Cassie, the R&B singer and former girlfriend of Sean “Diddy” Combs, testified on Tuesday that the music mogul abused and sexually exploited her for years, as she took the witness stand for the primary time throughout his intercourse trafficking trial.
Sighing closely and pausing to compose herself at occasions, Cassie instructed the New York jury about Combs forcing her into elaborate sexual marathons with male intercourse staff, which he referred to as “freak offs.” She mentioned she didn’t really feel like she might say “no” to Combs, who she mentioned assaulted throughout their turbulent relationship, hitting her within the head, stomping on her and dragging her quite a few occasions.
“Sean controlled a lot of my life, whether it was career, the way I dressed, everything, everything,” Cassie testified, later including, “Sean is a really polarizing person, also very charming.”
Cassie, whose authorized title is Casandra Ventura, sued Combs in 2023 alleging years of abuse. The swimsuit was settled inside hours however dozens of comparable authorized claims adopted, sparking the prison investigation.
She is the star witness for prosecutors who accuse Combs of utilizing his standing as a strong govt to orchestrate a deviant empire of exploitation, coercing ladies into abusive intercourse events and changing into violent in the event that they refused. She is predicted to return to the stand Wednesday to reply extra questions from prosecutors earlier than being cross-examined by Combs’ attorneys.
Lawyers for three-time Grammy winner argue that, though he might be violent, Combs by no means veered into intercourse trafficking and racketeering, telling jurors that the sexual acts have been consensual. Defense legal professional Teny Geragos mentioned in opening statements on Monday that jurors may assume Combs is a “jerk” and may not condone his “kinky sex,” however that “he’s not charged with being a jerk.”
Combs, 55, has pleaded not responsible. He has been jailed since his arrest in September. If convicted, might get a minimum of 15 years and as much as life in jail.
Combs interacted together with his attorneys throughout Cassie’s testimony however remained largely stoic. During a day break, he made a coronary heart form together with his fingers towards one in all his twin daughters and mouthed “Thank you.” He additionally blew a kiss towards his mom.
She and Combs met in 2005 when she was 19 and he was 37. He signed her to his Bad Boy Records label and, inside just a few years, they began relationship. Her 2006 single, “Me & U,” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart, was licensed platinum and was the lead single of her solely studio album, launched by Combs’ label.
Under questioning by a prosecutor, Cassie mentioned their relationship ran the gamut from good occasions to arguments and bodily altercations. Combs turned more and more controlling and generally violent, she mentioned, leaving her bruised and battered. She mentioned the abuse occurred “too ceaselessly” and generally got here after the smallest perceived slights.
Cassie sniffled and dabbed her eyes with a tissue whereas on the stand. She is pregnant and would sometimes relaxation her fingers on her stomach. Her husband was within the courtroom.
Now 38 years outdated, Cassie mentioned she was barely 22 when Combs first requested her to do a “freak off,” which she mentioned stemmed from Combs’ curiosity in voyeurism. These concerned her hiring intercourse staff at Combs’ behest for 1000’s of {dollars} and “establishing this expertise in order that I might carry out for Sean.”
“He was controlling the whole situation. He was directing it,” she mentioned.
The encounters would go on for 36 or 48 hours, and he or she mentioned the longest lasted 4 days.
“I was an object being heavily objectified by men in that scenario,” she testified.
They occurred in non-public, typically in darkish lodge rooms, in contrast to Combs’ very public White Parties within the Hamptons that attracted A-list celebrities and gossip columnists.
Her first “freak off” occurred in Combs’ Los Angeles residence with a male stripper from Las Vegas, she mentioned. She felt soiled and confused afterward, but additionally relieved that Combs was joyful.
Still, she mentioned she felt obligated to go together with future “freak offs.”
“I just didn’t want to make him upset,” she said. “I just didn’t want to make him angry and regret telling me about this experience that was so personal.”
Cassie started crying when requested if she preferred any facet of the “freak offs.” She mentioned she loved “time spent with him.”
She mentioned she used medicine at each “freak off” to numb herself throughout “emotionless sex with a stranger that I didn’t really want to have sex with.”
The Associated Press doesn’t typically determine individuals who say they’re victims of sexual abuse until they arrive ahead publicly, as Cassie has achieved.
Soon, she mentioned, she was doing “freak offs” weekly. They went on for a decade, with the ultimate one occurring in 2017 or 2018, she mentioned.
Each time, she mentioned, she needed to recuperate from lack of sleep, alcohol, medicine and “having sex with a stranger for days.”
She described the scenario as: “‘Freak offs’ became a job where there was no space to do anything else but to recover and just try to feel normal again.”
Shown nonetheless pictures from the now-infamous 2016 safety digital camera footage of Combs beating her at a Los Angeles lodge, Cassie mentioned it occurred after a “freak off” as she was leaving. Video of the assault was proven to jurors on Monday and is a key a part of the prosecution’s case. After the footage was leaked final 12 months, Combs apologized.
Cassie mentioned the “freak offs” concerned a lot of child oil and he or she described being humiliated by a number of the issues Combs made her do.
During her opening assertion, Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Johnson instructed the jury that Cassie was removed from the one lady Combs beat and sexually exploited. Johnson mentioned Combs final 12 months brutally beat one other lady — recognized solely as Jane — when she confronted him about enduring years of “freak offs.”
Combs was among the many most influential hip-hop producers and executives of the previous three a long time, working with a slew of top-tier artists together with Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige and Usher. He additionally created the style clothes line Sean John and produced the truth present “Making the Band” for MTV.
Associated Press author Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed to this report.
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