Cassie Ventura’s harrowing testimony in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex-trafficking trial continued on Wednesday, revealing the brutal physical aftermath of his alleged “freak-offs.”
She testified that she was often left bruised and battered from being punched, kicked, and dragged so severely that the antibiotics she used to treat infections resulting from these violent sexual encounters became ineffective due to overuse.
Ventura also disclosed that the settlement she reached in her civil lawsuit against Combs, filed after what she described as a decade of abuse that significantly impacted her career and left her deeply traumatized, amounted to $20 million.
This settlement, reached just a day after she filed the case, has seemingly paved the way for numerous other civil suits against Combs.
Ventura also revealed that she had been in the process of writing a book about her experiences with Combs at the time of the settlement.
“I wanted to be compensated for the time and the pain and the many, many years of having to try to fix my life,” she told the court. “I can’t carry the shame, the guilt.”
Prosecutors argue that Combs, the 55-year-old music mogul, engaged in a pattern of criminal behavior over two decades, including sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice.
Combs, who was arrested in September, has pleaded not guilty to all charges in the five-count indictment and maintains his innocence.
Ventura’s testimony detailed numerous instances of alleged violence and abuse she endured at the hands of Combs throughout their over ten-year relationship.
She recounted a specific incident in 2018, as their relationship was ending, where she alleges he raped her in her living room after what was intended to be an amicable dinner to find closure.
At the time, Ventura was dating the man who is now her husband. “And then he raped me in my living room,” Ventura told the court. “On the floor.”
Ventura also stated that she and Combs had sex one more time after this alleged rape, explaining that ending a long-term relationship with a deep connection isn’t always straightforward. She mentioned having had a few exchanges with him since 2018.
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