Cassie Ventura returned to the witness stand on the fourth day of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal sex trafficking trial, facing intense questioning from the defense. Diddy’s lawyer, Anna Estevao, pressed Cassie about why she kept returning to him despite the physical and sexual abuse she said she endured during their 11-year relationship.
The defense tried to paint Diddy as someone with unusual sexual tastes rather than a criminal. To do this, Estevao made Cassie read aloud a series of sexually explicit texts she had sent to Diddy in front of the jury. In one message, Cassie called herself a “very lucky woman” to be with him. In another, she asked him to talk to her daily, complaining that he ignored her.
The lawyer aimed to show Cassie took part in their sexual encounters willingly, pointing out texts like “I’m always ready to freak off lol.” The questioning got even more uncomfortable when Estevao showed a 2009 message where Cassie wrote, “I can’t wait to stare at some big black d\*ck.”
Cassie, who is eight months pregnant with her third child, asked for a break during the intense cross-examination, holding her belly as she did so. After the break, more texts were shown, revealing Cassie expressed trust in Diddy beyond just the sexual side of their relationship, writing things like, “I just think that I have to trust you beyond it just being sexual.”
When asked if she understood how her lawsuit had affected Diddy’s career, Cassie said she did.
Earlier in the week, Cassie gave detailed and emotional testimony describing the abuse she experienced during their relationship, which lasted from 2007 to 2018. She described Diddy as physically abusive and emotionally unpredictable, saying he would hit her for small things like making a “wrong face” or talking back. Tearfully, she recalled how his eyes would “just go black,” and the man she loved seemed to disappear.
The prosecution also shared new evidence, including surveillance footage and photos from a 2016 incident showing Diddy physically assaulting Cassie at a hotel.
