15 May 2025

Summary

• Sean “Diddy” Combs’ lawyers have spent the day questioning R&B singer Casandra Ventura, known as Cassie, for the first time in his sex-trafficking trial
• Warning: Readers may find some details distressing
• Cassie is the prosecution’s key witness and has testified over three days with graphic details of alleged sexual and physical abuse at the hands of Combs
• Defence lawyers have tried to poke holes in Cassie’s testimony, which is likely to continue for much of Friday
• The judge vented “in what universe…” at Diddy’s lawyers when they suggested the eight-months pregnant Cassie may need to testify into next week
• Combs faces charges of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution
• The 55-year-old denies all charges. If found guilty, he could spend the rest of his life in prison
• Listen to the BBC’s Diddy on Trial podcast

Live Reporting

Edited by Caitlin Wilson with Madeline Halpert and Sakshi Venkatraman in court

1. We are pausing our live coveragepublished at 02:1702:17Image source,Jane Rosenberg / ReutersImage caption,Sean “Diddy” Combs listens as lawyer Anna Estevao cross-examines Casandra “Cassie” VenturaDay four of Diddy’s sex trafficking trial has ended. It was the third straight day the court saw Cassie Ventura in the witness box. This time, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ attorneys were cross examining her and her testimony for the prosecution.Here’s what’s happened:
   • Lawyer Anna Estevao asked Ventura about the more loving side of the pair’s time together, after Ventura testified over the last two days about alleged violence and abuse
   • In court, text messages and emails between Combs and Ventura were shown that appear to show Cassie was enthusiastic about the so-called “freak-offs” plans. “Freak-offs” were sexual encounters in which male escorts were paid to have sex with Ventura while Combs watched, directed, and filmed
   • Prosecutors have alleged Combs coerced Ventura into participating and blackmailed her with the recordings. Combs’ lawyers hope the messages will help them establish to the jury the “freak-offs” were consensual
   • The court heard about the couple’s topsy-turvy, on-and-off relationship that spanned about 11 years and about drug taking by both Ventura and Combs
   • Now we wait to see if Ventura will be on the witness stand beyond Friday. Judge Arun Subramanian signalled his frustration after defence lawyers said Ventura, who is about eight months pregnant, will continue to be cross examined next week

   We are pausing our coverage of today’s proceedings. The BBC’s Diddy on Trial podcast has followed every twist and turn in the rapper’s case since November 2024.Now we’re bringing you all the updates straight from court in New York.You can listen to the podcast on BBC Sounds or watch on our YouTube channel, external.Share

2. People already in queue for tomorrow’s cross examinationpublished at 00:2400:24Pratiksha Ghildial
   Reporting from courtCourt has wrapped up for today but the line to get in tomorrow morning is already taking shape.Outside the federal courthouse, about 15 line sitters are already here to queue overnight. They line up in exchange for a fee.Robert Samuels, the CEO of Same Ole Line Dudes, takes great pride in the work his employees do, seeing it as a form of public service.“We line sit not only for big media companies but also for others,” he told the BBC. “We help the media bring essential news to the public.”He says that the interest in high-profile cases means sometimes his staff lines up the day before and takes adequate precautions for safety and well-being.Since the trial began this week, others have joined long lines, sometimes in the rain, just to get a glimpse of the action in the courtroom.Share
3. Legal experts tell BBC, Diddy’s defence today was effectivepublished at 23:38 15 May23:38 15 MayNada Tawfik
   Reporting from courtTwo legal analysts I spoke with gave me their impressions of the defence’s cross examination.Former federal prosecutor Sarah Krissoff felt Anna Estevao took the right tone, chipping away at the government’s legal theories without appearing too aggressive and turning off the jury.She said while it may seem tedious to go through years of text messages, the presentation was an effective way to get Diddy’s narrative in, through Cassie’s own words.She said the defence was trying to show jurors that it was a toxic, violent, and complicated relationship – but not a case of racketeering or sex trafficking.Former trial lawyer Terry Austin also thought the defence did a good job of arguing that Cassie was in control, consented and benefitted from the relationship.Share
4. Three days of testimony down for Cassie – and likely one more to gopublished at 23:10 15 May23:10 15 MaySakshi Venkatraman
   Reporting from courtWe’ve just wrapped up another day in court, where Cassie Ventura sat on the stand for a seven-hour cross-questioning that will also take most of the day tomorrow.The defence has said they will likely need another full day to complete their questions before Ventura is redirected back to prosecutors, who said they will need 30 minutes more to finish questioning her.Judge Arun Subramanian, who appeared to get irritated at lawyers from both sides at times, asserted to the defence that Ventura needs to be off the stand by the weekend. Prosecutors have said they worry Ventura – who is around eight months pregnant – could give birth at any time, even over weekend.Today’s testimony was mostly focused on topics Ventura has already told the court about, with the defence seeking to undermine her previous narrative. The defence presented dozens of messages between Ventura and Sean Combs in an effort to show the R&B singer was a willing participant in the “freak-offs” and sometimes initiated them.Questioning also focused on drug use by Ventura and Combs, implying Combs’ alleged violence centred around being intoxicated and going through withdrawal, rather than any sex-trafficking.It’s likely the cross-examination will continue for most of the day tomorrow, which would be Cassie’s fourth day on the stand.Share
5. Diddy’s family leaves courtpublished at 22:27 15 May22:27 15 MayWe’ve just seen members of Combs’ family leave the courthouse in lower Manhattan before getting into a van.Various members of Combs’ family, including six of his seven children and his mother, have appeared in court every day this week so far.Share
6. Testimony ends for the daypublished at 22:08 15 May22:08 15 MayCassie Ventura’s testimony has just ended for the day, and the jury has been dismissed, according to reporters inside court.Combs’ legal team is expected to continue Ventura’s cross-examination tomorrow.Share
7. Defence questions Ventura’s credibilitypublished at 21:18 15 May21:18 15 MayMadeline Halpert
   Reporting from courtWe have just taken a 10-minute break after a long round of questioning about drug use in the couple’s relationship.At certain points, Combs’ defence lawyer Estevao has tried to undermine Ventura’s credibility.When discussing an episode in which Combs allegedly hit Ventura’s friend Kerry Morgan in the head with a wooden hanger, Estevao accuses Ventura of telling law enforcement a different story about what happened.Ventura clarifies that she only heard screaming from the bathroom and then saw the aftermath of the incident, and insists her story has not changed much.It’s been a scattered round of questions from the defence team, as they face pressure from the judge to finish their cross-examination by tomorrow afternoon.Share
8. Defence focuses on Cassie and Diddy’s drug usepublished at 21:12 15 May21:12 15 MaySakshi Venkatraman
   Reporting from courtThe subject on the table right now is Ventura and Combs’ use of drugs and alcohol throughout their relationship.When talking about the so-called “freak-offs”, Diddy’s lawyer Anna Estevao referred to it as a “special time” for the two to do drugs in a “safe” environment.Estevao keeps circling back to drugs as a way to question Ventura’s recollection of events.”But you were on drugs, right?” has been a common response from Estevao to Ventura’s descriptions about the abuse she says she faced.Estevao also suggests that Combs was concerned about Ventura’s drug use and was trying to get her help.Ventura says more often than not Combs was the one encouraging that behaviour and doing drugs with her.Estevao also suggests Ventura was taking drugs from Combs at the 2012 Cannes film festival in France, prompting his violence.”You were an addict, that’s why you took drugs from him,” the lawyer says.”I didn’t. He suspected I did,” Ventura responds.Share
9. How long could Diddy spend in jail if he is found guilty?published at 20:45 15 May20:45 15 MayIf convicted on the racketeering charge, Combs faces up to life in prison.He faces another statutory minimum sentence of 15 years if he is found guilty of sex trafficking.Transportation for purposes of prostitution carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.Combs has denied all charges against him.Share
10. Cassie tells court of prior relationshipspublished at 20:22 15 May20:22 15 MayMadeline Halpert
    Reporting from courtIt’s been an afternoon filled with celebrity names, and accusations of infidelity.Combs’ attorney Anna Estevao has been continuing to push her argument that both Combs and Ventura acted out of jealousy in their relationship.After going through Ventura’s brief relationship with rapper Kid Cudi again – and how enraged it made Combs – she brings up another one of Ventura’s relationships.It was 2015, and Ventura was in South Africa filming the movie Honey 3 – Dare to Dance. Ventura saw a photo of Combs out with a woman named Gina, whom he told Ventura in the past he was not dating.So Ventura broke up with Combs and blocked him, beginning to date actor Michael B. Jordan soon after, Ventura tells the court in response to Estevao’s direct questions about it.All these questions are likely a part of Combs’ attorneys’ larger argument that their client wasn’t using violence to coerce Ventura into sexual acts, but was acting out of jealousy over perceived infidelities.Share
11. Sketch shows Diddy’s lawyer questioning Cassie Venturapublished at 19:56 15 May19:56 15 MayImage source,Jane Rosenberg / ReutersA new court sketch by artist Jane Rosenberg shows Diddy’s lawyer Anna Estevao questioning Cassie Ventura. They are seen reviewing one of several text messages between Cassie and Diddy. It reads: “Pop Pop I really miss you”.Earlier in her testimony, Ventura told the court that Combs once asked what she called her grandfather, and that he then asked her to call him that name too – “Pop Pop”.As a reminder, photography and videography is not allowed in the US federal court in New York, but we can get a glimpse inside via these court sketches.Share
12. Diddy trial draws influencers and streamerspublished at 19:45 15 May19:45 15 MayNada Tawfik
    Reporting from courtImage source,ReutersImage caption,Streamers produce content outside the federal courtDiddy’s trial has attracted a lot of personalities.A few of his supporters regularly turn up, blasting his music from their phones or cars as they drive by the courthouse.Others yell out “Free Diddy”, including from right behind me while I’m on air talking about the case.During court breaks, lines of influencers can be seen recording their hot takes on the testimony.And inside the courthouse, ithas been a little different from past trials I’ve covered.We have already had a few times where court staff threw out disruptive people from the overflow rooms where journalists and the public can watch proceedings on a monitor.At one point, we were straining to hear important testimony while a security guard tried to kick out a very vocal and combative woman.Share
13. Cassie questioned about jealousy in her relationship with Diddypublished at 19:35 15 May19:35 15 MaySakshi Venkatraman
    Reporting from courtCassie Ventura admits she would get “insanely jealous” when she’d see Sean “Diddy” Combs with another woman.Defence lawyer Anna Estevao asks if she was jealous when Combs spent time with Kim Porter, his former partner and the mother of his twin daughters and one of his sons.Ventura says she was jealous at times, and that he cheated on her frequently with other women.The defence asks if Combs ever got suspicious that she was with another man.She said yes, and when he was jealous it was “a little scary”.Share
14. Defence continue to read through chunks of text messagespublished at 19:22 15 May19:22 15 MaySakshi Venkatraman
    Reporting from courtThe defence team is reviewing dozens of messages between Combs and Ventura.They highlight messages from Combs which seemingly give Ventura the option not to participate, including one that said, “if you’re not into that, no problem”.The defence is also trying to build the narrative that Ventura often said yes to the so-called “freak-offs”. One section of communication read in court is about Ventura going to pick up supplies from a sex store.Ventura seems agitated with some of the questioning.”This isn’t about what I feel is relevant at all right? Because there’s a lot that we skipped over,” she says in response to one message thread being read out in chunks.She’s repeatedly said she did not want to partake in the “freak-offs” during her prior testimony.Share
15. Listen to the BBC’s Diddy on Trial podcastpublished at 19:03 15 May19:03 15 MayAnoushka Mutanda-Dougherty
    Podcast host, Diddy on TrialThe BBC’s Diddy on Trial podcast has followed every twist and turn in Diddy’s case since November 2024.From bombshell balcony dangling allegations, to featuring in a Kanye West track behind bars, and Diddy accusing the federal government of racism – there have been headline-making moments every week… and that’s before the trial even started.Now we’re bringing you all the updates straight from court in New York.You can listen to the podcast on BBC Sounds or watch on our YouTube channel, external.Share
16. Ventura says text messages were ‘just words at that point’published at 18:43 15 May18:43 15 MayMadeline Halpert
    Reporting from courtWarning: Readers may find some details distressingCassie Ventura is on the witness stand again, answering questions from the defence team carefully and softly.We are back on the subject of the so-called “freak-offs”, and the defence is pulling up several messages in which Ventura seemed to say yes to them.As a reminder, “freak-offs” is the term they used when referring to sex acts between Ventura and male escorts, which she alleges Diddy directed and recorded.”I love our FOs when we both want it,” she says in an old text to Combs.Ventura tells the court that the texts are “just words at that point”.These messages will be part of the defence’s argument that Ventura was not coerced into the sexual encounters.Share
17. ‘In what universe did you not understand’ – judge gets frustrated with lawyerpublished at 18:39 15 May18:39 15 MayMadeline Halpert
    Reporting from courtWe’re back now after a short lunch break.Court resumed with an argument over how long it could take for the defence to finish its cross-examination of Cassie Ventura, who is in her third trimester of pregnancy.Judge Subramanian wants Ventura to be finished by the end of the week, and he grows frustrated when Combs’ lawyer suggests Ventura could be back on Monday.”In what universe did you not understand this was important,” he says when talking about the need to have Ventura finish testifying this week.In the end the judge says if Combs’ team can be efficient with their questioning, but still need more time, he may allow it.Share
18. What has happened in Cassie’s cross-examination so far?published at 18:27 15 May18:27 15 MayWarning: Readers may find some details distressingThis morning, Sean “Diddy” Combs’ defence team began their cross-examination of the prosecution’s key witness, Casandra Ventura, his off-and-on ex-girlfriend of more than a decade.Here’s what’s happened in cross so far:
    • Lawyer Anna Estevao asked Ventura about the more loving side of the pair’s time together, after Ventura testified over the last two days about alleged violence and abuse
    • Prosecutors frequently interrupted the defence’s line of questioning, especially early in the day, when Diddy’s lawyer tried to establish a narrative that Ventura’s participation in so-called “freak-offs” may have been consensual
    • Ventura said she didn’t want the “freak-offs” – sexual encounters in she would have sex with male escorts while Combs watched – recorded, though she said they often were
    • Lawyers also asked Ventura about her previous relationships before Combs, including with music producer Ryan Leslie
    • The defence spent a long time going through texts and emails sent between Combs and Ventura throughout the course of their relationship, including messages in which it appears Cassie is enthusiastic about “freak-off” plans

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19. Court resumes after lunch breakpublished at 18:23 15 May18:23 15 MayJudge Arun Subramanian is back in the courtroom and has asked for the legal teams to be finished with Cassie Ventura’s testimony by the end of Friday.Verntura is about eight months pregnant, and the judge has made it clear there cannot be extensive delays to her testimony.Share
20. Diddy’s drug use made him irritable, Cassie sayspublished at 18:02 15 May18:02 15 MayNada Tawfik
    Reporting from courtBefore court broke for lunch, the defence went into a long line of questioning about Combs’ and Ventura’s drug use during their decade-long relationship.Ventura told the court that Diddy, like her, needed time to recover from the “freak-offs”, and that he was addicted to opioids.After that, Estevao asked several follow-ups about how Diddy’s drug withdrawals could change his mood and affect how he treated Ventura.While Ventura confirmed that withdrawal would make him more irritated, she said she couldn’t specify whether his mood was worse or not.It seems the defence may want to paint picture that the toughest parts of their relationship, in its later years, were due to his drug use.

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