CONTENT WARNING: This article discusses alleged sexual assault.
Cassie Ventura, the R&B singer and model, has finished four intense days on the witness stand in the federal trial against her ex-boyfriend, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.
The court heard raw and emotional testimony from Ventura, who is now eight months pregnant, about the violence and control she says she endured during their decade-long relationship.
One of the most talked-about moments in court was Ventura’s account of a violent attack at a Los Angeles hotel in March 2016. Security footage played for the jury showed Combs punching and kicking Ventura, then dragging her down the hallway by her hoodie. At one point, Combs threw a vase at her, per LA Times. Ventura told the court she suffered a bruised eye, a fat lip, and other injuries.
In a text message to Combs after the assault, Ventura wrote, “When you get fucked up the wrong way you always want to show me that you have the power and you knock me around. I’m not a rag doll, I’m someone’s child,” per Yahoo News.
She explained to jurors that this wasn’t an isolated incident, but part of a pattern of control and violence throughout their relationship.
The attack happened just before the premiere of Ventura’s film, The Perfect Match. She told the jury she went to Combs’ house to get fitted for her red carpet look, wearing large sunglasses to “cover up my eye,” adding, “I got hit in the face,” per USA Today.
Photos shown in court reportedly revealed bruises on her shoulder and shin at the premiere and afterparty.
That same night, Ventura said Combs tried to break into her apartment, banging and yelling outside her door. She described hearing “chaos outside the door,” which added to her fear and distress.
Ventura described how Combs would regularly take her phone, car, or watch when he was angry. She recalled one incident where he grabbed her phone and ran away with it because he thought she was seeing an NFL player.
“He took my phone, my car, my watch when he was angry,” she said, describing a cycle of jealousy and intimidation, per NBC News.
She also spoke about being pressured into “freak offs” — drug-fuelled sex parties with male escorts, orchestrated by Combs. Ventura said she felt forced to participate and that Combs would threaten to release videos of these encounters if she didn’t comply.
“He would knock me over, drag me, kick me, stomp my head if I was down,” she testified earlier in the trial, per NPR.
Ventura’s testimony was reportedly often emotional. She broke down in tears while describing the impact of the abuse, saying, “Doing this made me feel horrible. It made me feel worthless,” per USA Today.
Combs has pleaded not guilty to all charges, including sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation for the purpose of prostitution. If convicted, he faces the possibility of life in prison.
With Ventura’s testimony complete, the trial continues with other witnesses, including Dawn Richard, a former member of Diddy’s musical acts, who also claims to have witnessed Combs assaulting Ventura.
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