The spotlight remains on Manhattan as the court case involving P Diddy progresses into its second week.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ trial commenced on Monday, May 12, and last week saw his former partner, Casandra Ventura, professionally known as Cassie, extensively questioned about her experiences with the rapper-producer.
Combs faced arrest in New York last September, leading to numerous charges including racketeering and sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion.
Consistently, Combs has denied all accusations, maintaining a plea of not guilty.
The previous week shed light on the intricate, intermittent 11-year relationship between Ventura and Diddy.
Text messages exchanged between them were presented in court, revealing Ventura’s mixed feelings about participating in freak-offs.
Sometimes she appeared enthusiastic, but she later expressed feelings of being ‘grimy’ and ‘dirty’.
Ventura also discussed Diddy’s alleged substance abuse, including a purported overdose at the Playboy Mansion in 2012, and expressed concern for her safety due to his behavior.
Jealousy was another topic; she confessed to feeling insecure about Diddy’s relations with other women, such as Kim Porter.
Additionally, Ventura accused Combs of raping her at her Los Angeles home after she informed him she wished to end their relationship.
“I just remember crying and saying no, but it was very fast,” she recounted.
She further shared with jurors that she later engaged in consensual sex with him, explaining: “We’d been together for over 10 years. You just don’t turn feelings off.”
Diddy has refuted these allegations, asserting that everything was consensual.
The trial resumes today, Monday, May 19, with singer Dawn Richard, a former member of Danity Kane, set to continue her testimony.
Last week, she shared her account of a 2009 incident where Combs allegedly attacked Ventura, detailing an attempt to strike her with a skillet and subsequent physical abuse, as reported by Pitchfork.
Richard also testified about being threatened by Combs afterward.
The prosecution is expected to call more witnesses, including Ventura’s friend Kerry Morgan and her mother.
Three other women, identified in court documents as Victim-1, Victim-2, and Victim-3, are anticipated to testify soon. Their identities remain confidential, and they will testify under pseudonyms, according to CBS News.
Reacting to Combs’ arrest last year, his attorney Marc Agnifilo expressed to UNILAD: “We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man, and proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, adoring his children, and working to uplift the Black community. He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal.
“To his credit, Mr. Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation and he voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges. These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”
The trial is anticipated to last about eight weeks. If found guilty, Combs could face a life sentence.
The trial is ongoing.
If you have been impacted by any issues mentioned in this article, you can reach The National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7, or chat online at online.rainn.org.