Diddy Trial Day 3: Cassie Ventura's Testimony Continues

Casandra Ventura continued her testimony for a second day, describing the alleged sexual, physical, and psychological abuse she suffered at the hands of her former partner, Sean "Diddy" Combs. A key element of her testimony included Combs's alleged repeated threats to release videos of her participating in what she described as his drug-fueled "freak offs," which she said he claimed would "ruin everything that I had worked for, that it would make me look like a slut," and cause her to be "shamed." The testimony also referenced a 2016 hotel surveillance video, exclusively shared by CNN in May, that depicted Combs kicking, hitting, and dragging Ventura (known professionally as Cassie, the singer of "Me & U").

Sean "Diddy" Combs, 55, has been charged with sex trafficking, racketeering,  transportation to engage in prostitution. In this trial, Casandra Ventura, 38, is the prosecution's star witness, confronting Combs in court. Combs has entered a plea of not guilty.

Cassie in 2023 "I didn't want to live!

During her court testimony, Casandra Ventura described experiencing suicidal ideation in early 2023, a period that coincided with her seeking treatment for opioid addiction and beginning trauma therapy. Ventura stated, "I was spinning out" at the time, and "I didn't want to be alive anymore at that point." She recounted an incident while filming a music video, where she suffered "horrible flashbacks" and triggers. Upon returning home to her husband, Alex Fine, and their children, she said, "I remember telling him, 'You can do this without me.'" Ventura testified that the situation felt "too painful," and that "I tried walking out the door into traffic and my husband wouldn’t let me."

Ventura-Fine claims that Diddy "R" her in 2018

 In her testimony, Casandra Ventura made a serious allegation regarding an incident in 2018. She stated that after her relationship with Sean "Diddy" Combs had ended and she had begun dating Alex Fine, she met Combs for dinner. She described him as "friendly and kind" during the dinner. However, Ventura alleged that when Combs drove her home and walked her inside, "he raped me in my living room." She testified that she cried and said "no" during the alleged rape. When asked by prosecutors how she felt, Ventura replied, "It was like someone taking something from you."

Cassie's 2011 Email and Allegations Against Combs

The court heard about a December 23, 2011, email sent by Casandra Ventura to her mother and Sean "Diddy" Combs' assistant, Capricorn Clark. In the email, Ventura alleged that Combs threatened to "release two explicit tapes of me," releasing one on Christmas Day and another at a later date. She also stated that Combs threatened to harm both rapper Kid Cudi and herself, specifying that he would not use his hands and would be out of the country when it happened. Jurors were shown photographs of "large bruises" on Ventura's lower back and thigh, taken at the time.

Ventura testified that she was "terrified" to tell her mother about the abuse. She had returned to Connecticut for Christmas and told her mother the bruises were from the first time Combs assaulted her, despite the abuse having occurred for years. "It’s not normal," she told jurors, "constantly being bruised up by the person you love." Ventura's 2023 lawsuit against Combs included an allegation that he threatened to blow up Kid Cudi's car. The lawsuit was settled for $20 million, paid by Combs and his companies. Ventura testified that Kid Cudi visited her in Connecticut, but she broke off their relationship due to concerns about their safety, given Combs' alleged threats.

 Cassie's Testimony: Relationship with Kid Cudi and Allegations of Abuse

Casandra Ventura testified about her brief relationship with rapper Kid Cudi (Scott Mescudi) in 2011, which developed after they began working together on music. Ventura stated that she initially did not disclose the relationship to Sean "Diddy" Combs. However, she testified that Combs discovered it after going through her phone during a "freak off." Ventura alleged that Combs became enraged upon seeing emails related to the relationship. She testified that he "lunged at" her with a wine bottle opener between his fingers, but she was able to escape and went to another hotel, where she contacted Cudi using a burner phone. Ventura further testified that as she left Combs' house, he "kicked me in the back on my way out, and I fell to the floor." Upon returning to her hotel room, she found that someone had urinated on the floor, knocked over the furniture, and defecated in the toilet without flushing it. "It was disgusting," she said. 

Cassie's Allegations: Cannes Trip and Flight Back Casandra

 Ventura alleged that during a trip to Cannes with Sean "Diddy" Combs, he kicked her off a boat and accused her of taking drugs. She also alleged that at a Cannes movie premiere, Combs squeezed her legs painfully. On the flight back to New York, Ventura stated that Combs played "freak off" videos, which she thought she had deleted, in front of other people. Ventura said she felt "trapped" when the videos were played.

Cassie's Text Exchange with Combs: Allegations of Abuse and Controlling Behavior

Prosecutors displayed a text thread between Casandra Ventura and Sean "Diddy" Combs, in which Ventura attempted to manage arrangements for sexual encounters ("freak offs"). Ventura testified that she told Combs in the texts that many of the typical escorts were unavailable, and that he was the only person she wanted to have intercourse with during their relationship. 

Despite Ventura's expressed concerns about privacy ("It's just one more person knowing our secret"), Combs proceeded to book a new escort. The text exchange also included references to Valium, which Ventura testified she used for anxiety. Ventura testified that in the same text exchange, but in a separate message, she told Combs he was an extraordinary man, expressed her desire to have his child, and wished him a happy Father's Day. Ventura also testified that she texted Combs that "nothing good comes out of (freak offs) anymore." She stated that when she told him "you treat me like Ike Turner," she meant that he was abusive and controlling. "As much as I was built up, I was put down quite a bit," Ventura testified. 

Cassie's Testimony: Medical Issues, Drug Use, and Sex Clubs

Casandra Ventura alleged that following sexual encounters ("freak offs") with Sean "Diddy" Combs, she suffered from various medical issues, including sores on her mouth, stomach problems, and frequent, "very painful" urinary tract infections. She testified that Combs was aware of her recurring UTIs, which became so severe that her standard antibiotic treatment was ineffective. Ventura further alleged that after these encounters, she and Combs would receive IV fluids, massages, and food to recover. She also testified to using opiates after the sessions, and disclosed a previous addiction to the drugs. Regarding sex clubs, where Combs allegedly frequented and where multiple people engage in sexual activity, Ventura testified that she "was always terrified and would drink quite a bit."

 Ventura stated that at times, she and Combs would attend these clubs with escorts, including one named Jules. While she said she did not want to engage in sexual activity with him, she described the escort as "a safe place" for her within these situations. Ventura testified that she would consume alcohol and various drugs, including ecstasy, MDMA, and GHB, at these sex clubs. She described the venues as disorienting and said she was impaired by the drugs. Ventura testified that she "was vocal" about not wanting to go to these clubs. She said that Combs would try to persuade her, shifting from a "scary" demeanor to a playful one, pressuring her by saying it would be "a fun thing to do," and that they wouldn’t stay long.

Ventura's Allegations: Apartment Incident and Movie Premiere

 Following an alleged violent incident in 2016, Casandra Ventura claimed that Sean "Diddy" Combs attempted to break into her apartment. She testified to hearing "chaos outside the door," with kicking, banging, and Combs' voice yelling. He was unsuccessful in entering. Ventura then went to the home of Combs' security guard, D-Roc, and his wife, whom she said always made her "feel safe." Later that same night, Ventura stated that she went to Combs' residence for a fitting for her movie premiere.

The jury was shown a photograph, taken in Combs' bedroom, of Ventura in her premiere gown and large sunglasses. She testified that the sunglasses were to "cover up my eye" because "I got hit in the face." The jury was also presented with a red carpet photo showing a bruise on Ventura's shoulder, and a photo from the afterparty, where she wore a shorter dress, revealing a bruise on her right shin.