The trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs began in New York City on May 5 following his September 2024 arrest on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution.
The process began with jury selection, which was finalized on May 12 before opening arguments started that same day. Diddy, 55, has pleaded not guilty to all charges and denied the allegations against him.
The music mogul appeared in court as jury selection started, wearing a sweater over a white collared shirt with gray pants, per the Associated Press. (Judge Arun Subramanian previously said that Diddy could wear casual clothing for the duration of the trial rather than his jail uniform.)
Before voir dire (preliminary juror examinations) began, Diddy turned down a plea deal, which might have shortened his potential prison sentence if he agreed to plead guilty. When the judge asked him on May 1 if he rejected the prosecution’s offer, Diddy replied, “Yes, I do.”
Diddy was arrested last year after numerous accusers came forward with allegations of sexual assault. In November 2023, his ex-girlfriend Cassie filed a lawsuit against him, alleging that he sexually and physically abused her during their relationship, which lasted off and on from 2007 to 2018. Diddy denied her claims, and the duo settled out of court one day later.
In May 2024, CNN published a surveillance video from 2016 that showed Diddy kicking and grabbing Cassie, now 38, in a hotel. The rapper later apologized in an Instagram video, saying, “My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. “I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now. … I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry.”
In April, prosecutors filed a motion saying that the person mentioned in the indictment under the alias “Victim-1” would be testifying under her own name. Multiple outlets reported at the time that “Victim-1” is Cassie, but she has not publicly confirmed her involvement in the trial.
Keep scrolling for daily updates from inside the courtroom:
May 5
As jury selection began, the judge opened with a joke about Diddy’s numerous nicknames and quipped that the list of potential jurors is as long as the famously extensive Lord of the Rings novels.
Us Weekly can confirm several potential jurors said they had seen news reports about the CNN video that showed Diddy hitting Cassie in 2016 while they were still dating. One woman described a still image from the video as “damning evidence” and was removed from consideration.
Prosecutors in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ ongoing lawsuit have denied intentionally leaking footage of the disgraced rapper physically assaulting his now-ex Cassie in 2016. In court documents filed on Wednesday, October 30, and obtained by Us Weekly, prosecutors opposed Diddy’s requests for a gag order related to the video. “The Court should deny the Leak Motion […]
At one point, Diddy also requested a bathroom break, per the AP, telling the judge, “I’m sorry, your honor, I’m a little nervous today.”
Multiple celebrities were named as people who might be mentioned during the trial, and potential jurors were asked to say whether they were familiar with them. Some of the names mentioned were Michael B. Jordan, Mike Myers, Kanye West, Kid Cudi and Destiny’s Child singer Michelle Williams, though it was not specified how they could be relevant to the proceedings.
May 6
As jury selection continued, the judge revised his line of questioning about celebrities, asking potential jurors whether they “personally know” them rather than if they’re just “familiar” with their names.
Throughout the day, the judge expressed “frustration” over receiving multiple prospective jurors with “clear issues,” leading to the dismissal of various people for a variety of reasons that included Crohn’s disease, hearing problems and one woman who described herself as a “very sensitive person” who once fainted at a teacher bringing up the topic of oral sex.
As the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs kicked off in New York City, observers were surprised to hear the names of numerous other celebrities mentioned during jury selection. When potential jurors were questioned starting May 5, they were asked about their familiarity with stars like Kanye West and former Danity Kane member Dawn Richard. While […]
May 7
During jury selection, one potential juror explained the concept of doom-scrolling to the judge, who replied, “I don’t really use social media.”
May 9
Agnifilo said in court that the defense team plans to say Cassie was abusive toward Diddy during their relationship. “I think we’re probably going to refer to that as domestic violence,” he told the court. The judge then indicated that he would decide on May 12 whether allegations of domestic violence will be admissible during the trial.
Cassie’s lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.
May 12
After the jury was finalized, both sides delivered their opening statements, which revealed that allegations by Cassie and an unnamed Jane Doe will be the focus of the case. “This is Sean Combs,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Johnson began. “But there is another side to him. A side that ran a criminal enterprise … but he didn’t do it alone.”
The prosecution alleged that Diddy once “brutally” beat Cassie after allegedly finding out she’d been seeing another man and threatened her with videos of her having sex with other men. “That’s not the only time he kidnapped someone,” Johnson continued. “That’s not the first girlfriend he sexually assaulted.”
Johnson went on to claim that Diddy’s bodyguards and chief of staff “committed crimes together, and they covered up those crimes,” adding, “This case is not about a celebrity’s private sexual choices.”
She later addressed Diddy’s now-infamous freak offs, claiming they happened as often as once a week “and took place over multiple days at a time.” According to Johnson, Cassie once overdosed at a freak off where a sex worker urinated in her mouth. “She tried the first freak off because she loved the defendant and wanted to make him happy,” the lawyer continued. Jane Doe, meanwhile, allegedly believed the freak off she attended was a “one-time wild night.”
Opening statements have begun in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking trial, and arguments by both sides revealed that allegations made by Cassie and an unnamed Jane Doe will be the primary focus of the trial. “This is Sean Combs,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Johnson began on Monday, May 12, after the jury was finalized. “But […]
After Johnson’s statement, Diddy’s attorney Teny Geragos presented the defense’s opening argument, saying, “Sean Combs is a complicated man, but this is not a complicated case.”
Geragos claimed no witness will be able to back up the government’s racketeering charges because there was no racketeering conspiracy, but she admitted that her client has a history of violence.
“Sean Combs had a temper, and when he took drugs, he would get violent. My client is not proud of that,” she said. “We take full responsibility that there is domestic violence in this case. Domestic violence is not sex trafficking.”
She added that the jury will hear about Diddy’s “love of baby oil” before saying, “But is that a federal crime? No.”
Geragos also addressed Cassie and Jane Doe’s allegations, claiming, “Every witness in this case had free choice to make the choices they made.”
After opening statements, two different witnesses testified. The first, Israel Florez, a former security guard at the InterContinental Hotel in L.A., claimed he is the person who responded to a call about the alleged incident between Cassie and Diddy that was captured on surveillance video in 2016 and published by CNN in 2024. Florez testified that he found Diddy in a “devilish state,” while Cassie allegedly looked “scared.”
The second witness, Daniel Phillip, claimed he was hired to have sex with Cassie on multiple occasions while Diddy watched. Phillip claimed that he was paid anywhere from $700 to $5,000 or $6,000 to be intimate with Cassie while Diddy was present and “always sitting in a corner masturbating.”
Phillip also claimed that Diddy recorded these alleged sexual encounters on his phone “once or twice” and took a photo of Phillip’s driver’s license. “It’s just for insurance, just in case,” Phillip alleged Diddy told him, adding, “I understood it to [mean] that he was threatening me.”
May 13
The day began with details of the alleged and infamous freak off parties, with the prosecution claiming there would be approximately 10 bottles of baby oil used per party and the use of “strong-smelling” candles. Phillip continued his testimony before Cassie took the stand. The singer began by describing her relationship with Diddy, claiming that it was marked by violence. She alleged that the rapper controlled “a lot” of her life, would videotape her during sexual encounters for “blackmail” and more.
She discussed in detail the alleged freak offs, which she began attending at age 22, sharing that she would take drugs like weed, mushrooms, GHB, ketamine and ecstasy to stay “disconnected” from the experience. She claimed she was expected to “have freak offs on [my] period,” noting that these parties would make her feel “dirty” but she was glad to make Diddy — who she claimed was in control and “directed” the encounters — happy. She recalled that she “choked” while being urinated on by two male escorts who were allegedly found on Craigslist.
Cassie also detailed her music career, claiming that she often felt “stifled” by Diddy’s control over her work.
Cassie‘s husband, Alex Fine, has been by her side in the courtroom as she testifies against ex-boyfriend Sean “Diddy” Combs. According to The New York Times, Cassie (full name Casandra Ventura) “never seems to look at” Diddy, 55, while recalling disturbing details about their relationship. Fine, 32, meanwhile, “occasionally turns to look at Combs across […]
May 14
The third day of the trial was entirely spent on testimony given by Cassie, who was questioned by the prosecution on everything from her relationship with Kid Cudi to the defense’s claims that she physically abused Diddy too. While she admitted that she sometimes initiated physical fights with Diddy, she claimed that he was not injured during these incidents, whereas his alleged abuse left visible bruises on her. Throughout her testimony, she also discussed the hotel surveillance footage from 2016 and alleged that Diddy raped her near the end of their relationship.
Near the end of the day, Cassie broke down while discussing the aftermath of her split from Diddy, saying she decided to attend trauma therapy and rehab for opiate addiction in 2023 because she “didn’t want to be alive anymore at that point.” While filming a music video, she recalled having horrible flashbacks and suicidal ideation when she returned home to husband Alex Fine, whom she wed in 2019. “You can do this without me,” she recalled telling her husband, through tears. “You don’t need me anymore.” She then tried to walk out the door into traffic, but Fine managed to stop her.
Cassie also addressed her 2023 settlement with Diddy, saying she was paid $20 million to settle her lawsuit. Before court ended for the day, she estimated she participated in “hundreds” of freak offs during her relationship with Diddy.
“I can’t carry this anymore,” Cassie told the court. “The shame, the guilt. I was guided to treat people like they were disposable. What’s right is right, what’s wrong is wrong. This is right.”
May 15
The defense began cross-examining Cassie on her third straight day of testimony, asking her questions about her relationship with Diddy as well as their drug use. Attorney Anna Estevao’s line of questioning seemingly attempted to support the defense’s claims that Diddy’s alleged freak offs were part of his “swinger” lifestyle. Estevao also asked Cassie about texts she sent Diddy where she expressed her love for him as well as an apparent enjoyment of freak offs. Asked about a message where she said she liked the parties, Cassie replied, “I would say that loving [freak offs] were just words at that point.”
Later on in the day, Cassie mentioned her relationship with Cudi as well as a period when she took a break from Diddy in 2015 and began dating Michael B. Jordan. She went on to confirm that she continued to participate in freak offs with Diddy while dating Cudi, saying, “It was a job.” After prompting from Estevao, Cassie also refuted an online rumor that the baby oil used in the freak offs was laced with date-rape drugs.
The New York judge presiding over Sean “Diddy” Combs’ trial is asking the defense to speed up their questioning of Cassie Ventura. According to The New York Times, Judge Arun Subramanian asked the defense to finish cross-examination of Cassie, who is eight and a half months pregnant, on Friday, May 16, so that she can […]
May 16
After Cassie finished her testimony, the prosecution called two additional witnesses to the stand. The first, Department of Homeland Security Special Agent Yasin Binda, was one of the officers who participated in a raid on Diddy’s hotel room at the Park Hyatt in Manhattan ahead of his September 2024 arrest. Binda said agents found five bottles of baby oil in the bathroom as well as lubricant stored in the bathtub, plus two bottles of lubricant in the nightstand. They also found a Louis Vuitton bag containing ketamine, MDMA and a bottle of medication prescribed to “Frank Black.”
With less than half an hour left before court was set to adjourn for the day, former Danity Kane member Dawn Richard took the stand and testified about an alleged 2009 incident where she witnessed Diddy assault Cassie at his Los Angeles home. “He came downstairs angry and was saying, ‘Where the f*** was his eggs’ and he was telling Cassie she never gets anything right and where the f*** was his food,” Richard alleged. “And he came over to the skillet with the eggs in it and tried to hit her over the head, and she fell to the ground.”
Following Richard’s testimony, the defense asked the judge to strike her statements from the record, arguing that it does not support the charge of sex trafficking and was also not mentioned by Cassie herself. The prosecution, meanwhile, argued that Diddy’s alleged abuse created a culture that allowed him to carry out more serious crimes.
May 19
Richard continued her testimony with further details about the skillet incident, which the judge tentatively ruled was permissible. She claimed she “frequently” saw Diddy physically abuse Cassie, including on one occasion in 2010 where other celebrities were present and did not intervene.
Following Richard’s testimony, Cassie’s former friend Kerry Morgan was called to the stand. Cassie previously mentioned Morgan in her own testimony, revealing that the two stopped speaking after Diddy allegedly hit Morgan with a wooden hanger in 2018. Morgan claimed that Diddy hit her after flying into a rage over Cassie dating another man, alleging that he hit her so hard she vomited and had a concussion. After the incident, Diddy and Cassie allegedly offered Morgan $30,000 to sign a nondisclosure agreement. She agreed and said she never spoke to Cassie again.
The final witness of the day was David James, who worked as a personal assistant for Diddy from May 2007 to May 2009. James described an alleged interaction he had with a human resources rep while interviewing at Bad Boy, claiming the woman pointed at a photo of Diddy on the wall and said, “This is Mr. Combs’ kingdom. We’re all here to serve in it.” James testified that he worked six to seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for a salary of $70,000 per year plus overtime.
Cassie took the stand New York City’s Daniel Patrick Moynihan U.S. Courthouse during ex-boyfriend Sean “Diddy” Combs’ trial, testifying about their relationship and her allegations against him. The singer, 38, began her testimony on Tuesday, May 13, by describing her relationship with Diddy, 55, claiming that it was marked by violence. “There were violent arguments […]
May 20
The day began with additional testimony from James, who claimed his former boss traveled with a “medicine bag” that contained around $10,000 in cash and at least 30 different pill bottles, including Viagra, Advil and ecstasy pills shaped like former President Barack Obama’s head. James alleged that sometimes Diddy would have medication prescribed under James’ name without asking permission; he also claimed it was “part of the job” to deliver drugs to Diddy and his friends.
James further alleged he would prep Diddy’s hotel rooms, purchasing supplies like medicine, snacks and baby oil. For the former items, he would go through a typical company reimbursement process, but for things like baby oil and lubricant, he would allegedly be paid in cash by Diddy’s security staff.
At one New Year’s Eve party, James participated in the festivities himself and was apparently caught on camera while high on ecstasy. A few days later, Diddy and James were reviewing the party videos together when Diddy allegedly told him he would “keep this footage in case I ever need it.”
James also made claims about work hours at Bad Boy, saying he once worked 21 days without any breaks and alleging that one assistant was hospitalized for dehydration after working for 24 hours straight. He testified that Diddy’s security team used to have a saying, “Do you know what rhymes with tired? Fired.”
Later in his testimony, James addressed Diddy’s rivalry with Suge Knight, claiming that his boss had three handguns on his lap when he allegedly ordered James and other members of his team to confront Knight. “I was really shook up by it,” James told the court. “My life was in danger.”
James further claimed that Diddy once told him to file a police report about his former personal chef Jourdan Atkinson after she and Diddy had a physical altercation. Diddy allegedly told James to say Atkinson hit Diddy first, but James said he didn’t want to make a false report and so drove around for an hour before returning to Diddy’s house and lying to him about filing the report.
After James finished, Cassie’s mother, Regina Ventura, took the stand and claimed she once took out a $20,000 home equity loan to pay off Diddy after he threatened to release sexually explicit videos of Cassie. She said he returned the money after four or five days.
The prosecution then called Sharay Hayes, a male escort who claimed he was hired by Diddy and Cassie for up to a dozen freak offs dating back to 2012. He alleged that the events could last for multiple days and would usually start around 2 or 3 a.m.
The day ended with testimony from DHS Special Agent Gerard Gannon, who was in charge of “overall planning” for the March 2024 raid of Diddy’s home on Miami Beach’s Star Island. Gannon noted that between 80 and 90 officers participated in the raid because of the size of the property. His team found sex toys, lingerie and bottles of baby oil and lubricant as well as parts of AR-15 rifles with defaced serial numbers.
Us confirmed that Cudi has been called to testify against Diddy later in the week following Cassie’s past testimony about their romance.
May 21
Gannon resumed his testimony with further description of the items found in Diddy’s home, displaying a pair of red platform heels found in the mogul’s closet. He noted that agents found more than a dozen other pairs of platform heels in the closet. Investigators also discovered a Gucci bag — with traces of ketamine and cocaine on it — that contained a small bag of cocaine, a bag of pink MDMA tablets and another bag of orange MDMA tablets with the Tesla logo stamped on them. Prosecutors showed the jury photographs from the raid that showed boxes full of baby oil and lubricant in closets, and Gannon displayed two evidence bags containing 31 bottles of baby oil and lubricant. (He said those were not all the bottles found on the estate.) Investigators also found a .45-caliber handgun and several rounds in a suitcase.
The second witness of the day was Dawn Hughes, a forensic psychologist who will serve as a “blind expert” on the topic of why people stay in abusive relationships. Speaking about Cassie’s testimony where she admitted she used drugs to “dissociate” while dating Diddy, Hughes told the court that it’s common for people in abusive relationships to use substances to cope with anxiety and trauma. She also said that an abuser’s “wealth, access and privilege” can affect if and when a victim decides to come forward. “Fear is a very debilitating emotion,” she said.
The day finished with testimony from George Kaplan, a former executive assistant of Diddy’s who worked for him from late 2013 to late 2015. Kaplan claimed that Diddy threatened to fire him at least monthly, the first time during his first week on the job when Kaplan brought him two half-gallon bottles of water instead of the gallon bottle he requested. He went on to claim that part of his job was setting up hotel rooms for freak offs, alleging that he would also clean them afterward. Part of the set-up allegedly entailed couriering drugs that Diddy asked for. Kaplan also claimed he picked up MDMA for his boss.
Since the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs kicked off at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan U.S. Courthouse in New York City on May 5, numerous witnesses have taken the stand to testify about their alleged interactions with the rapper. Diddy was arrested in September 2024 and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage […]
May 22
The day began with more testimony by Kaplan, who claimed that he rode on a plane with Diddy and Cassie and witnessed the rapper get violent with his then-girlfriend in the latter half of 2015. “Isn’t anybody seeing this?” Cassie allegedly screamed. According to Kaplan, no one responded to her.
Kaplan detailed a second alleged 2015 incident where Diddy called him on his home intercom to come to the bedroom, where Cassie was crying on the bed with her face bruised. Diddy allegedly asked Kaplan to pick up “anti-swelling” medication. He went on to claim he quit working for Diddy after he saw him throw apples, either real or decorative, at a woman named Gina.
The second witness of the day, Kid Cudi, testified about an alleged break-in at his house, which he claimed occurred after Diddy found out Cassie and Cudi started a relationship. He also addressed Cassie’s previous allegation that Diddy blew up Cudi’s car in January 2012, alleging that he believed Diddy was “lying” when he said he didn’t know about the incident.
Cudi was followed by Mylah Morales, Cassie’s longtime friend and makeup artist, who claimed Diddy “always made sure [Cassie’s] look was perfect.” In 2010, Morales alleged she saw Diddy storm into a hotel suite looking for Cassie, who was in the bedroom. After Diddy left the bedroom, Cassie allegedly had a swollen lip and black eye. Morales said Cassie stayed at her house for a few days after that. “I feared for my life,” she claimed.
The prosecution’s fourth witness, Frédéric Zemmour, is the general manager of L’Ermitage hotel in Beverly Hills and testified that Diddy was flagged for making a mess of rooms he rented. “ALWAYS spills candle wax on everything and uses excessive amounts of oil,” read the internal note. “Likes the room HOT! Please set thermostat to 75 degrees.”
The day ended with testimony from DHS Special Agent Joshua Croft, who spoke about his expertise in extracting files from electronic devices. He said he extracted data from multiple devices for this case, including three laptops.
May 27
Diddy’s former assistant Capricorn Clark, who worked for him from 2004 to 2012, testified for the entire day, sharing her version of the story Kid Cudi told about an alleged break-in at his home in December 2011. Clark alleged that Diddy kidnapped her and forced her to come with him to Cudi’s house, where she stayed in the car but called Cassie and Cudi to tell them what was happening.
Clark further claimed that Diddy was often violent with his employees, alleging that he threw phones at security staff and a barber when he was upset. She also alleged that he once shoved her in 2006 while she was staying with him in Miami Beach. Clark went on to allege that Diddy once threatened to kill her when he found out she’d previously worked for his rival Knight. Later, when he believed she’d stolen from Jacob Arabo (a.k.a. Jacob the Jeweler), she was allegedly forced to undergo five days of lie detector tests.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support. If you or someone you know is a human trafficking victim, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
