On Thursday, Sean “Diddy” Combs’ counsel responded to Casandra “Cassie” Ventura’s emotional testimony with a scathing cross-examination.
Anna Estevao, a member of the high-powered defense team representing the disgraced rap mogul, initiated her inquiry by asking the “Me & U” vocalist why she “kept coming back” during the 11-year relationship.
The singer then requested that Ventura read aloud a series of texts she sent to her now-ex. One of the texts read, “I’m a very lucky woman,” while another attempted to portray the songstress as needy: “I haven’t talked to you AT ALL, I know you can take three minutes out of your day to talk to me and you don’t even try.”
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Nevertheless, Estevao escalated the temperature in the courtroom by questioning Ventura about an additional text message in which she expressed, “I’m always prepared to freak out lol,” and subsequently shared additional explicit messages.
Ventura wrote to Combs on August 7, 2009, “I can’t wait to stare at some big black d–k.”
Nevertheless, it was a subsequent explicit text that the singer composed later that day, in which she extensively detailed the actions she could not wait for her then-boyfriend to take, that ultimately pushed her over the edge.
After the judge read the raunchy text, Ventura promptly requested a recess. At the time, the singer, who is eight months pregnant, was observed grasping her abdomen with both of her hands.
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The courtroom was attended by her spouse, Alex Fine, who is the father of her children.
The third day of testimony continued with the reading of additional communications regarding Ventura and Combs’ sexual lives.
Ventura expressed her “trust” in the “I’ll Be Missing You” rapper in a text message, stating, “I just think that I have to trust you beyond it just being sexual.” Know you what I am referring to? In order for me to be more forthcoming about our sexual activities in bed, I must address this aggressive and sexual aspect of myself.
The defense also inquired about the “Long Way 2 Go” singer’s assertion that the rape lawsuit she filed against Combs in November 2023 “ruined” his career. Ventura responded, “I could understand that, yeah.”
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Estevao continued the defense’s strategy to portray Ventura as a “swinger” rather than a criminal by further addressing “Freak-Offs,” which pertained to the sexual activity Ventura engaged in with Combs and an escort.
The mother of three responded, “In a sexual manner.” She then inquired, “Did you comprehend that ‘Freak-Offs’ were consistent with Mr. Combs’ description of the swingers lifestyle?” They are markedly distinct.
Ventura subsequently described how she observed Combs disengage from opioid use following “Freak-Offs” and declared that she would regard him as a “addict.”
She also observed on that stand that his mood would “go up and down” and he would be “irritated” as a result of the protracted drug use.
Prior to the trial, Reuters reported that Marc Agnifilo, the primary defense attorney, intended to tarnish Ventura’s reputation by asserting that she and Combs were in a “mutually violent” relationship.
“I believe we will likely refer to that as domestic violence,” Agnifilo stated during a jury selection hearing in Manhattan federal court last week..
Despite the defense team’s efforts to undermine Ventura’s credibility, the “Numb” singer, who is currently expecting her third child with Fine, maintained her composure for over five hours on Tuesday.
Ventura, 38, detailed the horrific and graphic details of her decade-long relationship with Combs, 55, which spanned from 2007 to 2018, in her explosive testimony.
She testified about his frequently unpredictable behavior and how he would strike her for making “the wrong face” or speaking back to him.
Recalling how her ex would “just become a different person,” the song “Long Way 2 Go” singer, who was extremely pregnant, broke down in tears.
“She testified that the most accurate way to describe it is that his eyes simply turn black.” “The version that I was enamored with is no longer present.”
The feds released the full-length video and never-before-seen photographs of a shocking domestic violence incident in 2016, in which Combs physically assaulted Ventura at a hotel, as evidence of the abuse.
The songstress disclosed that the former couple had conducted a “Freak-Off” with an escort earlier that day, marking her initial admission of the incident.
Ventura asserted that Combs introduced her to his “Freak-Off” sessions at the age of 22, during which he compelled her to engage in sexual intercourse with an escort or performer from Craigslist. He purportedly perceived it as “voyeurism,” a phenomenon in which an individual is stimulated by observing two other individuals engage in intimate activities.
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She claimed that the “Freak-Offs” took place “weekly” for the majority of their relationship. These episodes involved her calling her then-boyfriend an incestuous nickname, engaging in multiple drugs, and occasionally immersing herself in an inflatable pool of oil and lube prior to performing sex acts on Combs and the escort or dancer.
The singer of “King of Hearts” claimed on the stand that the longest frolic lasted four days, or possibly even longer. She also disclosed that the “Freak-Offs” frequently resulted in “painful” medical complications, such as sores on her tongue and mouth, urinary tract infections, and gastrointestinal issues.
In spite of the trauma that Combs inflicted upon her, Ventura maintained that there was “still love” at times. Nevertheless, the former “Making the Band” producer allegedly “blackmailed” her and threatened to disclose intimate photos and videos of her when she did wish to end the relationship.
The “Love a Loser” singer testified that she ultimately ended her relationship with the “Last Night” rapper in 2018, which allegedly resulted in him raping her and leaving her feeling despondent.
“I was in a state of disarray,” she stated during her testimony on Wednesday. “At that juncture, I no longer desired to be alive.”
Ventura ultimately filed a lawsuit against Combs for rape in November 2023, as previously mentioned. They resolved the matter within 24 hours. Nevertheless, the proprietor of Bad Boy Records maintained that the agreement did not constitute an admission of guilt.
During her testimony on Wednesday, the “Don’t Play It Safe” vocalist disclosed for the first time that Combs “and his companies” provided her with a substantial sum of $20 million as part of their settlement.
In his opening statements on Tuesday, his counsel, Teny Geragos, stated to the jury, “Sean Combs is a complex individual; however, this is not a complex case.” This case pertains to money, infidelity, jealousy, and affection.
If convicted, the rapper known as “All About the Benjamins” could be sentenced to life in prison for sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has entered a plea of not guilty.
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