← Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield
Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield
"You better learn to walk on water like Jesus did, B*tch!" | United States vs. Sean Combs Day 13
00:17:44
Loading summary
Transcript1 lines
- [00:01]
Ashley Banfield
Hey, everybody, I'm Ashley Banfield and this is Drop Dead Serious. And it is day 13 in southern Manhattan for Sean Combs federal sex trafficking trial. And today really pulled back the curtain on what it was like to work for Diddy because one of his former assistants was back up on the stand. And in a word, I think we can sum it up by saying brutal. But Diddy's lawyers took most of the day to drive home the point. If it was so, so bad, why did you stay? Why would you remain such a fan of Puff? Why did you tell him that you loved him? This witness has been testifying under the pseudonym of Mia because prosecutors say Sean Combs raped her and more than once. So buckle up because what you're about to hear is as disturbing as it is revealing. This morning started with Mia continuing her direct testimony. And Mia told the court that at one point she considered her co workers her family. Mia even said she dated Diddy's sound engineer, Matt Testa, although she did admit that the relationship was strained by the non stop demands of the job. Nothing else. Mia also admitted something that raised eyebrows. She said that she used to tell Diddy, I love you not because she meant it romantically, but because in her words, it was part of the group dynamic. Next, the prosecutor walked the jury through an infamous trip to Cape Town, South Africa in October of 2015. That is when Cassie discovered that Diddy had another main girlfriend named Gina. Mia said that Cassie immediately cut off communication with Diddy and that once again, Mia found herself stuck in the middle. She said that Diddy, through his staff, tried to reach Cassie over and over and over again. Mia said she became the messenger, the go between, the human buffer. She told the jury her phone was blowing up. Calls, texts, WhatsApp messages, day and night. The jury was shown one of those exchanges where Mia told Diddy's chief of staff, Christina K.K. corum, that Cape Town was nine hours ahead and that she could not handle the stress of all the missed calls. And then things got darker. Mia testified that Diddy sounded irrational and that his speech was slurred. One text read, if you don't call me now, it all and I'm going to tell everything. You have two minutes. Her call my house now or never speak to me again, end quote. Mia told the jury that she interpreted that message as a threat. And specifically the threat was that he might tell all of her co workers about their sexual encounter, which was an assault in her books. But in his books she thought he'd make it sound like it Was consensual. In another text, Diddy wrote, quote, fuck ABC and all the lawyers. Let's go to war if you don't call me. It all Mia said. This was a reference to a TV show that Mia had created and a TV show that had gained press attention but never aired. And then came the digital barrage, A flurry of call me now messages, followed by a final, particularly upsetting one. Quote, I've come to the conclusion that it's best we part ways, end quote. 1. Mia testified that she felt cornered and that she had to respond with affection, even submission, to stay in Diddy's good graces, to keep her job. And then the jury was shown an email that she sent To Diddy on October 19th of 2015, subject line, a simple plea for help with a flight change. The body of the message read, quote, you know I love you and I'll do anything for you, end quote. Mia testified that she forwarded that email to Christina Coram, the chief of staff, and added, I'll do whatever you want. Both your happinesses are important to me. When asked why she wrote that, Mia said it wasn't about love. It was about survival. Mia said that her job felt impossible, and when she wasn't physically near Diddy, she couldn't get approvals, she couldn't move projects forward, and she felt like a failure. And then came the story of her suspension. March 31, 2011, at Diddy's Beverly Crest home in Los Angeles. Mia said she'd been awake for days. The stylist was gone, so she was the one tasked with laying out Diddy's workout clothes, and apparently she didn't do so good, and he snapped. Mia told the jury that she couldn't remember the exact details, but that there was yelling, there was swearing, and that, quote, something violent happened, though the trauma had blurred her memory. An earlier email was shown to the jury from March 25, 2011, where Mia joked to James Cruz that another staffer was currently firing her. But on the stand, Mia said it wasn't funny anymore. She testified that her infraction was that she'd simply overslept, that she was running on fumes, that she was terrified of getting fired or worse. In a message to drock, she described Diddy as, quote, psycho and mean, and she said he'd gone batshit crazy over the missing workout clothes. But the prosecution said the story goes back even further. They showed the jury an email from Diddy's head of hr, suspending Mia for five days without pay. The official reason? Insubordination But Mia told the court that wasn't the truth. She said Diddy punished her arbitrarily because he could. But even then, Mia stayed with the company anyway. When asked why she didn't just leave, Mia answered plainly, quote, I tried. I tried to run away before. It didn't work, end quote. And when asked if she thought she could get another job, she replied, quote, oh, no. I was scared. I thought he'd destroy my reputation. I was scared of him. End quote. Then she told a story of a time that she tried to escape for real. It was New Year's Eve, 2010. Mia was on a yacht that Diddy chartered in Saint Barts. His number one girlfriend and the mother of his kids, Kim Porter, was there, and so were the kids and other staff members. She said Diddy called her into his room to count some stacks of cash, and then he started berating her for counting too slowly. Mia said that counting cash was a job that usually his security did, but that he didn't care. She said he screamed, quote, you better learn to walk on water like Jesus did, end quote. And then she said he chased her out of the room. Mia told the courtroom that she ran and hid in the crew's quarters and that she begged the crew to take her to shore. But apparently she said a storm was rolling in and the crew told her it was not safe. Finally, she testified, Kim Porter found her and tried to comfort her. Eventually, a boat was able to ferry her to land, but the moment she got there, she says, the walkie talkie began to buzz. Diddy wanted her back on the boat. Mia testified that she did return, only to find out there was now a brand new plan that she and Diddy would be flying to Las Vegas alone. And on the way to the plane, she says, Diddy called another staffer and made up a false story about what had just happened them on the boat. Mia said that when she tried to correct Diddy, he shouted at her, shut the up. She says the woman on the other end of the line told her, quote, just get on the jet. Do what he says, end quote. Mia continued working for Diddy until 2017. She said that she helped to launch Revolt Films and produced a bad boy documentary. But when she asked for a raise, she was told Diddy didn't want to be in the film business anymore. Mia told the jury that she was stunned and that she packed up her things, ignored Diddy's messages, and cried herself to sleep. Eventually, Mia said she hired a lawyer to recoup unpaid bonuses, overtime, and out of pocket expenses. Her attorneys initially asked for 10 million, but she says she settled for 400,000 and only saw half of that after legal fees. It's important to note here that Mia says she told her attorneys about all the physical and financial abuse that she suffered, but that she never told them about the sexual abuse. After Mia left the company, she still sent Diddy messages, like after Kim Porter's death and sometimes just to check in. And when asked if she told Diddy that she loved him, in those messages, she answered, quote, oh, yeah, of course. End quote. In November 2023, she heard from Drock, Diddy's former bodyguard. They had not spoken in years, and at first it was a warm catch up that she said was like small talk. She was thrilled. She loved the fact that Drock was calling her and telling her things like he'd opened a restaurant with his wife. But then she says the tone shifted when Drock said this, Quote, you know, Puff and Cass would fight just like a normal couple. Mia testified the violence between Diddy and Cassie was never normal. She said Drock sounded nervous, like he was trying to ease her into saying something a certain kind of way. She testified that she believed Diddy had put Drock up to this phone call and soon after. What do you know? She said Diddy texted her, texted her himself, saying, quote, hey, Mia, it's Puff. Please let me know when you get 10 minutes to talk, end quote. Mia said she didn't reply. Then another text, quote, just need my memory jogged and some things, end quote. Still, Mia said she did not respond to Puff. Mia testified that she started lying to Drock, pretending to be on a boat, saying she didn't have cell service. She said she was just trying to stay out of it, quote, play neutral. At one point, Mia said that Drock offered to send her something, which Mia interpreted as money. This piece of testimony is key because in denying Diddy bail, the government said they were worried that if Diddy were out and free to contact whomever he wanted on a phone line that was not monitored, Diddy would try to influence witnesses. And if what Mia said on the stand under oath is true, they may have had a damn good reason to be worried. And then it was time for cross examination. Defense attorney Brian Steele opened with a blunt acknowledgment. Quote, because of Sean Combs, you suffered a great deal of trauma between 2009 and 2017. Mia answered, yes. Then Diddy's lawyer walked through years of alleged abuse, Locked rooms, broken confidence, suicidal thoughts. And Mia, she agreed with it all. Then Diddy's lawyer pivoted straight into her Instagram account. Diddy's lawyer showed the jury post after post, birthday collages, vacation pictures, jokes, tributes. Some tagging Diddy, some calling him her mentor, her brother, even her best friend. One post showed Diddy crouched behind her, pretending to deliver a baby. A playful moment that she captioned, quote, thanks for letting me give birth to my dreams, end quote. Diddy's lawyer pressed, you chose to post your rapist on your account. That triggered an immediate reaction from Mia and an objection, which was sustained. But the moment landed. Mia was clearly rattled and whispered, I'm just trying to figure out the word you just used. Diddy's lawyer then circled back to November 4, 2009, Diddy's 40th birthday, the day Mia says Combs assaulted her at the Plaza Hotel by kissing her and putting his hand up her dress. Diddy's lawyer asked, how could she celebrate someone on a date tied to a sexual assault? Her reply was, quote, it was Puff's birthday. I wanted to forget that night, shove it down, end quote. But Diddy's lawyer kept going. One post showed Combs grabbing a coffee. Another, a funny or die event, was captioned, this was good for me, but great for Puff. He asked, how can you have good moments with a man you say terrorized you? Mia's answer was simple, Quote, you tend to forget the bad things and try to remember the good ones, end quote. And when asked why Mia never once posted about being assaulted, why none of those captions, not one, reflected what Mia was saying now. She answered, quote, because everyone who worked for Puff was expected to promote Puff. This was my life. And back then, you did not post the low points. That's when Brian Steele really ramped things up. He pulled up one of Mia's Instagram posts from November 11, 2015, a photo from the Burning man festival tagged with Breakfast Club. When asked what that meant, Mia explained, the Breakfast Club was the name of our camp. I believe it was a friend group. I guess I was invited in once, but I wasn't sure, end quote. But prosecutors, and likely the jury, remembered what Mia had said the day before that same phrase. Breakfast Club was what Diddy allegedly used to describe a select inner circle who partied with him. She testified that he'd given her MDMA and told her she was now, quote, part of the Breakfast Club and that, quote, all his stuff was pure end quote at the time. She said it made her feel safe, like she'd been accepted by someone powerful. Then came the scrapbook. Diddy's lawyer handed Mia a birthday scrapbook that she had made for Diddy's 45th birthday, with red headlines and clippings from 1991 to 1999, and a handwritten message that read, I love you forever and ever and ever. Love Mia. End quote. Mia admitted she'd made multiple scrapbooks for combs. And when asked why Mia would go to that effort after everything Diddy allegedly did, she responded flatly, it's called psychological abuse. She explained that she's been working through all of this in therapy, that she didn't recognize it at the time for what it was, but that it felt like survival. At one point, while reading from the scrapbook, Mia actually whispered to herself on the stand, quote, so nice of me. Diddy's lawyer asked her to repeat that, and Mia said she didn't mean to say that, but the jury already heard it. Diddy's lawyer pressed on. Mia, you're not a weak person, are you? Mia hesitated. I'm not sure. Diddy's lawyer asked. You're strong, aren't you? Mia replied, I don't know what you mean by that, but everything I've said in this courtroom is true. When asked again why Mia made the scrapbook, she said she couldn't explain it, and then told Diddy's lawyer, quote, talk to a sexual abuse advocate. Maybe they can. And then, with Mia's permission, Judge Subramanian allowed the jury to view the scrapbook, a painful artifact of a relationship that Mia now describes as violent, manipulative and emotionally crushing. Mia became emotional. She told the jury that she never wanted to leave Diddy's company and that being fired crushed her. And with that, her testimony ended, at least for this week. The jurors were excused and allowed to return back to their lives. That is, until Monday. This was a day that was packed with details and also contradictions. It was tearful testimony, angry texts, and Instagram posts that seemed to tell a totally different story. Mia says that she was manipulated and terrified and just trying to survive. But Diddy's lawyers said the pictures, those told a different story. They told a different tale. And it is the jury that is going to have to sort it all out. Court's going to pick back up on Monday, and we will be here the minute it wraps with everything that you missed. We do recaps every day, not just on Diddy, but on Karen Reed, too. And we'll be doing it this summer on the upcoming University of Idaho Quadruple Murders. Thank you, everybody. For listening. I'm Ashley Banfield. And remember, the truth isn't just serious, it's drop dead seriously.