Two former associates of Casandra "Cassie" Ventura took the witness stand Monday in federal court in Manhattan, offering graphic and corroborative testimony that Sean "Diddy" Combs subjected the singer to years of physical abuse during their relationship. The trial, which enters its second week, centers on sex-trafficking and racketeering charges brought against the 55-year-old music mogul.
Dawn Richard, a former member of Danity Kane and Dirty Money, resumed her testimony Monday morning. She told the jury that she "frequently" witnessed Combs strike Ventura and described violent incidents spanning nearly a decade. "Frequently, he would punch her, choke her, slap her in the mouth," Richard testified. "I saw him kick her, punch her in the stomach."
Richard detailed several specific episodes, including one in 2009 when Combs allegedly tried to strike Ventura with a frying pan in his Los Angeles home. She said that Combs was enraged about his breakfast and "he was telling Cassie she never gets anything right," before swinging the skillet toward her head. Richard claimed Ventura collapsed on the floor and that the next day, Combs threatened her and another witness, warning them not to speak out: "People go missing if they say things like that, if they talk."
In cross-examination, Combs's defense attorney Nicole Westmoreland questioned inconsistencies in Richard's recounting of the frying pan incident, noting differences between her courtroom testimony and earlier statements to attorneys. Richard, who has filed her own civil lawsuit against Combs, responded, "No, I wouldn't agree with that."
Combs's attorney Marc Agnifilo asked the judge to strike part of Richard's testimony, arguing that the frying pan story lacked direct connection to the federal sex-trafficking charges and was not referenced by Ventura herself. Judge Arun Subramanian has not yet ruled on the motion.
Later in the day, prosecutors called Kerry Morgan, Ventura's best friend from 2001 to 2018. Morgan testified to witnessing multiple assaults, including an episode in Jamaica where she said Combs dragged Ventura by the hair and threw her to the ground. In another incident in Los Angeles, Morgan said she watched Combs strike Ventura while a bodyguard stood by and did nothing.
Morgan also alleged that she was assaulted by Combs in 2018. She testified that he struck her in the head with a wooden hanger and choked her while Ventura was in the bathroom. "I went to urgent care afterward," Morgan said, adding that she was diagnosed with a concussion.
Following that episode, Morgan said she was offered $30,000 and asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement. She accepted the payment and signed the document, though she said the event fractured her relationship with Ventura. "Her boyfriend assaulted me," Morgan said under oath. "The reason I stopped speaking with her is because she was not supportive of me after that incident."
Morgan further testified that Ventura had confided she couldn't leave Combs, who "controlled everything," including her apartment and career. Morgan said Ventura "lost" her self-confidence, noting that Combs would regularly insult Ventura's looks and demeanor.
Defense attorneys challenged Morgan's testimony, asking whether Ventura was jealous of Kim Porter, the late mother of Combs's children. Morgan acknowledged Ventura's jealousy, saying, Ventura "was jealous because she could never go to New Year's Eve parties."
After Morgan's testimony concluded, prosecutors called David James, a former personal assistant who worked for Combs from 2007 to 2009.
Combs, who was arrested in September 2024, has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Prosecutors allege that he orchestrated a criminal enterprise to coerce women into participating in drug-fueled sex acts, including events referred to as "freak-offs." They claim Combs used drugs, violence, and threats to maintain control, particularly over Ventura.
