Diddy trial recap: Jane says seeing photos of Sean Combs with Yung Miami was 'very hurtful'

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21 hours ago

This page reflects the news from Sean "Diddy" Combs' trial on Wednesday, June 11. For the latest updates from Diddy's trial, read USA TODAY's live coverage for Thursday, June 12.
This story contains graphic descriptions that some readers may find disturbing.
Attorneys for Sean "Diddy" Combs returned to the courtroom June 11 to elicit testimony from his ex-lover, "Jane," that indicates she'd freely participated in, and even encouraged, the sexual performances for Combs that she'd previously said made her feel "disgusted with myself."
On the fifth day of testimony for Jane, who's testifying under a pseudonym, was again cross-examined by Combs' lawyer, Teny Geragos. Jane explained messages from the Grammy-winning rapper that appeared to give his then-girlfriend options when it came to their "hotel nights," or sexual performances Combs allegedly orchestrated between Jane and various sex workers.
But Jane has repeatedly testified she didn't feel she had a choice but to do what she knew would make Combs happy if she wanted to keep their relationship alive.
"I was just adapting to my circumstances and my environment," and adjusting to "the pressures of my lover," Jane told the court, responding to messages where she'd agreed to sex acts. "I was going along with something I really didn't feel I could say no to."
Diddy on trial newsletter: Step inside the courtroom as music mogul faces sex-crimes charges.
The online content creator, who previously said she still loves Combs to this day, admitted she also harbors negative feelings: "I resent him for all of it," she told Geragos.
The testimony comes after Jane confirmed that when she moved homes in April 2023, Combs paid approximately $40,000 to cover rent and other costs. When Geragos asked Jane if she believed Combs would stop paying her rent, she alleged he used the payments as a control tactic.
On June 11, the possibility of a shake-up within the 12-person jury arose as prosecutors reportedly asked Judge Arun Subramanian to oust one of the jurors.
Combs, 55, was arrested in September and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty.
Before jurors were dismissed for the day, the prosecution and defense discussed the upcoming schedule.
Prosecutors expect to rest their case, or finish going through their witnesses, by Friday, June 20 – or June 18 at the earliest. The defense doesn't yet know how long their witnesses will take once it's their turn to present their case on Combs' behalf.
As Geragos presented more texts between Jane and Combs from 2023, the witness was visibly emotional and started crying on the stand.
"The feeling you are the reason for my child's joy" means more than she could explain, one of Jane's messages read. She'd added, "You are my friend, my lover, my boyfriend – even though you don't like that word – LOL but you are LOL."
It was during the reading of this message that Jane began crying, with Geragos going on to read more of Jane's texts that expressed her affection for the music mogul.
At one point, Geragos asked Jane whether Combs ever talked about his former longtime partner, Cassie Ventura Fine. Jane replied, "Here and there."
Geragos then asked Jane whether she remembers Combs calling Ventura Fine "one of his greatest loves" and also writing Ventura Fine love letters while he was high. Jane replied "yes" to both questions.
Jane mentioned that Gina and Combs "constantly had a lot of problems" – "a lot of public problems," she added – and that it caused Combs a lot of stress.
Geragos asked, "'Hotel nights' really put him at peace?" Jane replied, "Yes." Geragos then asked, "That's part of why you did them with him? To bring him that peace?"
"Yes, Jane replied.
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Reviewing a text exchange between Jane and Combs ahead of their 2023 "sobriety party" – a "hotel night" at L'Ermitage Beverly Hills that allegedly lasted 12 to 18 hours and involved having sex with three escorts – Geragos asked whether she'd agreed to do this.
"Unfortunately, yes," Jane testified. Geragos replied, "You keep saying 'Unfortunately', but didn't you agree to it?"
Jane clarified, "I resent him for knowing how much I loved him and knowing I couldn't say no to him." She added, "I resent him for all of it."
Asked whether she regrets doing that freak-off, Jane said, 'I believe resent and regret lie in the same feelings.'
Jane told the court she was jealous of Yung Miami, a rapper Combs started dating around the same time he was seeing Jane.
She said Combs took Yung Miami on her "dream vacation" to Turks and Caicos, days after Jane had spent her birthday having an alleged freak-off.
"I think after being made to have sex with three men on my birthday," it was "very hurtful" to see him taking a "beautiful" trip with another woman, Jane said. "I was extremely heartbroken."
In a message Jane read aloud in court, she alleged she was forced to participate in the sexual performance.
"I didn't wanna do all that on my birthday. I was tired and put on a good face," she said.
Geragos continued to press Jane for testimony about the time she spent with Combs outside of the alleged freak-offs at "hotel nights."
After the defense pulled up text threads in which Combs appeared to give Jane a choice of escorts – or ask whether she even wanted to have a "hotel night" – Jane indicated her actions were still not entirely voluntary.
"I was just adapting to my circumstances and my environment," and adjusting to "the pressures of my lover," Jane said. "I was going along with something I really didn't feel I could say no to."
When reminded by Geragos that Combs had gifted her a bracelet and necklace from the luxury brand Van Cleef & Arpels for her 2023 birthday in Miami, Jane claimed she'd do things to earn Combs' favor.
"I'm receiving my gift, I've taken a pill and I'm waiting for the entertainer," Jane said. "Any type of affection at this point in my life that I get from Sean, I welcome with open arms."
Jane testified that she tried to take their relationship outside of alleged escapades with escorts.
In 2023, during their stop in Miami for a make-up birthday trip for Jane, she recalled Combs made a dinner reservation at the Japanese restaurant Nobu. It was "conveniently" downstairs from the room where they were staying.
"I asked if he can please romance me outside of hotel rooms," Jane said on the stand. She asked him to consider other swanky restaurants like Carbone or Papi Steak, but he insisted on Nobu.
"Papi Steak is a good restaurant, right?" Geragos asked. "I wouldn't know," Jane said flatly. "I'm sure it is."
Reports have emerged that the prosecution is moving to have a juror removed.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey told Judge Arun Subramanian there "appeared to be a lack of candor with the court" from Juror No. 6, according to CNN and NBC News.
Alexandra Shapiro from Combs' team reportedly accused the prosecution of trying to get a Black juror dismissed. Both sides are expected to file letters detailing their respective arguments.
The issue was first brought to the judge's attention while court was in session on June 10.
BET Awards host Kevin Hart alluded to the music mogul during his opening monologue as he joked about why the show was happening on a Monday night. Hart called for "no afterparties" on a work night and said those are were things get "slippery, at them god damn afterparties."
After dropping the reference to Combs' propensity for baby oil, Hart added, "We're learning a lot about people, ain't we?"
As Combs' lawyers have questioned Jane in recent days, their cross-examination has been markedly different from Mia's cross-examination, even borderline friendly. Mia was the first woman who testified using a pseudonym in Combs' trial and also alleged sweeping abuse.
To note, Jane met with Combs' attorneys prior to the trial starting, as recently as April.
However, Jane's testimony did turn sharp at one point, when she shared she felt Combs gave other women more gifts and quality time during their relationships.
Combs' lawyer, Geragos, asked Jane how much a purse from the luxury brand Bottega Veneta costs – an apparent reference to the thousands of dollars Combs gave Jane during their relationship – and Jane shot back "How much does my body cost?"
50 Cent is looking to give President Donald Trump his two cents about Combs. In an Instagram post on May 30, the "In da Club" emcee said he would reach out to Trump after the president said he would "look at the facts" in Combs' case, suggesting a pardon could be on the table.
The rapper shared a clip of the president's comments in his post and wrote that Combs "said some really bad things about Trump," adding that he will "reach out so he knows how I feel about this guy."
A team of experienced lawyers is helping Combs defend himself against sex crimes charges.
Nicole Westmoreland of Westmoreland Law LLC, filed a notice of attorney appearance with the court last month.
Combs' defense team was already being led by attorneys Marc Agnifilo and Geragos. Agnifilo is a founding partner at Agnifilo Intrater and, according to the firm's website, has tried more than 200 cases in his 30-year career. He is a former Manhattan Assistant District Attorney.
Geragos is also a founding partner at Agnifilo Intrater and is "particularly experienced in defending and investigating allegations of sexual misconduct," according to the firm's website.
Despite videos circulating online, which appear to show artificially generated court sketches of Eddie Murphy testifying at the Combs trial, the actor hasn't been in the courtroom and isn't expected to be called as a witness.
While a specter of celebrity hangs heavy over the proceedings, many of the big names roped in have merely been name-drops from the stand by lesser-known witnesses from Combs' inner circle.
The only true "celebrities" to testify thus far have been Casandra "Cassie" Ventura Fine and Kid Cudi.
More: Who is 'Jane'? Witness faces battle for anonymity in Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial
You may have seen major celebs like Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio named during Combs' trial. But the A-list actors aren't accused of anything − they've only been mentioned in the background of events Combs attended.
For example, Mia alleged that she witnessed a 2012 discussion between Combs and Ventura Fine escalate at the premiere of a Pitt film during the Cannes Film Festival in France.
She claimed she saw Combs grit his teeth while digging his nails into Ventura Fine's arm, and he eventually insisted that Ventura Fine leave.
Mia also referenced a high-stakes poker game between Combs and DiCaprio in texts she sent him around 2020.
In one message, she wrote that Combs said, while cursing: "That 'Titanic' (guy) doesn't know (anything). He won $10,000, I won $650,000."
During cross-examination on June 10, Combs' lawyers asked Jane about times she willingly participated in hotel nights and other alleged sexual performances.
In one text exchange, Jane offered up her house for a "freak off" because she wanted to "spend time with my favorite person." In response, Combs offered for him and Paul, an escort, to "stop by."On the stand, Jane said she wanted alone time with Combs, but "that's the only option I was given. I wanted to see my lover, so I was accepting that."
More: Britney Spears, Michael B. Jordan, Rihanna: All the celebs mentioned during the Diddy trial
Jane previously testified that she recruited sex worker Sly Williams to join their alleged hotel nights after watching him in adult films.
During the June 10 hearing, she explained that she and Combs watched Williams on a pornography site in October 2021. When Jane messaged Williams, Combs was "surprised and really happy because he had never had a girl pick the guy before," she said. Jane also found another sex worker named Anton through the same site.
She alleged Williams later threatened to sell a tape of the two of them having sex and extorted her not to release it. Jane said Combs was "livid" and told her to call the police, but she didn't out of fear.
On June 10, Jane said she, Combs and one of the escorts they allegedly hired used the nickname "trifecta" when they had sex.
Jane claimed she was Kobe Bryant; Paul, the entertainer, was Shaquille O'Neal; and Combs was Michael Jordan. Jane said she frequently called Paul, the escort, her "boyfriend" and called Paul and Combs her "boys."
While being cross-examined on June 10, Jane said she became worried Combs was struggling with substance use early in their relationship while they were on a trip to Turks and Caicos. She said Combs' eyes were jaundiced, his gums were gray from alleged drug use and his hands were shaking from what she believed was alcohol withdrawal.
Jane said she suggested they go to Thailand, where there was a facility with a 30-day program, to which Combs allegedly responded, "What the hell, you think I need rehab?"
"I felt that I encountered somebody that was overdoing the partying," Jane said, adding she would now call Combs a drug addict. She said she wanted "him to get back to his natural form and natural state."
Combs' attorneys have once again had their push for a mistrial in his sex-crimes case denied.
The embattled music mogul's legal team's latest request for a mistrial has been rejected by Judge Arun Subramanian. Combs' lawyers had renewed a motion for a mistrial due to alleged prosecutorial misconduct in a letter to the judge dated June 7.
Combs' lawyers' latest push for a mistrial centered around testimony from Bryana "Bana" Bongolan, a friend of Ventura Fine. Bongolan testified about an incident where Combs allegedly held her up on a balcony in Ventura Fine's Los Angeles apartment in September 2016.
Combs is facing federal sex-crimes and trafficking charges in a sprawling case that has eroded his status as a power player and kingmaker in the entertainment industry.
He was arrested in September 2024 and later charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. The rapper has pleaded not guilty to the five counts against him.
Racketeering is the participation in an illegal scheme under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Statute, or RICO, as a way for the U.S. government to prosecute organizations that contribute to criminal activity.
Using RICO law, which is typically aimed at targeting multi-person criminal organizations, prosecutors allege that Combs coerced victims, some of whom they say were sex workers, through intimidation and narcotics to participate in "freak offs" — sometimes dayslong sex performances that federal prosecutors allege they have video of.
The trial will not be televised, as cameras are typically not allowed in federal criminal trial proceedings.
USA TODAY will be reporting live from the courtroom. Sign up for our newsletter for more updates.
Contributing: USA TODAY staff
If you are a survivor of sexual assault, RAINN offers support through the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and en Español RAINN.org/es.
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text "START" to 88788.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Diddy trial recap: Jane testifies he forced her to have sex with 3 men