Diddy trial live: Former assistant says rapper sexually assaulted her - after stylist recalls 'attack'

Sky News

5 days ago

Alleged victim had breakdown after working for five days without sleep, court hears
Prosecutor Madison Smyser asks Mia about how she got the job working for Sean Combs.
She says she had several interviews, including one to meet the rapper at his apartment – when he allegedly opened the door in his underwear before later putting clothes on.
There was a trial period, she says, and on her first day she ended up working through the night until 1pm the following day.
Asked how much sleep she had in her first 24 hours, Mia replies: "I didn't." She says she felt it was like a "challenge" for her trial period, "it was kind of like how it is".
Smyser asks her for details of the longest period she had without sleep, and she tells the court: "Five days. We were travelling... there was always things going on."
Mia says she was taking a prescription drug which would "allow me to function without sleep".
She says she eventually had a physical breakdown and her hearing went. "It felt like I was underwater," she says. At that point, she says Combs allowed her to sleep.
'Mia' tells court Diddy sexually assaulted her
'Mia', one of Combs's former assistants, is on the stand. Madison Smyser is asking questions for the prosecution.
She tells the court where she is from and says she knows Sean Combs by his various names – he has been known as Puff Daddy, P Diddy, Diddy and Love over the years – but that she called him Puff.
Mia says she was employed by Combs for several years and describes the environment as "chaotic" and "toxic".
Working for the hip-hop mogul could also be exciting, she says, and the "highs were really high" – but equally, "the lows were really low".
Mia continues: "Puff's mood determined the environment, he threw things at me, threw me against the wall, threw me in the pool."
She says he also sexually assaulted her.
Asked if this was on one occasion or more, she replies: "More than one occasion."
Alleged victim 'Mia' called to witness stand
The prosecution is now calling alleged victim "Mia" to the witness stand.
Judge Arub Subramanian tells jurors she is using a pseudonym to protect her privacy.
This does not give her testimony any greater or lesser weight, he tells them, adding that no one should document details of her in notes or sketches.
Stylist reached out to Diddy after death of Kim Porter, court hears
Defence lawyer Xavier Donaldson is now asking stylist Deonte Nash about the late Kim Porter, who was also a long-term partner of Sean Combs.
They were together from about 1994 to 2007, which is when he started seeing Cassie.
Combs and Porter had three children together, and he also raised and adopted her oldest son, Quincy – who has been in court for parts of the trial, along with some of the rapper's other children.
Porter died of pneumonia in 2018.
Nash is asked if he was aware how close Combs and Porter were. "Absolutely," he responds.
When she died, Nash confirms he reached out to Combs to say he was there for him and called to make sure he was okay.
Donaldson finishes with his cross-examination after some frustration from Judge Arun Subramanian over his slow pace.
'I was exhausted,' Cassie's stylist friend says, when asked about reaction to 'freak off' plans
Deonte Nash, a celebrity stylist and friend of Cassie's, is now being asked about New Year's Eve in 2016.
He was with Sean "Diddy" Combs and Cassie in Las Vegas, the court hears, and at one point he and Cassie returned to their hotel and went back to her room.
"Just enjoying yourself," defence attorney Xavier Donaldson asks. "Correct," Nash replies.
He confirms Cassie then told him to leave the room as a man was coming over.
Donaldson: "Your reaction was a sigh?"
Nash: "Yes"
Donaldson: "You didn't say, 'What are you doing, girl?'"
Nash: "No, I was exhausted."
He adds he did not see Cassie immediately after this as she and Combs then travelled to Mexico.
Cassie kept 'freak offs' from stylist friend for several years, court hears
The defence's cross-examination of stylist Deonte Nash now goes back to the alleged violent incident mentioned earlier (14.38 post), in which Cassie cut her head.
Nash apparently saw alleged victim "Mia" video calling Cassie on Facetime and saw she had a black eye, attorney Xavier Donaldson says.
"Yes," the stylist replies.
Asked if he saw a picture or a video, he says no, but he "saw it in person, when her make-up wears off you can see it". Cassie had a press event about a week later, he adds.
Donaldson then returns to Nash's testimony about a time in 2013 when Ventura told him that sex videos Combs was allegedly threatening to release publicly showed her with other men.
Cassie has accused Combs of forcing and coercing her into "freak offs", sexual encounters with male escorts, and claims he filmed them and made threats about the footage.
Yesterday, the court heard that prior to 2013, Nash had told Cassie not to worry, as he thought Combs was also in the footage and therefore wouldn't jeopardise his own reputation.
Nash, who has been friends with Cassie since 2008, confirms this was the first time he learnt she was having sex with other men.
"That part of her life she kept from you?" Donaldson asks.
"Yes," Nash replies.
Stylist tells court he set Cassie up with actor Michael B Jordan
Stylist Deonte Nash now confirms he has been friends with Cassie for 15 years and speaks to her every day.
He tells the court that he knows of Kid Cudi – the rapper Cassie had a brief relationship with in 2011 – but he did not know the romance overlapped with Cassie's on-off relationship with Sean Combs.
He says Cassie did not tell him that she and Combs had broken up, but "people on the team said it".
Questioning by defence lawyer Xavier Donaldson now turns to 2015, when Cassie spent time in South Africa to shoot a film. "Mia", another alleged victim who will testify later today, was also there.
Another stylist saw Diddy with another woman in Miami at around this time, the court hears.
Nash tells jurors that when Cassie heard, she said something like: "Why is he out humiliating me, trying to ruin my career?"
Donaldson then asks about the actor Michael B Jordan, star of Black Panther and the Creed films, whose name has come up previously during the trial.
"Yes, I did hook her up with Michael B Jordan," Nash says. "I know where we're going with this. He's fine, she's fine. I mean, why not?"
Nash, who has been reminded by Judge Arun Subramanian to stick to answering the questions put to him, says Cassie was not with Diddy at this point.
Donaldson also asks about another of Cassie's relationships, which Nash says at first that he doesn't know anything about.
Then he adds: "Oh, the cute football player? Yes."
This was close to 2017, he says.
Stylist explains why he didn't give full details of alleged attack on Cassie by Diddy
Attorney Xavier Donaldson is asking questions for the defence and starts by checking how stylist Deonte Nash is doing.
"Blessed," he replies.
The cross-examination turns to Capricorn Clark, a former employee of Sean "Diddy" Combs, who gave evidence on Tuesday.
Clark alleged that in 2011, Diddy kidnapped her at gunpoint when he went to confront rival rapper Kid Cudi after learning he had been seeing his then on-off partner Cassie.
Nash says he "learned a lot from" Clark while she was employed at Diddy's Bad Boy Records and that they worked together in 2016 for Cassie's song Love A Loser, which was released in 2017.
Asked about Cassie's styling around that time, Nash says it was "curated" and that they needed approval from Diddy, which they got.
Donaldson then asks about an incident in which Cassie "suffered a gash on her head", which came up during Nash's evidence yesterday.
The stylist said he was at Cassie's apartment, helping her pack for a music festival, when Diddy stormed in, grabbed her by the hair, pulled her off a couch and hit her repeatedly. Mr Nash said he and alleged victim Mia – set to give evidence later – jumped on the rapper's back in an attempt to get him to stop.
Donaldson asks Nash to confirm he saw Cassie hit her head on a bed frame and he confirms he did. Asked if Diddy "kept kicking her", he replies: "Yes."
The defence lawyer says Nash met with the government many times when questioned about this case, but never mentioned the kicking.
"They didn't ask," Nash replies. He says he gave as little information as possible and only answered what he was asked.
Remember, he has been subpoenaed – legally ordered – to give evidence in court.
Stylist Deonte Nash returns to the stand
After further legal discussions, stylist Deonte Nash is now returning to the stand to give evidence.
Today he is wearing a white shirt, a jacket and a large pair of jeans. Sean "Diddy" Combs is wearing a cream sweater over a white shirt.
The plan was for Nash's evidence to finish yesterday but cross-examination took longer than anticipated.
Nash has been subpoenaed to give evidence – meaning he is there following a legal order – and he made it clear yesterday it was not his choice to be in court.
Jurors now hear he has a flight at 2pm New York time – 7pm here in the UK – and prosecutor Maurene Comey says she hopes he can make it.
Motion to strike expert witness testimony denied by judge
Before the trial resumes hearing evidence, there are a few legal matters to tend to.
A motion was made by the defence to strike testimony given by psychologist Dawn Hughes last week – which Judge Arun Subramanian has now denied.
She told the court victims of abuse often experience a "low sense of self" and tend to stay with abusers because they yearn for the love and compassion experienced in a relationship's early "honeymoon phase".
Hughes, who appeared as an expert witness – meaning she has specialised knowledge in her particular field but is not involved directly in the case – also explained how a victim's memory can sometimes become jumbled; retaining awareness of abuse, but mixing up details.
She did not examine Cassie or Combs, the court heard.
The defence's argument that her testimony was "pseudoscience" was rejected by the judge.