Diddy trial recap: Kerry Morgan testified she ended friendship with Cassie after Combs ‘assaulted’ her with a hanger
Sean Combs’ former personal assistant David James also delivered testimony at Manhattan federal court
Kerry Morgan testified in the Sean “Diddy” Combs sex trafficking trial today following dramatic testimony last week from his former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura.
Morgan was Ventura’s best friend from 2001 to 2018. Morgan said she was assaulted by Combs in 2018. Afterward, Morgan said Ventura wasn’t supportive and ended her friendship with the singer.
“He came up behind me and choked me and left finger marks on my neck and hit me in the head with a wooden hanger," Morgan testified. "Cassie was in the bathroom, it hit me behind my right ear."
Morgan previously testified she witnessed Combs assaulting Ventura multiple times, adding that the music mogul controlled his then-girlfriend’s livelihood. Earlier today, singer Dawn Richard similarly told the jury that Combs once said he “owned” Ventura, and that she could “see” that Ventura was afraid of him.
The day ended with a few minutes of testimony from Combs’s former assistant, David James. He will return to the witness stand on Tuesday morning.
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Defense cross-examines Dawn Richard
Sean “Diddy” Combs’s defense team has started their cross-examination of Dawn Richard.
Dawn Richard discusses Diddy lawsuit, reveals Cassie inspired her to 'take a stand'
Before cross-examination began, Dawn Richard testified about her 2024 lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Richard told the jury Cassie Ventura’s 2023 lawsuit against him gave her the courage to “finally take a stand and tell the truth.”
The judge then sustained the defense’s objection to this statement.
The lawsuit is still pending. The defense later asked Richard if she knew of any pending motions to dismiss the lawsuit. Richard said she did not.
Defense questions Dawn Richard's claim that Diddy attacked Cassie with a skillet
The defense team is questioning Dawn Richard’s previous accounts of a time Sean “Diddy” Combs allegedly attacked Cassie Ventura with a skillet.
Last week, Richard said Combs tried to hit Ventura with the skillet, but that she ducked and landed in the fetal position.
In a 2024 document related to her lawsuit, Richard said she "heard a pan hit the wall" but didn’t witness Combs throwing it.
Then, in a separate 2024 interview with investigators, Richard said Combs threw eggs — but not the skillet — at Ventura.
Richard told Combs’s attorneys that she testified about the incident to the best of her ability.
Defense questions Dawn Richard's claim that Diddy threatened her
Defense attorney Nicole Westmoreland is questioning Dawn Richard’s claims that Sean “Diddy” Combs threatened her, saying that “people go missing.”
Richard said Combs brought her and fellow artist Kaleena Harper into his studio after the alleged 2009 skillet incident. Combs locked the door and told them not to say anything about the incident, warning that “where he comes from, people go missing,” Richard testified.
But Westmoreland pointed to Richard’s 2024 interviews with prosecutors, in which she didn’t bring up Combs’s alleged threat.
"You didn't tell prosecutors that Sean Combs said, 'people go missing,'" Westmoreland said.
"I didn't remember it," Richard responded, adding that she remembers "everything I am telling you now."
Diddy said he 'owned' Cassie Ventura, Dawn Richard testifies
Dawn Richard testified that Sean “Diddy” Combs once told her he “owned” his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura.
Richard says Combs told her to “stay the f*** out” of his relationship with Ventura or “something bad will happen to you.”
Richard said she could “see” that Ventura feared Combs.
"It was always wait, wait, wait for her," Richard testified, according to CBS News. "I told her she should leave...Cas looked torn...like, she would listen, but I could see the fear."
Cross-examination ends
The defense has ended their cross-examination of Cassie Ventura.
Prosecution seeks to clarify Dawn Richard's statements on the skillet incident
Prosecutor Mitzi Steiner is now doing a redirect examination, meaning she has another opportunity to question Dawn Richard after the defense ended their cross-examination.
Steiner had Richard confirm that her first meeting with prosecutors came more than 10 years after the alleged 2009 skillet incident.
This comes after the defense tried to poke holes in Richard’s testimony, noting she didn’t tell prosecutors last year that Combs threatened her after the incident, despite testifying this week that he did.
Richard said she tried to forget the alleged instances of abuse, but that she’s now remembering more and more.
“The environment was volatile and it was very hard to work in, so I tried to erase those things,” Richard testified, according to CNN.
Dawn Richard said she tried to 'erase' memories of Combs
Dawn Richard told prosecutors she tried to “erase” her memories of working with Sean “Diddy” Combs.
"No, it was a hard time, a bad time for me," Richard said, according to NBC News.
“The environment was traumatizing, so I tried to erase those things from my memory,” she added.
Dawn Richard ends her testimony
Dawn Richard has ended her testimony after a brief re-direct examination and a re-cross examination.
The court is on a short break, after which the prosecution will call their next witness.
