Diddy trial: Cassie testifies more about relationship, 2016 hotel attack

The trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs continued in Manhattan on Wednesday, with testimony from a key witness. 

Cassie Diddy testimony

Cassie Ventura, better known as Cassie, began testifying Tuesday in the federal trial against Sean "Diddy" Combs. She’ll be on the stand again Wednesday morning, and cross examination is expected later in the day. 

Follow along with live updates from FOX 5 NY here. Because the trial is in federal court, a livestream is not available. 

Big picture view:

Cassie, noticeably pregnant on the witness stand, was emotional from the start. She would take deep breaths and sometimes paused as she spoke, though became more calm and poised throughout her second day of testimony. 

Cassie is married to Alex Fine, who may later be called to testify, and is pregnant with their third child. 

Hotel attack:

Cassie testified Wednesday about images of herself after the 2016 hotel attack, which showed her having swollen lips and a black eye. 

Once home, she said a friend of hers saw her injuries and was "super upset" because she’d "seen me with black eyes and busted lips before."

Cassie said her friend called police, but she declined to reveal who had injured her once police arrived, so they left.

"In that moment, I didn’t want to hurt him that way," she testified. "I wasn’t ready."

Jurors were then shown pictures of Cassie and Combs at a movie premiere, which they attended two days after the hotel attack. Cassie said she used makeup to cover her bruises and sneaked into a popcorn closet at the movie theater to switch dresses for an after-party so bruises on her legs wouldn’t be visible.

Violent arguments:

She testified that Combs became increasingly controlling during their relationship and sometimes was violent. 

"If they were violent arguments, it would usually result in some sort of physical abuse and dragging, just different things," Cassie said. Asked how frequently Combs became violent with her, Cassie softly responded: "Too frequently."

She said she didn’t feel like she could say "no" to Combs.

"Sean controlled a lot of my life, whether it was career, the way I dressed, everything, everything," Cassie testified, later adding, "Sean is a really polarizing person, also very charming."

'Freak off' testimony:

"Freak offs" were the highly orchestrated sex parties which she said stemmed from Combs’ interest in voyeurism.

"Freak offs became a job where there was no space to do anything else but to recover and just try to feel normal again," she said.

She said the longest "freak off" she was involved in lasted four days, and noted that others took anywhere from 36 to 48 hours and often required periods of recovery from dehydration, fatigue and drug use.

She said she developed an opioid addiction from using them after "freak offs" as a coping mechanism. "Opioids make me feel numb, which is why I relied on them so heavily."

She said during her second day of testimony that Combs would threaten to release recordings of some "freak offs," and "make her look like a slut." 

READ MORE: Diddy trial: Cassie says 'freak offs' became a job

Who is Cassie?

The backstory:

Cassie is an R&B singer, model, dancer, and actress who broke into the industry in 2005. She met Combs then when she was 19 and he was 37. He signed her to his Bad Boy Records label and, within a few years, they started dating and were in an on-and-off relationship from 2007 to 2018. 

Dig deeper:

On Nov. 16, 2023, Cassie filed a lawsuit against Combs, accusing him of years of abuse, violence and sex trafficking. Cassie alleged the abuse began when the relationship started and included a 2018 rape and repeated incidents of domestic violence. Combs settled the lawsuit the next day. 

Big picture view:

She is considered to be a key prosecution witness in the trial. 

Diddy Cassie hotel video

Video perspective:

In May 2024, CNN released hotel surveillance video from 2016 showing Combs attacking Cassie — grabbing, punching and kicking her in a hallway. After the video surfaced, Combs issued a public apology, admitting to the incident.

The video will serve as a key piece of evidence in the trial. 

Diddy trial 

Meanwhile:

Combs' trial officially began this week on Monday. Jurors heard opening statements and testimony from a former hotel security officer who responded to a call for a "woman in distress" that coincided with the hotel surveillance video, and from a professional stripper who testified he was paid to have sex with Cassie while Combs watched. 

READ MORE: Diddy trial begins: Cassie video shown, male escort testifies

Big picture view:

Combs is accused of using his music empire to run a racketeering operation that forced women into sex and of turning violent when they refused. 

The other side:

Combs’ lawyers have conceded that he could be violent, but say prosecutors are trying to turn sex between consenting adults into a prostitution and sex trafficking case.

Lawyers said Monday that his violent outbursts, often fueled by alcohol, jealousy and drugs, might have warranted domestic violence charges, but not sex trafficking and racketeering counts.

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