Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Ex Cassie Ventura Tells Court She Doesn’t Hate Him Despite Decade of Abuse

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As a longtime fan, I can’t help but reflect on Cassie Ventura‘s emotional testimony this past Friday at the federal courthouse in lower Manhattan. Over the course of an arduous week, she bravely shared her harrowing account of alleged control, manipulation, blackmail, drug use, and unwanted sexual encounters that she claims Sean “Diddy” Combs forced upon her. Despite the distressing details that have now become public knowledge about their relationship, Ventura expressed during her final moments on the stand that, despite the violence and numerous allegations she has detailed this week, she doesn’t harbor animosity towards Combs.

Ventura informed Anna Estevao that he doesn’t feel hatred towards him. When asked about her feelings for the troubled hip-hop artist and businessman on the stand, she explained that she holds love for the past and what it once represented.

Ventura told Anna Estevao that he doesn’t hold any animosity against him. When questioned about her emotions towards the embattled rapper and fashion entrepreneur under oath, she clarified that she still has affection for the past and its memories.

A simplified version of the events from Ventura’s week of testimony could be described as follows: The intricate details of a challenging question encapsulate Ventura’s week in court, where intense discussions about her and Combs’ intimate life, particularly their extended “sex marathons” known as “freak-offs,” were brought up frequently. These conversations also included accounts (and visual evidence) of violence, along with numerous stories illustrating the couple’s turbulent relationship marked by cruelty, jealousy, and revenge. The jury in Combs’ case must now interpret the intricacies of their relationship, including Ventura’s role – whether she was a victim subjected to drug-fueled sexual marathons, if her participation was consensual throughout their long relationship, or if the truth lies somewhere between these extremes.

During Friday’s cross-examination, there were several disagreements between U.S. District Court Judge Arun Subramanian and Combs’ legal team as they pressed Ventura to complete her testimony for the day. As Combs’ defense concluded their cross-examination, it seemed they wanted the jury to understand that Ventura was a willing participant in all the sexual activities she described during court, including the lengthy “freak-offs” where Combs reportedly watched as Ventura engaged in intimate acts with male escorts. The defense suggested Ventura’s career flourished due to her connection with Combs, implying she gained access to the celebrity world through him.

Estevao told Ventura that if he joined this man, he could encounter others in the entertainment world and visit intriguing locations, because the world he described as chaotic – filled with ‘freak-offs,’ drugs, and partying – was his reality, given that Ventura had a relationship with this influential figure when she was just a teenager, signed to his Bad Boy Records label.

As a devoted admirer, I found myself listening to Ventura read numerous years’ worth of text exchanges between the couple. The defense cleverly aimed to highlight her autonomy, so they asked about the advantages she derived from their relationship. She admitted that being with Combs had its privileges; for one, she graced the Met Gala red carpet by his side, and moreover, she managed to secure “a substantial amount of recording time” through various powerful entertainers like Kid Cudi, Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, and Rick Ross.

However, during Ventura’s testimony, the background surrounding the notorious 2016 video where the distressed R&B artist is seen running from a Los Angeles hotel room before being brutally attacked by Combs, was also brought to light. Ventura had been eagerly anticipating attending a film premiere that she had worked on a decade prior. During her testimony this week, she revealed that she had tried to prevent any potential post-argument aftermath – a process she described as lasting for several days – by preparing in advance for the event. Unfortunately, she was severely beaten while attempting to flee the hotel room altercation when Combs suddenly became violent towards her.

In the ‘contest,’ he struck me in the eye, prompting my immediate departure. Later, he pursued me into the corridor and forced me to return; at the time, he was only dressed in a towel and socks,” Ventura testified.

After the attack occurred, Combs is said to have given some money to a hotel security guard, which the guard testified appeared to be a bribe in order to keep him from speaking about the event. Ventura sustained injuries including a swollen eye, a fat lower lip, and another significant bruise. The prosecution presented photographs to the jury that showed these injuries were visible at the premiere, two days following the incident.

During his testimony this week, Ventura stated that in 2018, when the couple was ending their relationship, Combs allegedly raped her at home following a lunch date as a form of closure. However, during cross-examination on Friday, she also admitted to having consensual sexual activity with him several weeks after this alleged event.

Participating in “freak-offs” took time and snuffed out her music career, she said.

Ventura’s testimony established a basis for the jury to grasp the essence of the five charges against Combs, which essentially accuse him of enticing women under the pretense of starting a romantic relationship, only to allegedly use force, threats, coercion, and controlled substances to compel them into performing sexual acts with male prostitutes, with Combs and occasionally his associates observing.

Federal authorities plan to present additional testimony from two witnesses, aiming to illustrate that the alleged activities formed part of an ongoing “illegal business operation” in which multiple members of his staff were implicated.

During Friday’s questioning, the defense persistently tried to challenge Ventura’s account of the couple’s past by scrutinizing her reasons, particularly focusing on the $20 million settlement in her lawsuit against Combs and the anticipated payout from a lawsuit she filed against the Los Angeles InterContinental Hotel, where the incident involving Combs took place. The defense suggests that Ventura is driven solely by financial gain; as stated in their opening remarks, this case is about “love, jealousy, infidelity, and money.

3:30 pm local time saw Judge Subramanian bidding farewell to Ventura with a “Have a wonderful weekend,” after a challenging week in court and her reunion with Combs, whom she hadn’t crossed paths with for years prior to testifying.

After Ventura left, two additional witnesses testified: Special Agent Yasin Binda, who oversaw Combs’ arrest in September, stated that $9,000 in cash was discovered in a black waist pack in his hotel room on that day. The jury had the opportunity to observe this money as it was removed from the evidence bag. Additionally, they were able to handle two bags containing ketamine and “pink cocaine” powder that were found in the same room.

Following was Dawn Richard, a member of the band Danity Kane, which was under the guidance of Diddy during MTV’s Making the Band TV series. From 2004 to 2011, she had a professional relationship with him. She recalls witnessing an altercation between Combs and Ventura in 2009.

As I stood there, my heart pounding, I watched in horror as he stormed down the stairs, shouting angrily, demanding to know where his meal was. In a split second, he lashed out, striking her hard across the head, kicking her, and brutally attacking her right before our eyes. This is what she bravely recounted in court.

Richard said that she was “scared to do anything in fear of what that might mean for me, too.”

At the end of her testimony, the court adjourned until 8:30 a.m. on Monday, with the jury being instructed to reconvene then.

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2025-05-17 01:55