Cassie Ventura testified against Sean “Diddy” Combs for a second day and spent hours on the stand relaying experiences from her relationship with the fallen music mogul.
Cassie, 38, appeared in a Manhattan federal court Wednesday wearing a black, long-sleeved dress. The singer was noticeably pregnant with her third child with husband Alex Fine.
While the U.S. Attorney’s Office is relying on her testimony as “Victim 1,” legal experts told Fox News Digital her presence as a pregnant woman may sway the jury when deciding Diddy’s fate.
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“Cassie being pregnant may make her an even more sympathetic figure on the stand,” criminal defense lawyer Dan Rubin exclusively told Fox News Digital.
“It certainly invokes the maternal side of the singer, and that could really impact the way some members of the jury view her. They may find it interesting that — even if it’s not said out loud — Cassie is looking at the dark events of what happened through the new lens of motherhood.”
Throughout the day, jurors heard emotional testimony from Cassie as she described allegedly being raped by Diddy after their breakup. She claimed to enter rehab and pursue trauma therapy in the beginning of 2023 after “horrible flashbacks” on the set of a music video.
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“I can’t carry this anymore. I can’t carry the shame, the guilt … what’s right is right. What’s wrong is wrong,” Cassie told the court.
Attorney Jo-Anna Nieves told Fox News Digital, “Cassie Ventura’s pregnancy brings a strong layer of visual and emotional impact that makes it harder for the defense to paint her as violent or dangerous.”
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“Jurors are human, and whether they realize it or not, they often associate pregnancy with vulnerability, nurturing and innocence. That image alone makes it a tough sell to argue that she was a real physical threat or equally responsible for the violence,” Nieves said.
“Even if the defense introduces evidence of her alleged aggression, that version of events may not line up with what the jury sees in front of them. It’s not just about the facts. It’s about how those facts land and trying to position an attractive, visibly pregnant woman who also has her own celebrity status as abusive can easily flop with this jury and damage the defense’s credibility.”
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Cassie’s appearance as a pregnant woman “may not change the legal standard, but it can definitely shape how jurors perceive the story and that makes the defense’s job a lot harder,” Nieves said.
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While Cassie testified about a party at Prince’s house, one juror was looking in Diddy’s direction. As Cassie described a “bad fight” with Diddy, the juror was focused on the disgraced music mogul. One juror shook her head in agreement after Cassie explained in detail how she didn’t want to tell her mother about Diddy’s alleged abuse.
Another female juror grimaced when the government introduced evidence showing Cassie’s bruises. One juror strained his neck to get a better look. One juror was seen taking copious notes throughout the testimony.
Jurors heard testimony Wednesday about Diddy’s alleged violent behavior. Cassie claimed Diddy went through her phone at a “freak off” and found an email correspondence between Cassie and rapper Kid Cudi.
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Cassie and Cudi, who’s full name is Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi, dated in 2011 when she was on a break in her relationship with Diddy. In the messages, Cassie allegedly relayed to Kid Cudi what toiletries she could leave at his house.
Diddy became “upset” upon reading the messages, which she had kept a secret. Cassie testified she had a burner phone to keep Cudi a secret from Diddy. Cassie had already broken up with Cudi and was visiting Diddy in Arizona when he allegedly told her that he was going to blow up Cudi’s car when he was out of the country.
The trio — Cassie, Diddy and Kid Cudi — at one point allegedly met to discuss the relationship and agreed that they were no longer together. In a September memo sent to Judge Robyn Tarnofsky, prosecutors alleged Diddy’s co-conspirator set fire to “individual-1’s vehicle by slicing open the car’s convertible top and dropping a Molotov cocktail inside the interior.”
On Wednesday, Cassie also disclosed she received a $20 million settlement 24 hours after filing a lawsuit against Diddy in November 2023.
Fox News’ Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
