NEW YORK (AP) — Singer Dawn Richard took the witness stand late Friday afternoon after R&B singer Cassie testified for a fourth day in Sean “Diddy” Combs ’ sex trafficking trial.
Prosecutors allege that the hip hop mogul used his fame and fortune to orchestrate an empire of exploitation, coercing women into abusive sex parties. His lawyers argue that all the sexual acts were consensual, and although he could be violent, he never veered into sex trafficking and racketeering.
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After the jury left for the day, Combs’ attorney Marc Agnifilo called Richard’s testimony a “drop dead moment” in the week-old trial, saying the defense had not been told prior to her testimony that she would be describing this alleged act of violence by Combs.
And he said “we know it didn’t happen” because Cassie didn’t testify about it during her four days on the stand. He also said the alleged frying pan attack was consistent with the defense’s argument in its opening statement that the jury would hear acts of domestic violence rather than evidence of racketeering and the other charges facing Combs.
A prosecutor, Maurene Comey, said prosecutors disclosed the incident to the defense in March. She also said it proved “consciousness of guilt” by Combs and also proved that he threatened witnesses with violence and used coercion and force to support the racketeering charge against him.
Richard said after witnessing the attack she was “scared what that might mean for myself. He was punching his girlfriend, beating her up.”
She said that Combs summoned her to his home the next day and gave her flowers, telling her and a colleague, putting a spin on what they had witnessed.
“He said that what we saw was passion and what lovers in relationships do.”
Richard also said that Diddy said Cassie “was Ok” and that it was in their best interests not to say anything. She said he used language that she took to mean people “could end up in death.”
That caused an objection and a discussion at sidebar that led the judge to send the jury home for the day.
Richard testified that Combs was angry and tried to hit Cassie in the head with a black skillet in the 2009 encounter at Combs’ home, but Cassie seemed to deflect a direct hit by the skillet and then curled up in the fetal position on the ground.
“He started to punch and kick her ... body and her head,” Richard said. She said Combs then put his arm around her neck and his hand on her head and dragged her up the stairs.
“I was scared for her and scared to do anything, Richard said. She said she didn’t try to intervene and didn’t call the police, in part because “I had never seen anything like that before.”
Singer Dawn Richard took the witness stand late Friday afternoon and said she witnessed Combs physically attack Cassie on multiple occasions. Asked to identify Combs in the courtroom, she pointed at him and noted that he had on a cream-colored sweater.
Richard said she witnessed one incident in 2009 at Combs’ home when “he came downstairs screaming” and “proceeded to hit her on the head and beat her on the ground in front of us.”
Richard said she was in Combs’ home at the time recording.
Richard was a cast member on Combs’ MTV reality show “Making the Band,” which launched the group act Danity Kane. Later she was a member of the Combs band Diddy -- Dirty Money.
She sued Combs last year, accusing him of physical abuse, groping, and psychological abuse during the years they worked together.
Throughout Friday’s testimony, Combs kept lowering his head to write a steady stream of messages on small sheets of paper that he passed to Anna Estevao, who was questioning Cassie, and Marc Agnifilo, the attorney who has spoken frequently to the judge during breaks.
Special Agent Yasin Binda of Homeland Security Investigations is now testifying.
Binda participated in searches related to the Combs investigation and was involved in coordinating logistics for his arrest last September at a Manhattan hotel.
Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse, Cassie’s attorney, Douglas Wigdor, said it’s “too early to tell” whether Cassie would consider going back into the entertainment industry.
“I think right now she’s focused on her family, putting this behind her and giving birth to a healthy child,” he said.
Asked whether she might give birth any day now, Wigdor smiled, nodded and said “in the coming days, yeah.”
In a statement from Alex Fine, read by attorney Douglas Wigdor, Fine said “Over the past five days, the world has gotten to witness the strength and bravery of my wife freeing herself of her past.”
He continued: “I have felt so many things sitting there. I have felt tremendous pride and overwhelming love for Cass. I have felt profound anger that she has been subjected to sitting in front of a person who tried to break her. So to him and all of those who helped him along the way, please know this: You did not. You did not break her spirit, nor her smile, that lights up every room. You did not break the souls of a mother who gives the best hugs and plays the silliest games with our little girls. You did not break the woman who has made me a better man.”
He added that it is an insult to say he saved her: “Cassie saved Cassie. She alone broke free from abuse, coercion, violence and threats. She did the work of fighting the demons that only a demon himself could have done to her.”
“This week has been extremely challenging, but also remarkably empowering and healing for me. I hope that my testimony has given strength and a voice to other survivors, and can help others who have suffered to speak up and also heal from the abuse and fear.
For me, the more I heal, the more I can remember. And the more I can remember, the more I will never forget. I want to thank my family and my advocates for their unwavering support, and I’m grateful for all the kindness and encouragement that I have received.
I’m glad to put this chapter of my life to rest. As I turn to focus on the conclusion of my pregnancy, I ask for privacy for me and for my growing family.”
Her testimony ended with another bombshell disclosure: She said she expects to receive a $10 million settlement from the Intercontinental Hotel in Los Angeles, where she was assaulted by Combs in 2016. Security camera footage aired last year on CNN shows the hip-hop mogul hitting and kicking Cassie, knocking her to the floor as she attempted to leave a “freak-off” sexual encounter at the hotel.
Cassie revealed the figure during questioning by Combs’ lawyer in a phase of her testimony known as re-cross. She said the figure was an estimate and that the settlement was reached recently. She didn’t disclose the nature of her claim against the hotel. The defense attorney also asked Cassie to re-read to the jury text messages that she read earlier in her testimony, including an exchange with Combs prior to the 2016 encounter.
After her testimony was finished, Cassie stood in the witness box and the judge announced the court would be taking a short break. Cassie appeared unsure whether she should leave or wait for the jury to exit the courtroom first.
Judge Arun Subramanian, acknowledging her four days of testimony just before she’s due to give birth to her third child, told her: “Why don’t you go ahead. You’ve been here a long time.”
Cassie sobbed, dabbing her eyes with tissues, as a prosecutor asked her about Combs beating her during “freak-offs.”
She testified that the abuse made her feel “worthless, just like dirt... like I was nothing.”
Cassie said she was initially open to the idea of engaging in the drug-fueled sex marathons because she wanted to make Combs happy and spend time with him, but she grew weary of them as the years went on.
“I worried for my safety. I worried for my career,” she told jurors, and she worried Combs wouldn’t love her anymore.
In an attempt to show jurors that she was a willing participant in Combs’ “freak-off” lifestyle of drug-fueled sex marathons, Esteveo has her read another exchange.
In the exchange, in September 2012, Combs told Cassie he wanted to “FO one last time tonight,” using initials for “freak-off.”
“What?” Cassie said.
“You can’t read?” Combs replied.
“I don’t want to freak off for the last time. I want it to be the first time for the rest of our lives,” Cassie told him.
Estevao ended her questioning there, but prosecutor Emily Johnson — questioning Cassie in a phase of testimony known as re-direct — had Cassie read more of the messages to provide additional context.
“I want to see you, but I’m emotional right now,” Cassie told Combs. “I don’t want to do one last time. I’d rather not do it at all.”
Near the end of her cross-examination, Combs' lawyer Estevao highlighted a post Cassie made on Instagram in May 2024 after CNN broadcast previously unaired security footage of the hip-hop mogul attacking at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016.
“Domestic violence is the issue,” Cassie wrote in the post.
Estevao was underscoring the defense’s contention that while Combs was abusive, his behavior didn’t warrant sex trafficking and racketeering charges.
Cassie denied a defense suggestion that she was having financial trouble before suing Combs in November 2023 and securing a $20 million settlement.
Combs’ lawyer, Anna Estevao, noted that Cassie, her husband and children had moved in with her parents in Connecticut prior to the lawsuit.
But Cassie said they were relocating to the East Coast and that the move had nothing to do with money.
Cassie, an R&B singer, was also planning to go on a concert tour to Australia and New Zealand in 2024, but ended up canceling after Combs settled her lawsuit within 24 hours of it being filed.
“That wasn’t the reason why,” Cassie testified.
Cassie and Combs kept exchanging warm messages after their breakup, even after she married her husband, Alex Fine, in 2019.
In one message, Combs described Cassie as his “ride or die always,” and one of the “greatest women in the world.” She told Combs that the messages “blew my mind a bit” and told him “I don’t hate you. I never have.”
In another message, she told him: “I wouldn’t be at this beautiful point in my life if I hadn’t been with you.”
She noted that Cassie’s trial testimony differs in some ways from what she told investigators in 2023. Cassie contends Combs raped her in her Los Angeles home after they had dinner in Malibu to discuss the end of their decade-long relationship, either in August or September 2018.
— Her testimony: Combs “was just being really nice” at the dinner — playful, laughing and giving off “kind of romantic vibes.”
— To investigators: Combs had been “acting very strangely” that night — he was anxious, not “in his right mind,” and possibly experiencing signs of bipolar disorder.
— On cross-examination: “Nice but strangely, yea,” Cassie clarified.
— Her testimony: At the dinner, Combs was trying to get her to go to the Burning Man festival in Nevada.
— To investigators: The dinner and rape happened after Combs got back from that year’s festival.
— On cross-examination: Cassie reaffirms that Combs was trying to get her to go to Burning Man, while acknowledging that she told investigators he raped her after the festival.
Cassie acknowledged their consensual sex as Estevao had her read the texts they exchanged in the aftermath of their breakup.
Cassie told Combs: “I do love you. I would just prefer not being one of your girlfriends anymore.”
Then, a few weeks after the alleged rape, Cassie said she was moving on to respect her own sanity. Combs replied: “I respect your sanity. It’s best we keep it moving. I’m not a stalker.”
Cassie also acknowledged that these messages made no mention of the alleged rape.
Estevao asked Cassie if she still had feelings for Combs after he allegedly raped her in August 2018.
“You didn’t hate him then. And you don’t still hate him now,” Estevao said.
“I don’t hate him,” Cassie responded.
“You still have love for him?”
“I have love for the past, what it was.”
Cassie testified that she broke up with Combs for good in August 2018 after she saw a photo of him with another woman he’d been dating for the last few years of their decade-long relationship.
“I just don’t trust anymore. That last shot put the nail in the coffin,” Casse texted Combs, referring to the photo of Combs with a woman identified in court as Gina.
“I promised myself I wouldn’t be with you anymore if you did that to me again,” Cassie wrote, telling Combs “you lied to me” and “she never went away.”
Soon after, Cassie said, she started dating her now husband, Alex Fine.
Estevao noted that the women’s center offered treatment for sex addiction, sexual compulsion and love addiction — and she asked Cassie if she was treated for any of these things during her weeks-long stay.
Cassie said she was not — but that she did undergo neurofeedback therapy: “They hook your brain up to a machine and you watch something and it regulates your brain waves.”
She said she underwent it five or six times, or about once a week during her stay, and that she believed it was to help her process trauma.
Cassie said she also underwent “EMDR” therapy to process trauma — and gave an example of recalling a traumatic moment when you couldn’t escape a room, but through therapy are able to experience what it’s like to escape the room.
Jurors heard a recording of a distressed Cassie screaming at a friend who said he had seen a video of performing sex acts.
In the recording, made by Cassie in 2013, the man claimed to have the video on his phone. Cassie is heard pleading to see the video and then threatening to kill him if it became public.
“I’ve never killed anyone in my life, but I will kill you,” Cassie told the man, punctuating her threats with profanity.
Cassie acknowledged in her testimony that Combs subsequently made efforts to keep the video private.
Defense attorney Anna Estevao resumed her cross examination Friday with questions related to the March 2016 recording of Combs attacking Cassie at the elevator bank of a Los Angeles hotel. In it, Combs can be seen slinging Cassie to the floor, kicking her and dragging her into a hotel hallway.
Estevao had Cassie read aloud a text message in which she complained that Combs was out of control from drugs and alcohol that day. In the message, Cassie told Combs: “I’m not a rag doll. I’m somebody’s child.”
Through text messages read aloud to the jury, Estevao then showed that Combs and Cassie were expressing love to one another again just days later as they tried to recover from the hotel attack. Cassie told Combs in one text: “We need a different vibe from Friday.”
Cassie said Combs was wary of her dating or giving attention to other men, even during breaks in their decade-long relationship. The hip-hop star took her phone from her on numerous occasions, including when he found out she was dating a football player and when she suspected her of dancing with the singer Chris Brown. Cassie didn’t name the player and denied dancing with Brown.
The judge has tried to clear the way for jurors to be brought in on time for what was hoped to be Cassie’s last day on the witness stand.
One item in dispute: A recording Combs made when he went to rehabilitation after a March 2016 attack on Cassie at the elevator bank of a Los Angeles hotel.
Prosecutor Emily Johnson said the video showed Combs “wandering through nature” as he spoke of “religion and God.” She described it as an effort by Combs’ lawyers to seek sympathy from the jury.
On the video, Combs says he has “God in my heart.” The judge watched it and then decided the argument was moot because the defense agreed not to show the video to the jury.
Their complaints include:
A day after an attorney for Combs claimed that prosecutors purposely delayed calling Cassie to testify so that the defense would have less time to cross examine her, prosecutors shot back in a letter to the judge overnight.
Prosecutors said it seemed defense lawyers were intent on forcing Cassie to return to the witness stand on Monday so that Combs could review transcripts over the weekend and help them prepare additional questions for her.
They also raised the risk of a mistrial if Cassie is required to return Monday but instead goes into labor with her third child over the weekend.
Messages between Combs and Cassie — both romantic and lurid — were the focus of the fourth day of testimony in a Manhattan courtroom. Defense attorney Anna Estevao read what Combs wrote, while Cassie recited her own messages about her participation in marathon encounters with sex workers, called “freak-offs.”
▶ Read more about Cassie’s testimony Thursday
Cassie Ventura wipes tears from her eye while testifying in Manhattan federal court, Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in New York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)
Quincy Combs, second from left, and Chance Combs center, arrive at Manhattan federal court, Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Janice Combs arrives at Federal Court after the lunch break in the Sean "Diddy" Combs trial, in New York, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Cassie Ventura, right, walks out of the courtroom past Sean Diddy Combs after testifying in Manhattan federal court, Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in New York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)
Sean Diddy Combs, left, stands as his defense attorney, Teny Geragos, gives her opening statement to the jury on the first day of trial in Manhattan federal court, Monday, May 12, 2025, in New York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)
