At Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Trial, Three Witnesses Take the Stand and Confirm Details From Ex Cassie Ventura’s Testimony

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On Monday, three individuals testified at Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking and racketeering trial in Manhattan. Each of these witnesses supported or verified aspects concerning physical and emotional abuse that the defendant reportedly inflicted on his long-term girlfriend, Cassie Ventura. In court, Ventura spoke about her experiences with the troubled hip-hop tycoon.

For a span of three years, the vocalist was associated with the girl band Danity Kane and the Diddy-Dirty Money trio led by Combs, until he discontinued these projects in 2012. It’s important to note that Danity Kane originated from the MTV reality series Making the Band, where Combs often gave directives and commands to the singers of Danity Kane, which at times escalated into harsh criticisms and abusive language.

The singer was part of two groups, Danity Kane and Diddy-Dirty Money, led by Combs, for three years until he stopped both in 2012. These groups were created as part of the MTV reality show Making the Band. During this show, Combs sometimes gave strict instructions to the singers of Danity Kane that could become harsh or abusive.

In September, Richard took legal action against Combs, claiming he had physically and sexually abused her. Last Friday, she revealed in court that she had witnessed him assault Ventura with a skillet filled with eggs in 2009, as well as choke her, pull her by the hair, and drag her upstairs at his Los Angeles residence. Following this alleged incident, Richard testified that Combs threatened her, stating “if we said anything, we could disappear” and “we could die.” Those who were part of Combs’ inner circle were warned to stay away from his relationship, or else they would face consequences, or something unfortunate might happen to them. This was Richard’s account from the witness stand.

As a gamer speaking, I, as a bystander, testified last Friday and again in court on Monday about the pattern of violent behavior I witnessed from Combs over the past decade. My testimonies, along with Ventura’s, are being used to support her claims of abuse she suffered at his hands. The jury has already heard firsthand accounts and seen hotel surveillance footage detailing these incidents from last week.

Often, he’d physically harm her in various ways – hitting her, choking her, slapping her mouth, kicking her, punching her abdomen,” Richard testified in the Manhattan courtroom. “The abuse could be triggered by Cassie expressing her own views. It might occur spontaneously. It might be provoked if she had strong opinions. Generally, she’d keep quiet, but when she tried to assert herself, he’d retaliate by causing her pain.

The defense aimed to challenge Richard’s testimony by exposing discrepancies in her stories regarding Combs, specifically focusing on the skillet incident and how often she observed him with a firearm. From the witness stand, Richard conceded that her recollections of these occurrences had evolved over time but also mentioned that she had remembered additional details. Defense attorney Nicole Westmoreland emphasized to Richard that during an interview, she stated Combs said, “this was a love thing,” and never mentioned anything about people disappearing at that moment.

She shared that it was a challenging and unpleasant phase in her life when asked to recollect events from that time period many years later. Not everything came back to her right away. Given how distressing the circumstances were, she found herself trying to suppress those memories.

During her court testimony, Richard stated that on occasions when she was part of Combs’ professional entourage, she observed him with firearms and illicit substances. In cross-examination, Westmoreland questioned Richard as to why she never brought up these alleged weapons during the eight meetings she had with prosecutors. Richard replied, “Because it wasn’t discussed.

At Bad Boy Records, where Combs served as both her boyfriend and label boss, Veneruda encountered one delay after another while trying to record new content. As a result, her career failed to take flight, according to Richard’s testimony.

She explained that he often set the conditions and there was a constant delay. It seemed like a continuous ‘later, later, later.’ Whenever it was her time, sometimes it meant simply waiting for her chance, but at other times it involved either turbulent or unpredictable situations,” she stated.

Richard additionally testified before the court, stating that several of Combs’ employees had observed his violent behavior towards Ventura. However, no one reportedly ever intervened to halt it, according to her. This alleged behavior, as federal prosecutors contend, encompassed coercive control, manipulation, blackmail, drug abuse, prolonged sexual encounters, and trafficking. Combs pleaded not guilty to numerous charges outlined in a federal indictment concerning sex trafficking and racketeering; he maintains his innocence regarding all accusations against him.

Richard stated that she wasn’t anticipating any remuneration for her testimony, but rather aimed to rectify a mistake. “I’m seeking justice,” she expressed. On the other hand, Combs’ lawyer declared that the mogul was taken aback and disheartened by Richard’s lawsuit.

Richard confessed that he was willing to collaborate with Combs once more, despite the accusations against him. Richard stated, “I seek justice and a sense of completion.

And when Westmoreland asked if that meant being paid money, Richard answered, “Yes.”

After Richard’s testimony, Kerry Morgan, who Ventura once considered her closest friend of 20 years but has been distant since a violent incident involving Combs, was summoned to the witness stand. When she stepped up to speak, Morgan informed the court that she had been subpoenaed and did not want to testify.

During cross-examination, Morgan recounted several instances where Combs allegedly acted violently towards his former friend, and one occasion when she testified that he physically harmed her as well. A particularly distressing incident Morgan detailed occurred while they were all on holiday in Jamaica with the couple. Combs is said to have attacked Ventura because she took too long in the bathroom; Morgan shared the sounds she heard from her friend at that moment.

Her voice was deep and fearsome. When I heard her screaming, I ran to the lengthy corridor. They emerged from the master bedroom, with him pulling her by her hair, as she described to the courtroom. Subsequently, Ventura was thrown onto the floor, striking her head on a brick, after which they escaped in a golf cart and concealed themselves in a trench on the adjacent golf course, while Combs pursued them for numerous hours, according to her account.

The intense jealousy between Combs and Ventura, as reported by Morgan who had an unobstructed view of their relationship over most of their years together, was substantiated in court. Ventura felt envious towards Kim Porter, Combs’ ex-wife, with whom he shared children and celebrated holidays, often leaving Ventura out on those significant occasions. Additionally, Ventura became the object of Combs’ envy when she started communicating with Michael B. Jordan during filming, as Jordan was a star in the movie Sinners. In court last week, Ventura testified that their separation occurred while she was in South Africa for a few weeks to shoot a movie; it was during this time that she conversed with the actor, leading Combs to feel envious.

In 2018, Morgan and Ventura were in the singer’s apartment, enjoying some tunes, when suddenly they found themselves under attack by three prominent figures in the rap industry, as testified in court. According to the account given, Combs seized her by the neck and struck her with a wooden hanger.

She testified to the court, describing how he approached from behind, squeezed her neck, left finger imprints, and struck her head with a wooden hanger. She mentioned that during the assault, Combs was uttering accusations about infidelity. Cassie was in the bathroom when this happened, as she was hit near the right side of her head.

I, Morgan, scurried out of our apartment with Ventura, gathering necessary items along the way. We hurried to a nearby urgent care facility, concerned about my health after that distressing incident. I was feeling quite woozy and had unfortunately vomited a couple of times following the alleged assault.

In court, I shared details of what happened next: I hired a legal representative but chose not to file a lawsuit against Combs. Instead, we agreed on a nondisclosure agreement regarding the event, and he compensated me with $30,000. Regrettably, this incident also marked the end of our long-standing friendship, as testified in court.

Morgan explained that he ceased communication with her because she failed to support him following a particular event, an action he won’t tolerate in light of physical abuse. Later, he told the jury that they haven’t spoken since then. He added that his last conversation with Sean was on the night of the assault, and his last encounter with Cassie was when he signed the Non-Disclosure Agreement.

On Monday, the last witness was Sean James, a former assistant to Combs, who testified about the court. He recounted that security detailing Combs always had guns, and when he asked about this, he was advised to “focus on your responsibilities.” James became emotional while testifying, sharing an incident where an executive pointed him to a portrait of the wealthy entrepreneur on the wall, with the caption: “This is Mr. Combs’ domain, and we are all here to serve it.

James additionally shared some details from an alleged discussion he had with Ventura concerning Combs and their connection. He stated, “He manages my profession, provides my allowance, and covers my rent expenses,” as quoted in his testimony.

James is set to return Tuesday for another hour of questioning before cross-examination. 

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2025-05-20 00:55