Cassie Ventura has emotionally told a New York court that she would return a $20m (£15m) legal settlement from Sean “Diddy” Combs if it meant she could erase years of drug-fuelled, violent, and humiliating sex parties with the rap mogul.
The 38-year-old singer, who is the prosecution’s star witness in the ongoing criminal trial against Combs, gave this striking testimony on Friday, closing out four harrowing days on the stand.
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Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to charges of racketeering, sex trafficking, and transporting individuals for prostitution. If convicted, he could face life in prison.
Cassie dismissed suggestions that her lawsuit, filed in November 2023 and swiftly settled with a $20 million payout, was financially motivated. Instead, she tearfully insisted she’d “give back every penny” for a life free from the “freak-offs”—the term used to describe the orchestrated sex sessions with male escorts, which she says she was coerced into under threats of violence.
“I Would Have Agency and Autonomy”
Speaking through tears, Cassie told the court the encounters—often recorded, fuelled by drugs, and sometimes lasting for days—left her physically and emotionally scarred, and derailed her music career. “I would have agency and autonomy,” she said when asked what life without the freak-offs would have looked like.
Combs’ lawyers attempted to frame the former relationship as mutually toxic but consensual, citing flirty messages and sexually explicit exchanges between the two. However, Cassie maintained she was manipulated and abused, with one text shown in court reading: “I’m not a rag doll. I’m somebody’s child.”
Graphic Abuse and Another Settlement
The trial has also revealed that Cassie is due to receive a separate $10 million settlement from InterContinental Hotels over a 2016 incident in which Combs was caught on CCTV violently assaulting her in a hotel hallway. The footage, shown at length in court this week, is considered key evidence.
Cassie described how Combs continued to exert psychological control even after the beating, and how days later, the pair were still exchanging messages of love.
Witnesses Back Cassie’s Claims
Singer Dawn Richard, once a member of Combs’ MTV girl group Danity Kane, corroborated Cassie’s abuse claims, recounting a 2009 incident at Combs’ Los Angeles mansion where she saw him assault Cassie. “She fell into a foetal position,” she said, before revealing that Combs warned her not to speak out: “People go missing where I’m from.”
Another key witness, Homeland Security agent Yasin Binda, described items seized from Combs’ hotel room during his arrest—cash, drugs, and baby oil—matching Cassie’s earlier testimony of how such items were regularly used during freak-offs.
Five Days of Explosive Testimonies: A Recap
Day 1: Prosecutors painted Combs as a violent manipulator who forced women into “freak-offs” and used blackmail to control them. A hotel security guard and a male escort took the stand.
Day 2: Cassie revealed how her relationship began when she was 22, describing brutal violence, black eyes, and degrading sexual experiences that eventually became her “job.”
Day 3: Graphic details emerged, including photos of male escorts, and testimony that Combs once threatened to blow up musician Kid Cudi’s car.
Day 4: Defence lawyers attempted to use sexually charged texts to discredit Cassie’s testimony. She admitted sending “eager” messages but said they were part of the manipulation and fear she endured.
Day 5: Defence questioning ended. Cassie confirmed another legal settlement and reiterated her feelings of being violated and controlled. Dawn Richard gave disturbing evidence of violent attacks by Combs.
Court resumes Monday at 1:30 pm UK time with more witnesses expected to be called by the prosecution. The courtroom remains under intense media scrutiny, with journalists, celebrities, and onlookers crowding outside daily to follow one of the most shocking celebrity trials in recent history.
