The fourth day of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking trial got underway in a Manhattan courtroom this morning.
And once again, Combs’ former girlfriend Cassie Ventura took the stand.
During her first three days in court, the pregnant pop star shared details of the emotional and psychological abuse she allegedly endured during her 10-year relationship with Combs.
Today, she was cross-examined by Combs’ defense team, who sought to prove that all sexual encounters were consensual, and Ventura was a willing participant in the infamous “freak-off” parties.
Cassie Ventura subjected to brutal cross-examination in fourth day of testimony
Defense lawyer Anna Estevao attempted to paint a portrait of Combs and Ventura’s relationship that varied wildly from the abusive, toxic partnership that Cassie described earlier in the week.
“You and Sean Combs were in love for 11 years, right? You knew the Sean that he didn’t want anybody else to see but you?” she asked Ventura at one point, according to Deadline.
“To make him happy, you told him that you wanted to do ‘freak-offs,’”
Estevao bolstered her argument by sharing a text from Ventura to Combs that read, “I’m always ready to ‘freak-off,’ it can be whenever.”
“There’s a lot more to that,” Ventura countered when Estevao completed her summation of the relationship.
Defense attempts to portray Ventura as eager participant in ‘swinging’ lifestyle
According to TMZ, the defense also revealed explicit text messages between Cassie and Diddy in an effort to prove that the couple were “swingers,” and they’re sexual escapades were not coerced.
“I feel like I want to f–k,” Ventura wrote at one point, prompting Diddy to respond, “I’m so horny I can’t concentrate.”
Cassie replied by offering to make arrangements for the evening’s sex party, writing, “I’ll go to Duane Reade for candles and then set up the room.”
Earlier in the week, Cassie revealed that she received a $20 million settlement after she sued Diddy for physical and emotional abuse in 2023.
Estevao attempted to portray the suit as Ventura’s way of exacting revenge on her ex.
“You understood that his career was ruined at that point,” the attorney said.
“I could understand that, yeah,” Ventura replied (“bluntly,” in the words of Deadline’s reporter).
All told, the defense committed to the expected strategy of attempting to convince the jury that Ventura entered Combs “swinging” lifestyle willingly, and at no point was she forced to do anything against her will.
Whether or not they succeeded remains to be seen.
Asked why she continued to have consensual sex with Combs after he allegedly raped her in 2018, Ventura replied:
“We’d been together for 10 years and you just don’t turn that off.”
Earlier in the week, Ventura shared shocking accounts of the abuse and coercion that allegedly took place at Diddy’s parties, including one incident in which Combs instructed a male prostitute to urinate in her mouth.
We will have further updates on the trial as new information becomes available.
Cassie Ventura’s Explicit Texts to Diddy Revealed; Defense Attempts to Prove She … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.