The federal trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs took a sharp turn on Thursday as defense attorneys worked to cast Casandra Ventura (Cassie) as a willing participant in the controversial sex marathons she claims were abusive.
Cassie, now eight months pregnant, has accused Combs of sex trafficking, racketeering, and physical abuse during their decade-long relationship. She described enduring “hundreds of degrading sexual encounters”, many allegedly involving prostitutes and drugs, to please a man she once loved.
But on Day 4 of the trial, Combs’s defense team introduced text messages and emails suggesting Cassie was enthusiastic about the so-called “freak-offs”—private sex parties involving escorts.
“I’m always ready to freak off lolol,” Cassie wrote in a 2009 message.
Other texts revealed Cassie planning and expressing excitement about the events, which the defense argued showed consent and mutual interest, not coercion.
Still, Cassie responded by saying those messages were “just words”, sometimes sent to avoid Combs’s anger. She claimed she often pretended to enjoy the encounters out of fear of being physically assaulted or blackmailed with explicit videos.
Sean Combs has pleaded not guilty to all charges. His legal team is arguing that the case is about nontraditional, but consensual adult relationships—not criminal behavior. They’ve acknowledged his flaws, including jealousy, mood swings, and drug use, but insist he is not a sex trafficker or racketeering kingpin.
In court, the defense also portrayed Combs and Ventura as “high partners” addicted to painkillers for much of their relationship. They even revealed a 2012 overdose suffered by Combs that was previously undisclosed. Ventura admitted that Combs later tried to keep her off drugs, even warning street dealers not to sell to her.
The trial also revisited their early romance—when Cassie was 19 and Combs was in his mid-30s—with the defense showing affectionate texts from the start of their relationship. Cassie testified that it was “fast-paced and scary,” but she fell for Combs’s “sweet and attentive” side early on.
A $20 million civil settlement in 2023, which Cassie filed before federal charges were brought, also came into focus. The defense suggested that the lawsuit ruined Combs’s career and questioned Ventura’s motives.
“When your lawsuit was publicized… you understood that his career was ruined at that point, right?”
“I could understand that, yeah,” she replied.
The government continues to frame Combs as a powerful figure who used fame, money, and drugs to control and exploit women, while the defense insists it was a toxic relationship, not criminal enterprise.
If convicted, Combs could face life in prison.
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