According to court documents obtained by Rolling Stonea woman is suing Sean “Diddy” Combs for allegedly threatening to kill her and dangling her from a 17th-floor balcony.
Fashion designer Bryana “Bana” Bongolan filed a 17-page lawsuit against Combs this week in Los Angeles for sexual assault, infliction of emotional distress and false imprisonment, among other charges. Bongolan is seeking $10 million in damages for the permanent emotional distress he claims he suffers.
Bongolan says he witnessed numerous instances of abuse between Combs and his girlfriend Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura before the Bad Boy Entertainment founder intimidated and threatened Bongolan. It all culminated on a night in September 2016 when Combs allegedly dangled Bongolan from Ventura's balcony while yelling at her.
“The sole purpose of dangling someone from a balcony is to actually intentionally kill or terrorize them and rob them of any concept of dominion over their autonomy and physical safety,” reads the lawsuit filed by attorney James R. Nikraftar of Miller Barondess. “Bongolan refuses to allow this fear to control the rest of his life and takes this action to demand that Mr. Combs take responsibility for the trauma he intentionally and maliciously inflicted.”
Combs – who is currently being held without the possibility of bail after pleading not guilty to sex trafficking and conspiracy charges – “strongly denies” Bongolan's allegations. “Anyone has the right to file a lawsuit, regardless of what evidence they may or may not have,” a legal representative for Combs said in a statement provided to Rolling Stone. “Since last year, Ms. Bongolan has expressed her intent to sue Mr. Combs and has sought legal representation to pursue her claims. Mr. Combs strongly denies these serious allegations and remains confident that they will ultimately be proven to be unfounded.”
Bongolan describes herself as a young aspiring fashion designer when she approached Ventura while the two were both working with the famed Los Angeles store Diamond Supply Co. around 2014. Through Ventura, Bongolan met Combs, who she believed could offer “the opportunity of a lifetime to collaborate” with him and his business. “It ultimately only led to terror and abuse on his part,” the lawsuit states.
Through 2018, Bongolan says he worked on several projects for Combs and his companies, including specialized Bad Boy Entertainment jackets, the 2016 Bad Boy reunion tour, album covers, music videos, and a clothing line featuring Ventura. But working with Combs did not lead to the career boost Bongolan had hoped for, her lawsuit claims, but instead forced her to “experience firsthand violence and abuse even in professional settings.”
Around this time, Bongolan says he also began to recognize “disturbing signs of an abusive relationship” between Ventura and Combs, who allegedly blew up Ventura's phone if she didn't return his calls, would show up unannounced to Ventura's apartment and allegedly continued to knock on his door and accuse people of trying to “get his woman.”
There have been numerous alleged instances in which Bongolan claims to have seen Ventura covered in bruises or with a black eye, which Ventura allegedly said were from Combs. Bongolan claims she was physically present during an explosive confrontation in which Combs “threw a large kitchen knife at Ms. Ventura, who, acting in self-defense, threw one back at her.”
Eventually, Bongolan said Combs began “directing his anger” toward her. During a photo shoot for Ventura, Combs allegedly cornered Bongolan and, inches from her face, threatened her. “I am the devil,” Combs told Bongolan, according to the lawsuit. “You have no idea what I could do to you. I could kill you.”
Bongolan says he took the threat seriously, knowing “firsthand that Mr. Combs was a violent man,” referring to what he had seen of his relationship with Ventura and learning that Kid Cudi's car had exploded after the singer had had a brief fling with Ventura (Kid Cudi confirmed the accusation to New York Timessaying, “It's all true.”) Bongolan says he also heard rumors that the billionaire had once “skinned a rival's dog.”
Combs' alleged threats became reality on September 26, 2016, Bongolan claims, when she and her partner were sleeping in Ventura's Los Angeles apartment. Bongolan says she woke up in the early hours of the morning to hear Combs screaming “violently” and pounding on Ventura's front door.
Bongolan says he told his partner to hide in a bathroom and lock the door, before Combs burst into the apartment and advanced on her, who was then on the balcony. Combs allegedly grabbed Bongolan and groped her breast as she tried to push him away and yelled at him to leave her alone.
Combs then grabbed Bongolan by the armpits and “lifted her onto the railing of the 17th-floor balcony, repeatedly yelling, 'Do you know what the fuck you did?' Do you know what the fuck you did?'” the lawsuit states.
A physical struggle ensued, with Bongolan trying to break free, Bongolan claims, but because she is less than five feet tall and weighs less than 100 pounds, Combs easily overpowered her. “He immediately lifted her higher and higher onto the 17th-floor balcony of Ms. Ventura's apartment, with only Combs's grip keeping her from falling to her death,” the lawsuit states.
Ventura, who had been locked in her bedroom, ran out onto the balcony and “yelled” at Combs to stop, the indictment alleges, telling him that Bongolan's girlfriend was also in the apartment and could hear what was going on. happening.
“Recognizing the threat of so many witnesses to his assault, [Combs] pulled Ms. Bongolan back from the balcony,” the lawsuit states. “But he didn't release her. In a final act of violence, he slammed Ms Bongolan onto the garden furniture on the balcony, including a table.”
“The September 26 attack ultimately proved that Ms. Bongolan was right to fear Mr. Combs and caused profound and lasting damage,” the lawsuit adds.
Ventura also references an alleged balcony incident in his sexual abuse and sex trafficking lawsuit against Combs (who has denied everything). Ventura claimed that after being forced to participate in a freak off with a male sex worker, a “totally drunk” Combs picked up a woman “like a child” and dangled her from a 17th-floor balcony.
“Ventura and her friends were frightened by Mr. Combs's behavior, but Ms. Ventura was heavily sedated due to the medications she had taken to participate in the freak off, and therefore was unable to respond to Mr. Combs's terrifying behavior,” supports the cause.
Bongolan is now among the group of 30 people who have filed civil lawsuits against Combs, all of whom allege that Combs assaulted them in some form between the 1990s and 2022. The claims come from former Danity Kane member Dawn Richard , producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, models, aspiring artists, businessmen, security guards and people who claim to be teenagers at the time of their alleged encounters. Combs has strongly denied all reports of abuse through his representatives.
The 55-year-old has currently been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn since his arrest on September 16. Prosecutors in the Southern District of New York largely built the criminal case against Combs on the alleged experiences of Ventura, who said Combs forced her to engage in sexual acts with male sex workers during their decades-long relationship .
Combs has denied her claims and has pleaded not guilty to the three charges against him. If convicted, he faces 15 years to life in prison.
From Rolling Stone US
