'Freak offs,' rape, violence: Cassie's most disturbing allegations against Diddy
What's the story
Singer Casandra "Cassie" Ventura (38), the key witness in Sean "Diddy" Combs's sex trafficking trial, continued to detail her alleged abuse in her testimony on Wednesday. The former couple dated for over a decade. After accusing Combs of organizing "Freak Offs" or sex parties, and detailing how she was made to have sex with male sex workers as Combs watched, the pregnant celebrity recalled the infamous 2016 hotel assault incident. Here are some shocking claims from her testimony.
Assault
Ventura revealed why she didn't fight back
Ventura testified that she didn't fight back when Combs beat her in the Los Angeles hotel in March 2016 because it "just made him more violent, made him stronger." "He was surprised I was actually fighting back—it made him have more anger, more frustration," she claimed, adding, "I did [fight back] more on the early side [of their relationship] and make it worse for myself." The video was released in May 2024.
Injuries
She detailed aftermath of hotel assault
Ventura left the hotel and took a cab home while Combs sent her multiple text messages, saying, "Call me," "I got 6 kids," and claiming that he was being arrested. While the singer's friend had called the police, Ventura testified that she wasn't ready to name Combs as she "didn't want to hurt him that way." Injury photos were shared with the jury, as Ventura claimed to have a "fat lip" and a "black eye."
Drug use
'Freak offs' lasted days, involved drug use
Ventura claimed that the "freak offs" could span days. "The longest was four days or even more with breaks," she said. She also revealed that she used drugs to cope with the sexual activities she was allegedly coerced into. "During Freak Offs, I would take [pills] all the time. If we ran out, we would call friends, drug dealers," Ventura said. The "freak offs" and heavy drug use caused her gastrointestinal problems, mouth sores, and frequent urinary tract infections.
Blackmail
Ventura alleged that Diddy recorded her sexual encounters for 'blackmail'
Ventura testified that Combs filmed her during the "freak offs" and used the footage as "blackmail material." She said she lived in fear he would release the footage in retaliation, as "he had many resources to do that." "When he was upset about something. It was just a pretty common thing," Ventura said of the threats to release the videos. "Would say he was going to release them and embarrass me and put my career in jeopardy."
Testimony details
'Sean would urinate in my mouth'
Ventura also alleged that Combs or one of the male escorts he hired for the parties "would urinate on me." She said, "Sean would urinate in my mouth—not super often but often enough." Although she didn't want to do such acts, Ventura said she was "high and in the moment," adding, "There is not a whole lot of control you have with two men standing over you peeing. I thought it was obvious I didn't want to do it."
Relationship dynamics
Rape allegation in 2018, after break-up
Ventura and Combs kept an on-again, off-again relationship until 2018. She testified, "He controlled a lot of my life," adding that she was "naive" and a "total people-pleaser" when they started dating. Even after break-up, they got together a couple of times, including one time, when Ventura claims she was raped by the 55-year-old. Out to have a "closure conversation" in August 2018, Diddy was playful and romantic at the dinner before driving Ventura home. There, he raped her.
Lawsuit
Ventura became suicidal in 2023; filed civil lawsuit
Cut to 2023, the Me & U singer testified to having become suicidal as she would have "horrible flashbacks." In November that year, she filed a civil lawsuit against the hip-hop mogul, which was settled a day later. Although this got resolved soon, it opened the gates for others to file complaints against Diddy. In court on Wednesday, Ventura revealed the settlement was for $20 million. When the defense cross-examines her the next day, this lawsuit is expected to re-emerge.