Cassie Ventura, the former partner of Sean “Diddy” Combs and one of his accusers, may testify as one of the initial three witnesses in the government’s sex-trafficking case against the music mogul starting as early as Monday. Ventura, who is pregnant with her third child and expected to give birth next month, is identified as “Victim 1” in the indictment but has agreed to testify under her own name. Prosecutors claim that Combs coerced her into engaging in sexual activities with male prostitutes, while Combs’ defense team argues that all interactions were consensual.
During their 11-year relationship from 2007 to 2018, the defense alleges there was mutual violence, with both parties engaging in physical altercations. They plan to address Ventura’s alleged violent behavior towards Combs, both within and outside the scope of the case, as a means to challenge the coercion claims. The judge will rule on the admissibility of this evidence on Monday. Combs has entered a plea of not guilty to charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation for prostitution, with potential life imprisonment if convicted on all counts.
Expected to be discussed in Ventura’s testimony is hotel surveillance footage from 2016 showing physical altercations between her and Combs. Despite attempts to exclude this footage, the judge ruled it admissible for trial. Combs publicly apologized for his actions in the video after it was released last year. Jury selection was ongoing, with concerns raised about prospective jurors withdrawing before opening statements on Monday. The judge dismissed two jurors from the pool, reducing it to 43, citing personal well-being and nondisclosure of an ongoing lawsuit against the city of New York as reasons.
“I have identified a potential issue that could lead to a cascading effect,” she expressed. “Furthermore, we are under time constraints on our side, and we are well aware of this deadline for next week.” Judge Subramanian specified that the group of 43 individuals will need to be present by 8:30 am on Monday morning, allowing for the commencement of opening statements at 9:30 am as initially scheduled. The trial is expected to span a duration of eight weeks. This report includes contributions from CNN’s Elizabeth Wagmeister. To access additional CNN news and newsletters, please register an account at CNN.com.
