Warning: This article contains discussion of domestic violence which some readers may find distressing
Cassie Ventura has told a New York court that Sean 'Diddy' Combs lunged at her with a wine opener after he found out she was dating another man, and then said he would blow up the man's car, which later did explode.
Combs is in court to face charges of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution, all of which he denies and has entered a plea of not guilty to.
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Among the witnesses called to give testimony at the trial is Diddy's ex-partner Cassie Ventura, who dated him on and off between 2007 and 2018.
In 2023 she filed a lawsuit against him alleging that she had been subjected to years of physical and sexual abuse. Diddy denied the claims but settled the lawsuit the following day.
During her time on the witness stand this week, Cassie has spoken about being part of Combs' 'freak offs', what happened in the lead-up to that video where people saw Combs assaulting her in a Los Angeles hotel, and the musician's messages sent in the aftermath.
Now, she has claimed to the court that Combs tried to attack her with a wine opener once he learned she was dating the rapper Kid Cudi, as well as threatening to blow up his car.
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Cassie spoke about an alleged incident in 2011 where she was at one of Diddy's 'freak offs' and he'd read some emails which made reference to Kid Cudi, real name Scott Mescudi.
According to CNN, Ventura said that Diddy 'lunged at her' with a wine opener in his hand, and that she was able to escape the 'freak off' being held in a hotel room and go to another hotel where she was staying.
She told the court that she called Mescudi on a burner phone and asked him to come and pick her up from the hotel, saying that she later went over to Combs' house to talk things out but found him to be 'irate'.
Ventura added that Diddy then threatened to release videos of the 'freak offs', as she testified that: "He told me about videos that he had that he was going to release, and that he was going to hurt Scott and I."
She also testified that Diddy told her Kid Cudi's car would be blown up, claiming that he told her he wanted Kid Cudi's friends to see the car blown up on Mescudi's driveway.
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A car owned by Kid Cudi did actually blow up, and afterwards Ventura claimed that she, Cudi and Diddy met up to have a discussion.
At this meeting she claimed that Kid Cudi asked about his car, and Diddy said 'what vehicle?'.
Rolling Stone reported that Kid Cudi's car, a 2011 Porsche 911 Turbo S, had been set on fire by an 'incendiary device' on 9 January, 2012 causing around $10,000 worth of damage.
When Cassie Ventura filed a lawsuit against Diddy in 2023 it mentioned the claim that he had threatened to blow up Kid Cudi's car, and a representative for Kid Cudi told the New York Times 'this is all true'.
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During the trial the jury was shown an email sent in December 2011 that Ventura had sent to her mother and one of Combs' employers saying that the musician had threatened to release 'explicit sex tapes' of her.
She has also been telling the court about various other alleged incidents of violence, claiming that Diddy beat her up and threw luggage at her after she went to a party at Prince's house and didn't tell Combs for fear he wouldn't let her go.
Ventura testified that she 'didn’t have the resources I needed to get out and move' away from Combs, saying: "I understood Sean’s capabilities, his access to guns, and the threats that he made prior to that."
The trial continues.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, please know that you are not alone. You can talk in confidence to the national domestic violence helpline Refuge on 0808 2000 247, available 24/7, or via live chat, available 10am-10pm, Monday to Friday.
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Alternatively, if you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact The Survivors Trust for free on 08088 010 818, available 10am-12.30pm, 1.30pm-3pm and 6pm-8pm Monday to Thursday, 10am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-3pm on Fridays, 10am-12.30pm on Saturdays and 6pm-8pm on Sundays.
Topics: Diddy, Cassie Ventura, US News, Crime, Celebrity
Joe Harker