Sean 'Diddy' Combs’ lawyers on Wednesday tried to use intimate messages between him and singer Cassie Ventura to argue that her participation in so-called “freak offs”—sexual encounters involving male escorts—was consensual, not coerced.
The move came during a tense round of cross-examination in Combs' ongoing sex trafficking and racketeering trial in the United States.
Defence attorney Anna Estevao displayed a series of explicit text messages in court in which Ventura appeared enthusiastic or willing to take part in the acts.
The defence argued these messages suggest that Ventura, who dated Combs for over a decade, willingly engaged in the encounters, contradicting her earlier claims of being manipulated and afraid.
“You were in love with him for 11 years, right?” Estevao asked Ventura, attempting to frame their relationship as voluntary and emotionally complex.
Ventura pushed back, disputing suggestions that she kept returning to Combs out of affection rather than fear.
She testified during direct questioning that she went along with his demands because she feared retaliation, including the threat of violence or blackmail, if she refused.
The defence also leaned into elements of jealousy and infidelity in the relationship to suggest mutual emotional volatility, reading Ventura’s previous statements in which she admitted to being “insanely jealous.”
The cross-examination was frequently interrupted by objections from prosecutors, particularly over the admissibility of certain messages.
Estevao repeatedly paused to rephrase her questions, while judges deliberated over what evidence could be accepted.
Combs faces multiple charges, including racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking, and two counts of transporting individuals for prostitution.
Prosecutors allege he drugged, kidnapped, and coerced women into sexual activity, often involving threats or firearms.
Combs has denied all charges and maintains that all interactions were consensual.
Ventura is one of several women whose experiences underpin the government’s broader racketeering case against Combs.
The defence is expected to continue its cross-examination, with prosecutors maintaining that consent under fear of harm is not true consent under the law.
The cross-examination of Cassie Ventura continues.