The trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs entered its fourth week, with testimony from a second former girlfriend, vital to the prosecution's case against the music executive facing sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges.
Notable events from the week included:
Combs paid $100,000 to secure footage of beating Cassie
A hotel security guard, Eddy Garcia, testified about receiving $100,000 from Combs to secure footage of a 2016 attack on Casandra "Cassie" Ventura.
The 33-year-old security officer described the circumstances surrounding the transaction. He recalled receiving an initial telephone call from an agitated and stammering Combs, who urgently sought to acquire the hotel's elevator footage showing him assaulting Cassie. Combs expressed concern that public exposure of the recording would be detrimental to his reputation.
Subsequently, Garcia described feeling anxious when he encountered a cheerful Combs at an office premises. Combs addressed him as "Eddy, my angel" before Garcia handed over the security recording on a USB device. Garcia stated that he was required to sign a confidentiality agreement, confirming it was the sole copy and agreeing to maintain silence about the incident.
Garcia described Combs as anxious during their initial contact and detailed the subsequent cash transaction.
Judge warns Combs about potential courtroom removal
On Thursday, Judge Arun Subramanian observed Combs "nodding vigorously and looking at the jury" during cross-examination and sidebar discussions, following a prosecutor's observation of his "nodding furiously" during proceedings.
Prosecutor Maurene Comey expressed concern that Combs's actions effectively constituted non-verbal testimony through his affirmative nodding whilst his lawyer posed questions.
Defence attorney Marc Agnifilo assured the court during a lunch recess that he would address the behaviour with Combs after the judge declared it "absolutely unacceptable."
The judge issued a firm warning, stating that any recurrence would prompt him to consider the prosecution's request for jury instructions or potentially more severe measures, including removing Combs from the courtroom.
'I am still brainwashed': Mia reveals new details in sexual assault case
A previous employee of Combs, who gave evidence using the alias "Mia", informed the court that Combs had committed sexual assault against her several times during her eight-year tenure. She noted that these incidents were "random, sporadic, so oddly spaced out", leading her to believe each occurrence would be the final one.
She recounted that the initial incident occurred at his 40th birthday celebration, where he inappropriately touched and forcefully kissed her. Subsequently, she stated that he sexually assaulted her in a guest chamber at his Los Angeles residence.
During cross-examination, defence solicitor Brian Steel implied that she had invented these allegations to profit from "the #MeToo money grab against Sean Combs."
Steel presented evidence of affectionate messages she had sent to Combs well after her employment concluded. He questioned her about a 2019 text where she described a dream in which Combs saved her from being trapped in a lift with R. Kelly, who has since been found guilty of sex trafficking.
"I was still brainwashed," was Mia's response.
Woman details intimate encounters during relationship with Combs
A witness using the alias "Jane" tearfully described intimate encounters she engaged in with male sex workers during her three-year relationship with Combs, which lasted until his arrest in September.
Jane's ongoing testimony, expected to continue into next week, mirrors the four-day account previously given by Cassie. Jane stated she participated unwillingly in these encounters, solely to maintain her relationship with Combs, whom she loved.
Cassie had earlier described numerous substance-influenced sexual encounters, termed "freak-offs", involving male sex workers over multiple days, whilst Combs observed, provided direction, and engaged in self-gratification.
From 2021 until August, Jane experienced similar situations, which she referred to as "hotel nights". She described how her initially romantic relationship with Combs evolved to depend on these encounters, particularly after he began paying her accommodation expenses.
The defence team maintains that all interactions between Jane and Combs were consensual, arguing that Jane's text message complaints to Combs stemmed from jealousy.
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