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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Defense argues against Richard’s testimony about the skillet attack
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 she was scared by Combs
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.
Combs sought to use a skillet to beat Cassie, Richard recalls
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 takes the witness stand
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.
Observations from the courtroom
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.
Next witness has taken the stand
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.
What’s next for Cassie?
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.”
‘You did not break her spirit’ Cassie’s husband says to Diddy and his supporters
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.”
Cassie’s lawyer shared the following statement on her behalf
“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.”
Cassie's testimony ends
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 says she was ‘worried for my safety’ when asked about beatings during the ‘freak-offs’
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.
Esteveo ends cross-examination by having Cassie read yet more text messages
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.”
Defense highlights an Instagram post they contend only points to domestic violence
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 denies financial troubles before suing
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 exchanged warm messages even after their breakup
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.”
Estevao tries to discredit Cassie’s allegation that Combs raped her
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.
On his demeanor:
— 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.
On the timing:
— 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 acknowledges consensual sex weeks after alleged rape
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.
Cassie says she doesn’t hate Combs, despite accusing him of 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’s break-up text: ‘the nail in the coffin’
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.
Cassie is questioned about her treatment in 2023
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 hear Cassie in 2013 pleading not to make sex video public
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.
Cassie told Combs after LA hotel attack: ‘I’m not a rag doll’
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.
Defense agrees not to show Combs' ‘God in my heart’ video
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.
Prosecutors want the judge to force Cassie’s cross examination to end Friday
Their complaints include:
1. The defense will have had multiple more hours to question Cassie than the government took in its direct examination.
2. A defense lawyer asked questions stemming from civil lawsuits against Combs rather than the criminal case, for example by asking her if illegal substances were in the baby oil used during their “freak-off” sex parties.
3. Considerable time was lost making Cassie read lengthy text message chains out loud, even though they contained sexually explicit content or expressions of love.
4. The defense effectively sandbagged prosecutors by turning over 400 exhibits at the last minute that might be used during the cross examination, thereby losing time on discussions about the evidence.
Prosecutors tell judge the defense is trying to ‘filibuster’ its cross-examination
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.
What to know Friday:
5. What are the charges against Combs? He faces one count of racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs denies all the allegations and has pleaded not guilty to federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges.
6. Where are we at in the trial? Prosecutors spent two days questioning Cassie, their star witness, about Combs’ abusive behavior. Defense lawyers are seeking to portray Cassie as a willing participant in his sexual lifestyle, and say that while he could be violent, nothing he did amounted to a criminal enterprise.
7. Why isn’t there a livestream? Under federal court rules, no photos or video of the trial will be allowed. Courtroom sketches are permitted.
Key moments from Thursday’s testimony
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.”
8. In August 2009, Combs asked when she wanted the next encounter to be, and she replied “I’m always ready to freak off.” Two days later, Cassie sent an explicit message and he replied in eager anticipation. She responded: “Me Too, I just want it to be uncontrollable.” Later that year, however, she also sent Combs messages that she was frustrated with the state of their relationship and needed something more from him than sex.
9. In a 2017 text message, Cassie told Combs: “I love our FOs when we both want it,” using the initials of freak-off. On the stand, Cassie explained: “I would say loving FOs were just words at that point.”
10. Cassie complained at one point that jurors weren’t hearing the full context of the messages the defense was highlighting, saying, “There’s a lot we skipped over.”
11. Combs’ attorney presented Cassie with sexual texts she sent before a 2016 encounter at a Los Angeles hotel, where Combs was caught on surveillance video kicking and dragging her in a hallway. Cassie said she wanted to get the encounter over with, in order to keep Combs happy and avoid a scene ahead of movie premier she was attending days later.
▶ Read more about Cassie’s testimony Thursday
The Associated Press
