Sean Combs: Defense begins its cross-examination of "Jane."

Summary

Dateline NBC Podcast Summary
Episode: Sean Combs: Defense Begins Its Cross-Examination of "Jane"
Release Date: June 11, 2025
Host: NBC News
Description: Current and classic episodes featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries, and in-depth investigations.

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Introduction to the Trial

The latest episode of Dateline NBC delves deep into the high-profile racketeering trial of Sean Combs, who has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Hosted by Andrea Canning, the episode focuses on the defense's cross-examination of a key witness, known only as "Jane," who dated Combs from 2021 until his arrest in September 2024. Jane remains financially supported by Combs, who continues to pay her rent and legal fees. Notably, she has expressed enduring feelings for him despite previous allegations of abuse.

Jane's Testimony and Allegations of Abuse

Jane's testimony has been central to the prosecution's case, revealing a tumultuous relationship marked by jealousy and alleged physical abuse. In her initial testimony, Jane detailed a violent altercation that occurred in June 2024, where she claims Combs inflicted a brutal beating on her.

Key Quote:
Andrea Canning (00:19): "Today she testified that she still loves him. But yesterday's testimony ended with her recounting a brutal beating she says he inflicted."

Jane described a specific incident where a heated argument escalated to Combs allegedly knocking a door off its hinges and placing her in a chokehold, lifting her by the neck.

Notable Quote:
Chloe Melas (02:38): "He literally knocked one of the doors off its hinges... Next thing you know, he had her in a chokehold."

Defense's Strategy and Acknowledgment of Violence

During the cross-examination, defense attorney Tenny Garagos, daughter of renowned celebrity attorney Mark Garagos, took a strategic approach. Unlike typical defenses that might outright deny wrongdoing, Garagos acknowledged that Combs was violent but disputed the severity and context of the allegations.

Key Quote:
Tenny Garagos (04:58): "Combs was violent, but he did not sex traffic these women. He was violent, but he did not participate in a RICO conspiracy scheme."

This acknowledgment is significant as it differentiates the charges of domestic violence from the more severe accusations of sex trafficking and racketeering.

Exploring the Complexity of Jane and Combs' Relationship

The defense delved into the nuanced and emotionally complex relationship between Jane and Combs. Jane admitted lingering feelings for Combs, stating, "I do," when questioned about her current emotions towards him (07:35). This revelation aims to portray Jane as conflicted and emotionally vulnerable, potentially casting doubt on her credibility.

Notable Quote:
Jane (07:21): "Yes, I do."

Jane also discussed her efforts to maintain Combs' happiness, including pampering him after arguments and engaging in his favorite activities, such as watching Dateline together.

Key Quote:
Chloe Melas (11:25): "A big part of Jane's testimony today was how hard she tried to keep Combs happy after hotel nights were over."

Defense's Angle on Hotel Nights and Alleged Fetishes

A significant portion of the cross-examination focused on the nature of the "hotel nights," which the prosecution alleges were part of a sex trafficking operation. The defense sought to reframe these interactions as consensual sexual fetishes rather than criminal activities.

Jane testified that after Combs introduced her to what she described as a lifestyle involving escorts, she researched terms like "cuckold" and "voyeurism," suggesting that Combs was possibly bicurious and fulfilled his desires through her participation.

Notable Quote:
Chloe Melas (14:34): "The defense, it appears, is trying to frame these hotel nights as sexual fetishes of Combs rather than criminal sex trafficking acts."

This strategy aims to undermine the prosecution's narrative by presenting the relationship dynamics as consensual and rooted in personal preferences rather than criminal intent.

Allegations of Substance Abuse and Mental Health

The defense also introduced questions about Combs' potential substance abuse, suggesting that drug or alcohol addiction may have impaired his judgment and behavior.

Jane testified that she believed Combs exhibited signs of addiction, including jaundice, gray gums, and shaking hands, which she attributed to cocaine, ecstasy, and alcoholism. She mentioned recommending rehab in Thailand, which Combs purportedly dismissed.

Key Quote:
Jane (12:32): "I suggested that he go to a rehab facility that I had a connection to in Thailand, but he just totally dismissed the idea."

This line of questioning may be an attempt to humanize Combs and attribute his alleged violent behavior to factors outside his control, potentially mitigating his responsibility.

Future Proceedings

Jane's cross-examination is expected to continue until Thursday, with further examination likely to explore deeper aspects of her relationship with Combs and the authenticity of her allegations.

Key Quote:
Chloe Melas (16:05): "Is Jane going to continue with cross examination tomorrow?"
Andrea Canning (16:11): "Yes. So she'll be on the stand until Thursday."

Courtroom Reactions and Public Sentiment

The episode also touched on the public's reaction to the trial's revelations, highlighting moments of unexpected levity, such as Jane admitting that Combs enjoys watching Dateline, which elicited laughter from those present in the courtroom.

Notable Quote:
Andrea Canning (11:52): "She said dateline. It's just, wow."

Conclusion

This episode of Dateline NBC provides a comprehensive overview of the ongoing trial against Sean Combs, focusing on the defense's strategic maneuvers during Jane's cross-examination. By acknowledging instances of violence while disputing the broader allegations of sex trafficking, the defense seeks to create reasonable doubt. Additionally, by exploring the complexities of Jane and Combs' relationship and introducing potential factors like substance abuse, the defense aims to present a multifaceted narrative that challenges the prosecution's case.

Listeners can expect further developments as the trial progresses, with Jane's testimony likely to become even more crucial in determining the outcome of the case.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• Andrea Canning (00:19): "Today she testified that she still loves him. But yesterday's testimony ended with her recounting a brutal beating she says he inflicted."
• Chloe Melas (02:38): "He literally knocked one of the doors off its hinges... Next thing you know, he had her in a chokehold."
• Tenny Garagos (04:58): "Combs was violent, but he did not sex traffic these women. He was violent, but he did not participate in a RICO conspiracy scheme."
• Chloe Melas (07:21): "Yes, I do."
• Chloe Melas (14:34): "The defense, it appears, is trying to frame these hotel nights as sexual fetishes of Combs rather than criminal sex trafficking acts."
• Jane (12:32): "I suggested that he go to a rehab facility that I had a connection to in Thailand, but he just totally dismissed the idea."
• Chloe Melas (16:05): "Is Jane going to continue with cross examination tomorrow?"
  Andrea Canning (16:11): "Yes. So she'll be on the stand until Thursday."
• Andrea Canning (11:52): "She said dateline. It's just, wow."

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This summary encapsulates the critical elements of the episode, providing listeners with a clear and detailed understanding of the trial's current state, the defense's tactics, and the personal dynamics between the key individuals involved.

Transcript

[Andrea Canning]

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[Chloe Melas]

On Trial, a special series from Dateline True Crime Weekly, bringing you daily coverage from the Sean Combs racketeering trial. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him. I'm Andrea Canning and it's Tuesday, June 10th. Just a heads up. In this episode, we're going to be talking about some graphic details and harrowing subject matter. Today the defense began its cross examination of Jane, the witness testifying under a pseudonym who dated Combs from 2021 until his arrest in September 2024. He is still paying her rent and for her lawyer. And today she testified that she still loves him. But yesterday's testimony ended with her recounting a brutal beating she says he inflicted. NBC News correspondent Chloe Meloss has been in court today and she stepped outside to let us know how the defense is faring against Jane. Hey, Chloe.

[Andrea Canning]

Hey Andrea.

[Chloe Melas]

Chloe, let's start with the end of Jane's testimony from yesterday afternoon. She was telling a story while we were actually taping last night's episode for the podcast. She was talking about a fight she says she had with Combs at her home in LA last June, and it sounded really intense.

[Andrea Canning]

This was the first time that Jane testified about physical abuse during her relationship with Combs. And it was striking. There was so much jealousy in this relationship. And this is a common theme that we also heard from Cassie during her testimony. Right. That Combs is very open about living a polyamorous lifestyle. That's how he referred to it, that he had many lovers, many girlfriends, and he considered himself to be single. But the women that he was dating weren't always happy with that. And Jane, during her testimony, admitted that she called him a pedophile. She was very upset that he was dating someone that was 25, 27 years younger than him. And she testified that she actually started taking these pills of his and throwing them, and she was saying, I hate you. She threw candles at him, and he, in turn, got very upset. And that's when Jane testified that she tried to leave. And so she locked herself away in the master bedroom and that he was allegedly calling her effing crazy. And that's when she testified that he literally knocked one of the doors off its hinges. That's when she ran to a closet. She locked the closet door. And she testified. Next thing you know, he had her in a chokehold. He actually lifted her up by her neck off the ground. She was on her tippy toes. And so this was incredibly dramatic. Right.

[Chloe Melas]

Has Combs gone on the record denying that he assaulted Jane?

[Andrea Canning]

We haven't heard a denial from Combs when it comes to the violence with Jane. During opening statements, though, Tenny Garagos, one of Combs attorneys who actually handled Jane's cross examination today, was very open about the fact that. That they take ownership, that Combs was violent, and he's not proud of that. They say he was violent, but he did not sex traffic these women. He was violent, but he did not participate in a RICO conspiracy scheme. They are acknowledging that he did perpetrate domestic violence.

[Chloe Melas]

That is the story of Jane and Sean Combs that the prosecution is leaving the jury with this morning. The defense began their cross of her. How did they start out, Chloe?

[Andrea Canning]

Tenny Garagos led cross examination. She is the daughter of a very, very famous celebrity attorney, Mark Garagos, who was in the courtroom. He actually is a former lawyer of Combs. So this is kind of like a all in the family affair. We know that Combs has known Tenny Garagos her entire life. She's the one who sits next to him on most days. He's always pulling her chair out for her when she comes up to the table.

[Chloe Melas]

And so she's pointed out something really important. Right out of the gate.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah. So Tenny Garagos is asking Jane about the fact that, you know, Combs is paying your legal fees. Yes. He's also paying your rent. She acknowledges that. She also points out that Jane was granted immunity by the government. And clearly, now we have a better idea of how Jane wound up on the stand. Officers from the Department of Homeland Security were the ones who actually found Jane. She testified that she didn't initially want to cooperate and speak with them, but then that's when they granted her immunity. And then she went and spoke before the grand jury. And here we are today.

[Chloe Melas]

The defense got into Jane's feelings about Combs. I mean, it seems to me like they went pretty deep with her.

[Andrea Canning]

Andrea, this goes back to the complicated dynamic that you're seeing between Jane and Combs. They were dating right up until his arrest last year. This is very fresh. You know, it's only been months, Right. Not years like with Cassie, who's moved on, or some of these individuals that haven't, you know, seen him in years. And he was actually nodding along and smiling at different points. I think that this actually creates a lot of confusion.

[Chloe Melas]

Yeah. It was really surprising when I heard that. That he is still paying a lot of her bills.

[Andrea Canning]

She talked all about that she participated in these hotel nights because she loved Combs. She testified that she felt that her partner, meaning Combs, was trusting me in a vulnerable moment and made me believe that this was special because I was the only one doing these hotel nights with him. I'm paraphrasing here. But she also testified that she didn't want to judge him for the things that he liked. Now, Tenny Garrigo's really impressing her on that, saying, how did that trust make you feel? And Jane testified that she broke all of her own boundaries to make him feel loved in those times and that.

[Chloe Melas]

She still loves him. Right?

[Andrea Canning]

Yes. That was such a big moment, Andrea, because Tenny Garrigo says, in the end, you loved him. Right. And she said, yes. And then Tenny Gargo says, currently, she says, I do.

[Chloe Melas]

Wow. It just seems like every day they, like I said, they go deep in that courtroom, laying bare everyone's soul almost. It's crazy, right?

[Andrea Canning]

But again, did he force her into these hotel nights? Because there's also moments when Jane testified today saying that she hired some of these escorts without Combs telling her to do it. And that's because she said that she felt there was an expectation. But is an expectation being forced? Is that enough to prove sex trafficking?

[Chloe Melas]

Yeah. It seems like the defense is making a case that the hotel nights weren't as bad as Jane is making them out to be.

[Andrea Canning]

Right. One of the things that Teddy Garrigo spent a few minutes on today was. Okay, so there were some hotel nights where you guys were making small talk with these escorts to which Jane testified. Yes, we would talk for sometimes like 20, 30 minutes about their lives. She talked about being attracted to some of these escorts and enjoying them, enjoying their personalities, getting to know them over the years.

[Chloe Melas]

Yeah. And the defense asked Jane to read more text messages and they. They played more phone calls. Unfortunately, they did not release the new phone calls, but they were played in court and they sounded very loving. Right.

[Andrea Canning]

There was one voice note in particular that was played today in which Combs says to her, like, I had so much fun with you. I want you to get your rest this week. I want you to, like, get back to your routine. I'm paraphrasing here, but it's not him holding a metaphorical gun to her head. Right. And so is the fact that she did not want him to stop paying her rent enough to prove sex trafficking.

[Chloe Melas]

When we come back today. The defense also asked Jane about her observations of Combs over their three years together, what she had to say about dateline.

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[Chloe Melas]

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[Andrea Canning]

So turns out, Andrea, they had a routine after these freak offs or hotel nights where she'd make sure that she got him back home. She would bathe him, she would cook for him, she'd give him foot rubs, and then she would turn on his favorite show. Tenny Garrigo said, can you tell us what that favorite show is? And that's when Jane said dateline. It's just, wow.

[Chloe Melas]

I mean, when I heard that, I just thought, oh, my goodness.

[Andrea Canning]

Got a lot of laughs in the overflow room that I was in with all of the members of the public and media that, you know, couldn't make it into the actual courtroom. So everybody was laughing and whispering and talking about it because it was just so like, we're all humans. And these are those moments in which like, kind of like that catchphrase stars are just like us. Right. Like, he's watching Dateline. He's getting foot rubs.

[Chloe Melas]

Yes. Things took a very serious turn, Chloe. The defense started a line of questioning about Combs drug use. Where were they going with that?

[Andrea Canning]

Jane testified that she, in hindsight, believes that Combs was a drug addict. She testified that when they first started dating in 2021, she noticed a lot of signs that he was in bad health. She testified that when they were on a private jet and she was sitting across from him that she felt like his eyes indicated that he had a condition called jaundice. Right. It's where, like, your eyes can get kind of yellow and like you have skin discoloration. That his gums were gray from drug use. Right. So potentially like from cocaine use or the ecstasy and that his hands were shaking, she believes, due to alcoholism. And she testified that she actually suggested that he go to a rehab facility that she had a connection to in Thailand, but that he just totally dismissed the idea.

[Chloe Melas]

Has he ever commented publicly on drug or alcohol use?

[Andrea Canning]

He's talked about going to rehab and getting help after Cassie's explosive civil suit in 2023. And remember, eventually he did that apology video after the security footage of him beating her leaked. That's when he started talking about all the ways in which he was trying to get help.

[Chloe Melas]

Do you think that the defense is maybe trying to prove Combs wasn't responsible for some of his actions because he was possibly on drugs or possibly had an addiction problem?

[Andrea Canning]

I think that there's a really good chance that we might see some experts testify when Combs team puts on their case who are going to talk about how these drugs alter your state of mind, that he was a drug addict and that he is a broken human being who needed help and never got the help that he needed. Maybe they'll talk about his childhood, his dad being murdered at a very young age. I mean, who knows where they'll go with this. But I do think that they are going to try to lean heavily on him not being in the right state of mind.

[Chloe Melas]

Right. The defense, it appears, is trying to frame these hotel nights as sexual fetishes of Combs rather than criminal sex trafficking acts. Jane said on the stand today that after Combs introduced her to what she called this lifestyle, she did some research.

[Andrea Canning]

She said that when she started Googling around, what she found was called cuckold. And she testified that that's a man or, you know, an individual who wants to watch their partner receive pleasure and that they get pleasure out of watching that. And Tenny Garrigo said, well, you know, we've heard it actually be referred to as voyeurism. And Jane testified that that was not really something that she researched, that this was what she researched, and that she actually found that one of the reasons why he might enjoy watching her get pleasure with these male escorts is that perhaps he was bicurious and that he wasn't ready to explore that physically himself, and that he fulfilled those desires by watching her engage in these sex acts with these male escorts. So, look, we have never heard anyone testify so far that he engaged in any sort of sexual acts with these men. But this has come up multiple times in these civil suits, all of which Combs, through his legal team, have denied and just blasted as money grabs.

[Chloe Melas]

Hmm. Is Jane going to continue with cross examination tomorrow?

[Andrea Canning]

Yes. So she'll be on the stand until Thursday.

[Chloe Melas]

Okay. Chloe, thank you so much for this. Another very interesting and salacious day in federal court.

[Andrea Canning]

Thanks for having me.

[Chloe Melas]

Thanks for listening. We'll be back with a new episode tomorrow. If you want to read the latest developments and analysis from inside the courtroom, check out the NBC newsletter. Diddy on trial go to nbcnews.com diddy to find that. On Trial is produced by Franny Kelly with help from the Dateline True Crime Weekly team. Our senior producers are Alison Orr and Liz Brown Kurloff. Original Music by Jesse McGinty. Paul Ryan is executive producer and Liz Cole is senior executive producer of Dateline.

[Tenny Garagos]

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