Cassie Ventura testimony is key to case against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs
Cassie Ventura Fine has crucial testimony in sex-crimes trial against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.
Following her allegations of sexual abuse, Casandra “Cassie” Ventura Fine is taking the stand in ex-boyfriend Sean “Diddy” Combs’ criminal trial.
Ventura Fine, whose November 2023 lawsuit against the hip-hop mogul opened the floodgates to a series of civil complaints, delivered emotional testimony on May 13 about the alleged abuse she says she endured from Combs during their relationship.
The singer told jurors that Combs, whom she got to know after signing with his label Bad Boy Records, subjected her to psychological abuse “every day” and had big mood swings. He controlled much of her life, whether it was her career or how she dressed, and arguments often ended in physical violence that left her with bruises, she alleged.
When the rapper first introduced her to his “freak offs,” a term for Combs’ alleged drug-fueled sex parties, Cassie said she was “confused” and “nervous” but “also loved him very much” and “wanted to make him happy.” Over time, she alleged she became afraid that Combs would release blackmail materials, including videos and photos of her with an escort, on the internet.
The “Me & U” singer, who began a professional and sexual relationship with the embattled music mogul when she was 19, settled her lawsuit with Combs for an undisclosed amount one day after filing her complaint. The former pair’s relationship came under further scrutiny when a leaked surveillance video from 2016 appeared to show Combs beating Ventura during an altercation at a Los Angeles hotel.
Who is Cassie? The singer at the center of Diddy’s sex-crimes trial
Ventura Fine’s testimony comes one day after the jury in Combs’ sex-crimes trial was shown video of the rapper assaulting her in 2016. The prosecution’s first witness was a former security officer at the hotel, Israel Florez, who testified that he received a call about a “woman in distress” and, when he arrived, saw that Ventura Fine had a “purple eye.”
During her opening statement, prosecutor Emily Johnson alleged that Combs beat Ventura Fine “viciously.” Defense attorney Teny Geragos, meanwhile, told the jury that Cassie became jealous after realizing that she would never be Combs’ wife.
Diddy trial live updates: Cassie Ventura Fine takes the stand, alleges Combs dragged her
Combs’ was arrested in September 2024 and indicted on charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. A superseding indictment filed April 3 charged him with two additional counts: sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.
Cassie and Diddy lawsuit, explained
Combs’ legal woes began in November 2023 when Ventura Fine accused the rapper of rape, sex trafficking and physical abuse in a civil lawsuit.
Ventura Fine met a then-37-year-old Combs in 2005 after the rap mogul became interested in signing her to Bad Boy Records. After being lured into an “ostentatious, fast-paced and drug-fueled lifestyle” and romantic relationship with Combs, the singer claimed he “took control” of her life, ranging from her healthcare to her career opportunities, and plied her with drugs and alcohol.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ used Cassie Ventura ‘freak off’ videos for blackmail, prosecutors claim
Combs also allegedly raped Ventura Fine in 2018 and forced the singer into “repeated unwanted sexual encounters” with male prostitutes he hired and recorded their encounters, per the lawsuit.
Cassie and Diddy settlement amount was not disclosed
Despite the bombshell suit, Ventura Fine and Combs settled the legal matter one day later. An exact settlement amount was not disclosed.
“I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control,” Ventura Fine said in a statement. Meanwhile, Combs wished his ex and her family “all the best” in a separate statement following the settlement.
How long was Cassie with Diddy?
Ventura Fine and Combs were romantically involved beginning in 2007 and had an on again, off again relationship until 2018.
Who is Cassie married to?
Ventura Fine has been married to Alex Fine, a personal trainer, since 2019. The couple shares two children together, Frankie and Sunny, with a third on the way.
Cassie’s abuse claims against Diddy resurface after leaked video
In May 2024, CNN released leaked surveillance footage of Combs physically assaulting Cassie at the now-closed InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles on March 5, 2016.
In the video, Ventura Fine is seen calling an elevator with a duffle bag in hand, while a different camera angle shows Combs running down the hotel hallway in a bath towel. He catches up with Ventura Fine before the elevator comes, striking and yanking Ventura Fine by the hair and throwing her to the ground, after which the rapper kicks her twice.
Two days after the footage’s release, Combs said he takes “full responsibility” for his actions, adding he’s “committed to being a better man each and every day.” A week later, Ventura Fine weighed in on the video, saying domestic violence “broke me down to someone I never thought I would become.”
On May 12, prosecutors showed footage of the 2016 assault to jurors during Combs’ sex-crimes trial. Geragos said the “horrible” and “dehumanizing” video showed domestic violence but said the fight was about a phone Combs was trying to get from Cassie, not about forcing her into sex.
Can you watch the Diddy trial live?
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex-crimes trial is not available to watch live, as cameras are not allowed in the courtroom.
USA TODAY will be providing live updates throughout the proceedings.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support to survivors and their loved ones in English and Spanish at: 800.656.HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and en Español RAINN.org/es.Contributing: Patrick Ryan, Anika Reed, Taijuan Moorman, Brendan Morrow, Jay Stahl and KiMi Robinson, USA TODAY; Reuters
