Diddy trial latest: Dawn Richard to testify after Cassie Ventura cross-examined over texts – UK Times

Former Danity Kane member Dawn Richard is set to continue her testimony today.

Richard previously told the jury she saw Sean “Diddy” Combs beating his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in 2009.

Ventura’s former, long-time friend Kerry Morgan is also expected to take the stand today, CNN reports.

Later this week, Ventura’s mother is also expected to testify.

The hip-hop mogul and then-teen star made joint TV appearances 15 years ago that resurfaced online as Diddy headed to trial.

Shortly the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs is expected to hear from former Danity Kane singer Dawn Richard, who began testifying at the sex trafficking trial on Friday.

She told the jury last week that she saw the hip-hop mogul physically and emotionally abuse his then-girlfriend for years.

Richard described a moment at Combs’ Los Angeles home in 2009 when she said the hip-hop mogul beat his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura and dragged her upstairs by the hair. Richard then said she heard breaking glass and screaming.

Richard testified that Combs called her and others who witnessed the alleged assault into the studio the next day, gave them flowers and said their careers would be harmed if they reported the incident.

Last year, Richard filed a civil suit against Combs accusing him of physical abuse, groping, and psychological abuse during the years they worked together. His representative denied the claims at the time.

Kelly Rissman is covering the Sean “Diddy” Combs trial in New York:

It’s a beautiful day in Manhattan, but the line to watch the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs is tiny today, so it seems like the sensation is finally dying down.

All the line holders appear to be gone and there are no signs that anyone camped out overnight.

Former Danity Kane singer Dawn Richard resumes her testimony shortly, at 8:30am.

Danity Kane singer Aubrey O’Day has called Sean “Diddy” Combs “selfish” for having his children appear in court during his ongoing trial in New York.

Six of Diddy’s seven children — Quincy, 33, Justin, 31, Christian, 27, Chance, 18 and twins D’Lila and Jessie, also 18 — have appeared in court to support their father.

O’Day, whose girl band was signed to Diddy’s Bad Boy Records, told Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes’s podcast Friday that she did not know any father who would want his children to sit through the kind of testimony heard in week one of the trial.

Read more of her comments below:

Michael B. Jordan, Mike Myers, Britney Spears and Kanye West are some of the celebrities’ names that were brought up in the first week of the Sean “Diddy” Combs trial.

Read about the celebrities mentioned in the trial so far below:

Alex Fine, Cassie Ventura’s husband, released a statement in support of his wife after her four gruelling days of testimony at the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs.

Fine said he “felt so many things sitting there” listening to Ventura, 38, testify about “freak offs” and years of abuse.

“I have felt tremendous pride and overwhelming love for Cass. I have felt profound anger that she has been subjected to sitting in front of a person who tried to break her. You did not break her spirit nor her smile,” he said in his statement.

Fine said he did not save Ventura, but rather she saved herself.

“She alone broke free from abuse, coercion, violence and threats. She did the work of fighting the demons that only a demon himself could have done to her. All I have done is love her as she has loved me,” he added.

Fine and Ventura began dating at the end of her on-again, off-again 11-year relationship with Combs. Fine and Ventura married in 2019 and are expecting their third child together.

The trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs in Manhattan federal court has drawn intense media coverage because of Combs’ wealth and towering influence in the music industry.

Combs, previously known as Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, founded Bad Boy Records, and is credited with helping turn artists like Mary J. Blige, Faith Evans, Notorious B.I.G. and Usher into stars in the 1990s and 2000s.

But now the 55-year-old is facing a jury trial, charged with sex trafficking, transportation to engage in prostitution, and racketeering conspiracy charges.

The hip-hop mogul was arrested in September 2024 as federal authorities alleged he threatened, abused, and coerced victims “to fulfil his sexual desires” between 2004 and 2024. Combs has denied any accusations of wrongdoing.

Part of the criminal case stems from his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura’s November 2023 civil suit against Combs. She spent four days testifying, and said he agreed to settle the civil case after 24 hours for $20 million.

The trial, which began last week, could last for up to two months.

A video has gone viral claiming Prince made a recording “warning” about Sean “Diddy” Combs, reportedly affecting the trial.

Except no such recording has surfaced, and the video caption itself says the content is fictional.

“No official sources confirm the existence of such a recording”.