Cassie Ventura, ex-girlfriend of Sean Combs, takes the stand in trial
In day two of the Sean Combs sex crimes trial, Combs’ ex-girlfriend provided emotional testimony from the witness stand.
Editor’s note: This story contains graphic descriptions that some readers may find disturbing.
Casandra Ventura Fine is testifying for the second day in a row about the alleged sexual, physical and psychological abuse she endured at the hands of former partner Sean “Diddy” Combs.
In November 2023, Ventura Fine − better known as Cassie, the hitmaker behind the song “Me & U” − alleged in a bombshell lawsuit that Combs had trafficked, sexually assaulted and physically abused her during their decadelong relationship.
The two “amicably” settled the lawsuit a day after Ventura Fine’s filing, and Combs’ team alluded to a “substantial eight-figure settlement” in court documents for his criminal case. Last May, a 2016 hotel surveillance video exclusively shared by CNN showed Combs kicking, hitting and dragging Ventura Fine – actions that were first described in her legal complaint.
Now, as Combs, 55, faces charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution, Ventura Fine, 38, is confronting him in court as the prosecution’s star witness in the case.
Combs has pleaded not guilty.
During her May 13 testimony, which she recounted while very much pregnant with her third child, Ventura Fine spoke slowly and softly, lifting a tissue to her eyes and often touching her abdomen.
Several members of the embattled rap mogul’s family, including his adult children, have turned out to the in New York this week as his criminal trial gets underway.
From stepson Quincy Brown to Combs’ biological sons and daughters and former partners, here’s a look at his loved ones who have been spotted at the courthouse.
Ventura Fine took the stand and told the court about the beginnings of her relationship with Combs. She said they first kissed in a bathroom on her 21st birthday, and their physical relationship progressed from there.
She said Combs “basically taught me” how to have oral sex, and being with him felt like her “first adult relationship.”
Ventura Fine also painted a picture of Combs when things between the two turned violent. Answering questions from prosecutors, Ventura Fine told the jury that Combs would often beat her, leaving her with black eyes and bruises all over her body.
She was positioned with federal prosecutor Emily Johnson looking straight ahead at her, with her body occasionally facing the jury. “He would bash my head, knock me over, drag me, kick me, stomp me in the head if I was down,” Ventura Fine, her voice breaking slightly, alleged on the stand.
While discussing participating in the “freak offs,” Ventura Fine broke down. “I just felt that’s all I was good for to him. I was humiliated and didn’t have anyone to talk to about it,” she said.
“His eyes go black. The version I loved of him was no longer there,” she said of his anger, continuing to cry. Asked why she continued to participate in “freak offs” even when they made her uncomfortable, she said, “the one-on-one time.”
She added that participating in the “freak offs,” which were sometimes days-long sexual performances, made her “feel horrible. It made me feel worthless.”
Throughout a two-month trial, jurors are expected to hear testimony from three and possibly four of Combs’ female accusers, as well as ex-employees who prosecutors say helped arrange and cover up his actions.
Prosecutors have claimed Combs lured women into romantic relationships, forced them to take part in days of drug-fueled sex parties and then blackmailed them with videos he recorded of the encounters.
Before the jury entered the courtroom May 13, Combs’ defense team attempted to prevent Cassie’s husband, Alex Fine, from being present for witness testimony. One of the embattled mogul’s lawyers, Teny Geragos, said they may call him as a witness.
Ultimately, he was let inside the courtroom for support.
The first witness who took the stand May 13 was former male stripper Daniel Phillip. He was being cross-examined by Combs’ defense team from his May 12 testimony.
Diddy’s legal team tried to show that Cassie was in control during the sexual encounters. Combs’ lawyer, Xavier Donaldson, asked Phillip whether she appeared drunk or high during their first night together at the Gramercy Park Hotel. He replied that she did not.
Donaldson also called Phillip’s story into question because this week, during cross-examination and direct examination, Phillip said Combs gave him and Cassie directions during sex. But they said Phillip told federal prosecutors in March that he didn’t remember Combs doing so.
The Combs defense team also tried to paint Phillip as vindictive and jealous of Cassie’s relationship with the music mogul.
On May 13, both the defense and the prosecution raised privacy concerns about showing “freak off” videos, which the government said are all sexually explicit, in court. Combs’ attorneys asked, “What would the press do with this information if they had it?”
A press representative argued that testimony “is not a substitute for these visuals” and that the videos are important to show whether the acts were consensual or coerced. He suggested the number of reporters able to see the videos could be limited.
The judge said they would work to come up with a solution.
Racketeering is the participation in an illegal scheme under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Statute, or RICO, as a way for the U.S. government to prosecute organizations that contribute to criminal activity.
Using RICO law, which is typically aimed at targeting multi-person criminal organizations, prosecutors allege that Combs coerced victims, some of whom they say were sex workers, through intimidation and narcotics to participate in “freak offs” — sometimes dayslong sex performances that federal prosecutors claim they have video of.
The trial will not be televised, as cameras are typically not allowed in federal criminal trial proceedings.
USA TODAY will be reporting live from the courtroom.
