Diddy & Cassie Sued for $20M by 'Gigolo' Claiming Trafficking & STD Drama

Clayton Howard, a former escort, is suing music mogul Diddy and singer Cassie Ventura for $20 million for trafficking, coercion, and knowingly being exposed to an STD. Howard's civil suit, which he filed in July 2025, also says that the defendants ran a trafficking ring for ten years and hurt him emotionally and financially.

According to AllHipHop, Howard, who has been representing himself in court, recently told a judge what he plans to do. "I am actively pursuing a law degree," he told Judge Arun Subramanian. "So I have some skill in presenting these points correctly, and in a manner the court will deem appropriate to form."

In court documents, Howard says Cassie hired him through an escort agency around 2009, and that Diddy went by the name "Frank Black." Howard says that Cassie set up paid meetings with Diddy that often included threesomes and watching him have sex with other people.

He also says that she gave him an STD on purpose. He also says that Cassie got pregnant by him, had an abortion without telling him, and then had sex again.

Howard said that his lawsuit was an attempt to make both defendants pay for what they did. The publication says that he said in court papers that Cassie was not just a victim, but that she also helped run and manage the supposed trafficking operation. The lawsuit asks for money for emotional pain, medical bills, and lost wages.

Howard also said that federal prosecutors and a pro bono lawyer were trying to silence him to protect Cassie's credibility. He filed a motion seeking permission to file a 17-page supplemental reply with evidence of the alleged wrongdoing, such as emails. The source noted that the judge let him file the long brief because the case was complicated and Howard was getting better at the law.

Per Good Morning America, while Howard is trying to get out of jail, Diddy is serving a 50-month federal sentence for transporting people for prostitution. He was found not guilty of charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. Cassie and Diddy settled a different civil case for $20 million in November 2023.

According to AllHipHop, no court has yet ruled on the merits of Howard's claims, and Cassie has been difficult to locate, so other methods of service have been allowed.

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