Sean Combs trial updates: Court adjourned until Tuesday after Kid Cudi testimony

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Last updated: Thursday, May 22, 2025 7:43PM GMT
Kid Cuddy to testify at Sean Combs' trial.
Kid Cuddy to testify at Sean Combs' trial.Aaron Katersky has more on Sean Combs' trial.

NEW YORK -- The second week of testimony in the sex trafficking trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs began on Monday.

Combs has been accused of sex trafficking by force, transportation to engage in prostitution, and racketeering conspiracy as part of a blockbuster federal indictment originally filed in September 2024. He later faced two additional superseding indictments. Combs has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.

This story may contain accounts and descriptions of actual or alleged events that some readers may find disturbing.

"Bad Rap: The Case Against Diddy," a new podcast from "20/20" and ABC Audio, traces how the whispers of abuse came to light and led to the downfall of Sean "Diddy" Combs, who was once among the most influential entertainers and entrepreneurs in hip hop. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and more.

(ABC News and The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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2 hours ago

Court adjourns until Tuesday, judge says trial is 'right on schedule'

Testimony concluded for the week with an agent from Homeland Security Investigations who conducted the computer extractions from three laptops that belonged to Cassie Ventura.

One of the laptops included a user profile for Frank Black, an alias used by Sean Combs.

Court adjourned until Tuesday.

"Do not talk to anyone about the case," Judge Arun Subramanian instructed the jurors, telling them instead, "Watch the Knicks avenge their game one loss."

Subramanian told the jury the trial is "right on schedule."

When court resumes on Tuesday, federal prosecutors said they plan to call Combs' former assistant Capricorn Clark and representatives from LAPD and LAFD.

"I think we are right on time," prosecutor Maureen Comey said, telling the jury the government's case would take about six weeks total. "I would think that we should be able to wrap this up before the Fourth of July."

The defense is asking for Combs to have additional access to videoconferencing from jail. The judge said he has had no luck with the Bureau of Prisons. Prosecutors said they would call and ask on the judge's behalf. Absent videoconferencing time, the defense sought additional phone time, saying Combs is "out of minutes."

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2 hours ago

Hotel manager's note: Combs 'always spills candle wax on everything'

The general manager of the L'Ermitage Beverly Hills hotel showed the jury a reservations log with entries that indicated Sean Combs had stayed at the hotel several times.

The log included several of the aliases that previous witnesses have testified Combs used, including Frank Black and Frank White.

The general hotel manager, Frederic Zemmour, said guest profiles include notes. Combs' guest profile note, which was shown to the jury, included the following: "Always spills candle wax on everything and uses excessive amounts of oil, place room out of order upon departure for deep cleaning."

The note also instructed reservation takers to authorize an extra $1,000 to cover room damages when Combs stayed at the hotel.

Housekeeping was instructed to put fruit and chocolate in Combs' room and keep the thermostat at 75 degrees, according to Zemmour's testimony, and to spray air freshener outside any room in which Combs stayed.

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2 hours ago

Makeup artist testifies she allegedly found Cassie Ventura with 'swollen eye,' 'busted lip'

Makeup artist Mylah Morales testified that it was Grammy weekend 2010 when she returned to the Beverly Hills Hotel after a night out with Cassie Ventura.

According to her testimony, Morales fell asleep on the couch but "woke up to a little bit of commotion." Morales told the court that Ventura walked in and headed into the bedroom and Sean Combs entered a moment later.

"Where the f--- is she?" Morales testified an angry Combs asked.

Morales told the court that Combs walked into the bedroom and shut the door. Morales testified that she then heard "yelling and screaming" before Combs allegedly opened the bedroom door and stormed out of the suite.

"I was just frantic and I didn't know what to do," Morales testified. "She had a swollen eye and busted lip and knots on her head," referring to Ventura.

Morales, who testified that she first met Ventura when she was 16 years old, told the court that she took Ventura to her house, where she stayed a few days to recover.

"My friend, who's a doctor, a medical doctor, I asked him to come the next day to make sure she didn't have a concussion," Morales testified. Morales told the court that the doctor suggested Ventura be taken to the emergency room but "it was her wishes not to go to the ER."

Asked why Morales did not insist that Ventura go, Morales replied, "We were very afraid." She testified they were "afraid of Sean."

"I feared for my life," Morales told the court.

Morales and Ventura never again spoke about the alleged incident at the Beverly Hills Hotel, according to Morales' testimony

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3 hours ago

'I knew Sean Combs was violent': Kid Cudi concludes testimony

On cross-examination, Scott Mescudi testified that Cassie Ventura told him about alleged physical abuse she said she suffered at the hands of Sean Combs but that she did not mention sexual abuse.

Defense attorney Brian Steel said both Mescudi and Combs were "played" by the same woman.

"The person who played you, the person who played Sean was Ms. Ventura. True?" Steel asked.

"Yeah," Mescudi replied.

At the conclusion of cross-examination, Steel thanked Mescudi, who responded, "Yeah, no problem."

On re-direct examination, Mescudi testified that Ventura told him that Combs "would hit her, sometimes kick her."

Mescudi told the court that he and Ventura broke up because "things were getting out of hand" and that he felt concerned for his safety and her safety.

"I knew Sean Combs was violent," Mescudi testified, prompting an objection and a sidebar.

During the SoHo House social club meeting in 2012, when, according to Mescudi's earlier testimony, Combs claimed not to know what Mescudi was talking about regarding the firebombing of his car, Mescudi told the jury that he thought Combs "was lying."

Kid Cudi's testimony has concluded. The court is in lunch break.