Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, whose 2023 lawsuit against ex-partner Sean “Diddy” Combs sparked a wave of accusations against the mogul, is on the witness stand again for her second day of testimony in his sex trafficking trial.
On Wednesday, New York prosecutors began by questioning Ventura about her interactions with Combs in the aftermath of the 2016 hotel hallway assault that she said left her with a black eye and swollen lip.
Security video shows Combs chasing Ventura down a hallway, grabbing her by the neck and pushing her to the ground before kicking her repeatedly. After she left the hotel, Ventura said Combs repeatedly texted her to call him, telling her “the cops are here” and “I got six kids.” “You’re going to abandon me all alone?” he allegedly said, according to The New York Times.
She said she was questioned by police at her apartment after a friend there called police. She answered a couple of their questions, but did not want to identify who assaulted her in order to protect him. Ventura said Combs later tried to get into her apartment when the police left, creating “chaos outside the door.”
Ventura said at the time she was focused on a movie premiere she had upcoming, two days after the assault, and texted Combs to “stay far away from me.” The couple went on to attend the premiere for “The Perfect Match” together.
