What we heard in court Wednesday
CBS News New York’s Alice Gainer has been following the case from the start and will be at the courthouse each day providing real-time updates. Watch her recap from Wednesday, the second day of Ventura’s testimony.
Who is Cassie Ventura
Casandra Ventura, who performs under the name Cassie, rose to fame with the single “Me & U” on her self-titled debut album. The song landed the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart in 2006.
In her testimony, she said she signed with Bad Boy Records when she was 19, and Combs first kissed her on her 21st birthday. She and Combs dated off-and-on for more than 10 years, from about 2007 to 2018.
Ventura is now married and pregnant with her third child.
Witness testimony so far
Three witnesses have testified in the case so far.
Israel Florez was the first on the stand.
Florez worked as the security manager at the hotel where Combs was caught on video attacking Ventura in 2016. He testified Combs offered him a stack of cash as a bribe and asked him not to tell anyone about the incident. Florez said he rejected the bribe.
Daniel Phillip told jurors he was paid to have sex with Ventura while Combs watched. He also testified he was present when Combs threw a bottle at Ventura and dragged her by her hair into another room, where he described what sounded to him like Combs hitting Ventura.
Ventura has testified about her relationship with Combs. She alleged that Combs suggested she have sex with other men while he watched, and that he provided drugs for “freak offs.” She accused Combs of repeatedly beating her, and testified that arranging the “freak offs” became her job.
She went on to accuse Combs of raping her in 2018.
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