On Tuesday (May 13), Cassie, the former girlfriend of Diddy, shared distressing accounts of how he allegedly ‘punished’ her during their relationship in her court testimony.
Diddy, whose actual name is Sean Combs, faced arrest and charges related to racketeering and sex trafficking by means of force, fraud, or coercion the previous year. This came after he was apprehended at the Park Hyatt hotel in Manhattan, New York.
The rapper has firmly denied every allegation brought against him.
Since his arrest, Combs has been held at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, where he remained until the commencement of his trial on Monday (May 12).
Following the opening statements from both the prosecution and defense, Casandra ‘Cassie’ Ventura, who dated Combs intermittently from 2007 to 2018, took the stand to recount how Diddy allegedly ‘punished’ her during their relationship.
According to Cassie’s testimony, Combs would confiscate her belongings as a form of punishment, stating that “he would take the car away, the house, jewelry,” along with her laptop and phone.
She further alleged that his staff or security personnel would execute the confiscations “if she wasn’t there.” Cassie elaborated that these actions were dependent on his mood, saying: “It depended on how long I was being punished for.”
When questioned about other things he might take away besides her car and apartment, she responded: “My self-confidence.”
During her testimony, Cassie also described the alleged ‘freak-offs,’ which she claimed were ‘sexual encounters called voyeurism’ wherein Combs would watch her engage in sexual activities with another man.
She recounted her initial experience with these so-called ‘freak-off’ parties.
“I remember my stomach falling to my butt,” she said. “Just the nervousness and confusion… I had just turned 22.”
Cassie alleged that it involved hiring an escort, and Combs would observe her with another man while providing direction, according to the BBC.
In court, she explained that she was reluctant to participate but did so because she ‘loved him [Diddy] very much’ and wanted to please him.
She added, “The freak offs became a job. There was no time to do anything else but do them then try to recover. The longest was four days, significant periods of time.”
Cassie further discussed the alleged nature of their relationship, claiming that Combs exhibited abusive behavior, sharing with the prosecution how his moods were unpredictable and could escalate into ‘anger.’
Describing the impact on her, she said, “Greatly. The next thing I knew I was getting hit in the face. There was also psychological abuse. He’d tell me to watch my mouth, change my face.”
If you are experiencing domestic violence, please remember that you are not alone. You can speak confidentially 24 hours a day to the national domestic violence helpline at 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) 24/7. A list of local resources can be found here.