventura’s friends like a child and dangled the friend over the balcony of the 17th floor hotel suit” that Ventura was staying in. This alleged incident, however, was stated in Ventura’s suit as having taken place after an August 2015 so-called freak-off, the term prosecutors and others allege was used to describe Combs’ drug- and sex-fueled parties.
A source familiar with the alleged balcony incident told CNN that the “friend” mentioned in Ventura’s 2023 lawsuit is, in fact, Bongolan and that her allegation is the same one referenced in Ventura’s claim.
CNN has requested comment from Ventura’s attorney.
In May, CNN published a surveillance video that showed Combs physically abusing Ventura in 2016 in a Los Angeles hotel. Combs apologized two days after the video was broadcast in a video shared on social media.
“I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now. I went and I sought out professional help. I got into going to therapy, going to rehab,” Combs said. “I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry. But I’m committed to be a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry.”
Bongolan’s suit makes reference to Combs of displaying a “disturbing pattern of abusive behavior” and claims that Combs often showed up to Ventura’s apartment unannounced and start banging on the door, at which time Ventura would instruct her to be quiet “so as to make Mr. Combs believe no one was home.” Her suit claims she saw Combs throw a large kitchen knife at Ventura.
Bongolan is suing Combs for damages.
