Diddy trial live updates: Cassie told Combs 'I'm not a rag doll' - as hip-hop mogul's ex-partner is questioned
16:07:21
Cassie opens up on treatment for trauma and drug addiction
The line of questioning moves on to Cassie's use of drugs, and she tells the court she has been taking Suboxone for an opioid addiction since 2022.
The prescription medication is a combination drug containing Buprenorphine and Naloxone.
Cassie says she sought further help as an inpatient at Willow House, a rehabilitation centre in Arizona, in 2023.
She describes receiving EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) treatment once a week during her 45-day stay.
Cassie says it helps "recount memories" and "process them", adding: "They hook you up to a machine, and it regulates your brain waves… it lets you complete a trauma that [you] cut off."
The rehabilitation centre describes itself as offering "inpatient treatment for women experiencing a wide range of sex and intimacy issues including love addiction, sexual compulsivity, unhealthy relationship patterns, sexual trauma, toxic relationships, and co-occurring mental health and substance abuse issues".
Cassie says she wasn't treated for sex or love addiction.
15:58:36
In pictures: Diddy's sons arrive at court
As today's hearing continues - and we will keep bringing you the latest - pictures have recently come in of Diddy's family arriving at court.
His sons, Christian and Justin Dior, are there now, with his family showing up again as they have on every other day of the trial.
15:48:06
Concern over use of escorts from TV show called Gigolos
An escort service used by Sean Combs for his parties - Cowboys 4 Angels - is discussed, and the fact it appeared in a TV show called Gigolos.
Cassie agrees she had been concerned that escorts involved in the Showtime programme had also been invited to freak offs, and that there was the risk of details of the parties becoming more widely known.
When asked about one escort who was featured, and if they had been invited to a freak off, Cassie says: "I have never seen the show, so I don't know".
15:40:12
Cassie heard saying in audio recording: 'I will f*** you up and it won't be my hand'
Estevao asks about Cassie learning of a recording of her out in the public, and her concern "it might have been a freak off".
Estevao says one of Combs's security staff was with her in Sedona, Arizona at the time, which was a trip "to take a break from drugs and partying".
Cassie agrees Combs was encouraging her "to get to the bottom of it".
A conversation is then played to the court of Cassie appearing to threaten a man she believes may have the video. Cassie asks him if he has it on his phone, and then threatens him when he doesn't show her.
She is heard saying: "Where is it? You are telling me nothing right now, you have it, or you don't have it? I want to f***ing see that, it is my f***ing life and I will kill you… if you have it, pull it up, or I will kill you and he will kill you again, I am tired of you talking s***."
She goes on to accuse the man of "playing games", adding "I will kill you, I have never killed someone in my life, but you are f***ing with me and my life now, I would show you the video, you are playing games because you said you saw the video, I will f*** you up and it won't be my hand".
Estevao goes on to say Combs "spent time and money" to make the problem of the recording "go away". Cassie says she doesn't know the details.
15:18:12
Cassie denies dance with Chris Brown - as Diddy 'ran off' with her phone
Estevao movies on to an incident in which Combs is said to have believed Cassie was cheating on him in August 2018, and Cassie answers "the relationship was over by then".
When asked how Combs learned of the relationship, Cassie says she's not sure, and says: "We were not in a great place. I was dating someone else. I am not sure how he found out, he grabbed my phone, and ran out of the car."
Cassie says Combs then ran off with her phone and was gone "for a couple of hours", later speaking with the man she was dating, who is described as "a professional NFL player".
Estevao uses the word "cheating" in her description of the relationship, which Cassie says is incorrect as it was "a boyfriend girlfriend relationship" between her and her new partner.
Cassie is then asked about a time she was "dancing with Chris Brown", answering "I don't remember it", adding she wasn't dancing with the singer.
At this point the prosecution objects, and the line of questioning moves on, with Cassie confirming there were other occasions when Combs "took my phone, my car, my watch" when he was angry with her.
14:57:40
Cassie told Diddy: 'I'm not a ragdoll'
Cassie Ventura is back on the stand, and the defence's cross-examination continues.
Defence attorney Anna Estevao picks up her line of questioning, asking about the period around the incident at the InterContinental in March 2016.
This is when the hip-hop mogul allegedly attacked Ventura as she tried to leave during a "freak off" sex session.
Estevao asks about Sean "Diddy" Combs's drug use at that time, and Cassie says she believes he was "intoxicated" while at the hotel.
The court is shown a text Cassie sent to Combs on 10 March, 2016, in which she says: "When you get f***ed up the wrong way, you always want to show me you have the power to knock me around, I am not a rag doll, I am someone's child."
14:34:24
Court is in session
Proceedings have now begun for the fifth day - we'll have the latest here.
Cassie is now returning and taking to the stand, the jury is about to enter as well.
14:24:01
In pictures: Queue forms outside court as Cassie's husband arrives
Alex Fine, Cassie's husband, has been pictured arriving at the Manhattan court, along with Marc Agnifilo from the defence team.
As has been the case on each day of this trial, people from the public have been queueing to get inside.
14:14:07
What happened yesterday?
Cassie will return to the stand shortly, as Sean 'Diddy' Combs's defence team cross-examines her for a second day.
They started yesterday, so here's a reminder of what happened in court:
Combs's defence lawyer Anna Estevao began with questions about their relationship, asking Cassie if she loved the rapper and if she knew a version of him the public didn't - to which she said yes;
Text messages between the couple, who were together for around 11 years from 2007, were the focus of much of this hearing;
Combs called her "babygirl" and said "I love you so much it makes me cry" in messages from 2009, while Cassie said "I love you so much I can't wait till we don't care anymore";
Questioning then turned to the "freak offs" we have heard so much about at the trial so far - sessions during which Diddy paid male escorts to have sex with Cassie while he watched;
Sexually explicit messages showed her express enthusiasm about the freak offs she has alleged she was forced into;
"Can't wait," Cassie said in one text message, talking about taking part in a freak off; in another message, Combs told her he was "horny" and she replied: "Omg I was just about to text you the same thing";
But in a later message, she said a freak off had made her feel "grimy" and "dirty";
Diddy's lawyers painted his sexual preferences as part of a "swingers" lifestyle that has been mentioned previously at trial, saying people might not agree with it, but it does not make him guilty of sex trafficking;
Cassie's relationship with Kid Cudi and Diddy's with Kim Porter, the late mother of four of his children, were discussed, with Cassie admitting she was jealous of Kim;
Cassie alleged Diddy was "addicted to opiates and used ecstasy, MDMA and cocaine" and recalled an occasion where he overdosed on opiates at the Playboy Mansion;
The witness also told the court there were never any drugs in the baby oil used during freak offs after Combs was accused in a lawsuit last year of spiking the lubricant with GHB.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
22 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Dressage rider left in a wheelchair after pack of dogs let off the lead by their walker spooked her horse wins £500k payout
A top dressage rider who was left in a wheelchair after a horrific accident caused by out of control dogs has won £500,000 in damages. Melissa Smith, a former international grand prix competitor, was riding her horse along a bridlepath in Surrey when two dogs being walked off the lead by a professional dog walker suddenly spooked her mare - causing it to rear up and fall on top of her. The devastating incident left the 40-year-old with a broken pelvis, broken back and serious head injury, and she had to be airlifted to hospital where doctors warned her the injuries were life-threatening. The terrifying fall left her unable to walk and confined to a wheelchair for months but determined Melissa battled back through multiple surgeries and two years of grueling rehab, and has even managed to get back in the saddle. Now, after a lengthy legal fight, she's been awarded half a million pounds in compensation and a court ruling which could have serious implications for dog walkers across the country. The accident happened in December 2018, when Ms Smith, who ran a livery yard and trained dressage horses, was out riding her eight-year-old mare Lorentina, affectionately known as Loti, on Crooksbury Common in Surrey. She encountered dog walker Diane Worth, who was out with four dogs, and warned her to keep them under control. Ms Worth managed to put two of the animals back on the lead, but two others, a black cockapoo named Buddy and a white cavapoochon named Harley, ignored her commands and ran free. As the dogs darted around her horse, Ms Smith again warned: 'Although my horse is good with dogs, their walker should not let them get behind her horse in case it kicked out.' Moments later, disaster struck. The startled horse reared up and threw Ms Smith to the ground, then fell on top of her, crushing her beneath its body. Speaking this week, Ms Smith told The Telegraph: 'The horse I was riding was badly frightened by the loose dogs and she fell on top of me, crushing me, becoming stuck with her legs up in the air. 'She managed to get up but I knew I was very seriously injured. I was taken by air ambulance to St George's where I was told I had life-threatening injuries, needed emergency surgery and would need two years' rehabilitation to recover.' Ms Smith took legal action against the dog walker, suing for negligence. The case went to court in 2023 after Ms Worth's insurance company disputed liability but the judge ruled in Melissa's favour, concluding she had suffered because of the dog walker's failure to keep the animals under control. Judge Jonathan Simpkiss found that something must have spooked the usually calm horse to cause her to rear and said it could 'only have been the dogs' behaviour.' He added: 'With the benefit of hindsight, one can easily see that if all four dogs had been on leads, this accident would probably not have happened.' One of the dogs, Harley, had reportedly been described by its owners as able to walk off the lead, 'but may chase other wildlife.' The judge said this should have included horses unless it was specifically noted that the dog was used to them. He ruled that it was foreseeable that if a dog ran loose near a horse, it could frighten the animal and the risk of a rider being seriously injured was significant. Ms Worth, he said, should have known that horses were regularly ridden on the common and ought to have anticipated such a risk. He found her liable, saying her failure to take reasonable steps to prevent the risk had caused the accident. Ms Worth admitted in court that she had lost control of Buddy and Harley. Her legal team had tried to argue that Ms Smith herself was partly to blame, saying her horse had been 'pawing' the ground and snorting, but the judge dismissed the claim, adding that the rider had been 'experienced and highly competent' and had been in control until the moment the horse reared. An allegation that Ms Smith should not have been riding in an area used by dog walkers, despite it being a public bridlepath, was withdrawn during proceedings. Melissa's solicitor Mary Ann Charles, from equestrian law specialists Shaw & Co, who is also a rider herself, said the accident should never have happened. She said: 'It's not an accident that should have happened. There's a lack of understanding that this risk exists. 'The person on the horse usually understands but the person with the dog doesn't necessarily. They're concerned about the welfare of the dog, not really thinking about the welfare of the people they're encountering.'
The Independent
36 minutes ago
- The Independent
A runaway pet zebra has been captured in Tennessee
A runaway pet zebra that was on the loose for more than a week in Tennessee and became an internet sensation in the process was captured Sunday, authorities said. Ed the Zebra was captured safely after being located in a pasture near a subdivision in the Christiana community in central Tennessee, the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office confirmed. The sheriff's office said aviation crews captured the zebra. 'Ed was airlifted and flown by helicopter back to a waiting animal trailer,' the sheriff's office said in a statement. Video posted by the sheriff's office shows Ed wrapped in a net with his head sticking out as he is carried by the helicopter to the trailer. Ed arrived in Christiana on May 30, the sheriff's office said. His owner reported him missing the next day. The zebra was spotted and filmed running along Interstate 24, forcing deputies to shut the roadway. But Ed escaped into a wooded area. There were several sightings posted to social media. Ed was filmed trotting through a neighborhood. The zebra quickly became the subject of internet memes. One fake posting showed Ed dining at a Waffle House, a southern staple. Others had him visiting other Tennessee cities or panhandling on the side of the road.
Reuters
41 minutes ago
- Reuters
National Guard deployed in Los Angeles amid protests against immigration raids
LOS ANGELES, June 8 (Reuters) - California National Guard arrived in Los Angeles on Sunday, deployed by President Donald Trump after two days of protests by hundreds of demonstrators against immigration raids carried out as part of Trump's hardline policy. About a dozen National Guard members were seen in video footage on Sunday morning lining up at a federal building in downtown Los Angeles, where detainees from immigration raids on Friday were taken, sparking protests that continued on Saturday. The complex is near Los Angeles City Hall, where another protest against the immigration raids is scheduled for Sunday afternoon. U.S. Northern Command confirmed National Guard troops had started deploying and that some were already on the ground. "These Radical Left protests, by instigators and often paid troublemakers, will NOT BE TOLERATED," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform early on Sunday. California Governor Gavin Newsom has accused Trump of deploying the National Guard because he wants "a spectacle." Footage showed at least a half dozen military-style vehicles and riot shields on Sunday at the federal building where the Department of Homeland Security said about "1,000 rioters" had protested on Friday. Reuters could not verify the DHS account. On Saturday law enforcement faced off against a few hundred protesters in Paramount in southeast Los Angeles and then later on Saturday with about 100 people in downtown Los Angeles, according to Reuters witnesses. Federal law enforcement was seen firing gas canisters in Paramount and downtown Los Angeles on Saturday to try and disperse protesters. The Los Angeles Police Department arrested 27 people on Saturday for failure to disperse from the downtown protest, police spokesperson Norma Eisenman said. She said she could not comment on whether LAPD used less lethal force. Less lethal force refers to crowd control tactics such as pepper balls. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department arrested three people on Saturday on suspicion of assaulting an officer. Sheriff's deputies did use "less lethal force" in Paramount, spokesperson Deputy Brenda Serna said, but she could not specify which exact tactics were used. The protests pit Democratic-run Los Angeles, where census data suggests a significant part of the population is Hispanic and foreign-born, against Trump's Republican White House, which has made an immigration crackdown a hallmark of his second term. Trump in a presidential memorandum on Saturday said he was deploying at least 2,000 National Guard personnel following what he described as "numerous incidents of violence and disorder" in response to the enforcement of federal immigration law, as well as "credible threats of continued violence." Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has also warned that the Pentagon was prepared to mobilize active-duty troops "if violence continues" in Los Angeles, saying the Marines at nearby Camp Pendleton were "on high alert." "There is plenty of room for peaceful protest, but ZERO tolerance for attacking federal agents who are doing their job. The National Guard, and Marines if need be, stand with ICE," Hegseth said in a social media post on Sunday, referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Democratic Congresswoman Nanette Barragan, whose California district includes Paramount, on Sunday criticized the president's decision to deploy National Guard troops, arguing that local law enforcement has adequate resources to respond. "We don't need the help. This is him escalating it, causing tensions to rise. It's only going to make things worse in a situation where people are already angry over immigration enforcement," Barragan told CNN's "State of the Union." Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday that the National Guard would provide safety around buildings, to people engaged in peaceful protest and to law enforcement. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Los Angeles on Friday arrested at least 44 people on alleged immigration violations. Trump has pledged to deport record numbers of people in the country illegally and lock down the U.S.-Mexico border, setting a goal for ICE to arrest at least 3,000 migrants per day. But the sweeping immigration crackdown has also included people legally residing in the country, some with permanent residence, and has led to legal challenges.
