
Two full days after the start of the “Diddy Trial” - a new lawsuit is filed. A woman is accusing Sean Combs of SA and states that she recalls his private part being an “itty bitty Diddy.” She includes a photo of a teeny tiny tootsie roll for reference. This is just one of the many civil lawsuits filed against Sean Combs. Many of the people that have sued him are also showing up to the trial to testify against him. Which begs the question, how many more witnesses will be coming to get justice? Dawn Richards, a former band mate of Sean Combs, shows up in court seemingly ready to take him down. To finally tell her story. She says she watched him attack Cassie with a skillet. That the next morning he threatened her and everyone around them to stay silent. Or else… But once the cross examination by Diddy’s attorneys begin - it feels like her entire story starts unraveling. Or is that just what Diddy’s attorneys want us to think? This is the truth behind her brutal testimony. ...
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Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
BADA bing, bada boom.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
There's a few things in the courtroom that we do not have access to. Well, I would say there's a lot of things. I mean, clearly there's the obvious ones, but there's a few things that keep. Keep me up at night. I lay in bed and I think about if I could be a fly on that wall, if I could be a fly on that piece of paper. The first being, I want to know what kind of notes the Combs sons are passing on a daily basis. Every time they're in court these days, they're passing a lot of notes. I don't know what's in them. Sometimes they produce giggles from each other. Sometimes they're shaking their heads, responding to each other's notes. I'm very curious about those notes. Another person's notes I'm curious about is the other day there were two girls in the public section of the courtroom. So they came in with the public, and they were sitting in the two pews of the very back behind the defendant, Sean Combs. And there are moments where after a recess, after a break, after lunch, we'll all walk into the courtroom at varying times. And oftentimes there's not a lot of people in there yet, especially if you don't use the restroom during a break. What we see then, there's two girls, and one of them has white nail polish on, distinct white nail polish. And they both hold up the Illuminati sign towards the defendant, Sean Combs. He's turning back. He sees the Illuminati signs, like, pure.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
Triangles, like, in front of their face.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
Like at their chest. So they're not holding it up in the air, but they're, like, holding it in front of their chest. Sean Combs looks, and we see him put his hand, his fist on his chest and mouth. Thank you. Which is something that he does for friends and family. So perhaps he thought these were two fans that showed up in support of him. I want to know what those girls are writing in their notes.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
Does it look like he knows them or no? Okay.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
And then the last thing that I really want to know is I want to know what's inside this neon blue notebook. Every morning we go to the courtroom. Defendant Sean Combs comes in. He's got this accordion file where he has all of his little court documents, court papers, and every single morning, he pulls out this spiral neon blue highlighter blue notebook. And at the very front, in capital letters, looks like it's written in Sharpie, like thick, bold letters. It reads truth.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
Oh, so he wrote that?
Unnamed Host or Narrator
Yes. And every day after court, he puts it back in his little accordion file. He. It's almost like he's tucking it into bed. He taps the sides of it, making sure it's all nice and comfy in there. And I just want to know if there is anything, anything in that little notebook about Tootsie Rolls. The exact dimensions are one to one and a half inches in length. It's like a Tootsie Roll. It's a chocolate piece of candy. It's about half an inch in diameter. That's the typical size. If you don't have a Tootsie Roll conveniently near you, it is approximately, maybe about like half of an adult pinky finger. Keep that in mind for reference. But all of this starts inside of an elevator. Now, this is all from Jane Doe's perspective, as detailed in a new lawsuit against Sean Combs by Jane Doe. So this lawsuit drops. It's a civil lawsuit by Jane Doe against Sean Combs. And this drops May 14th of 2025, which is just two days after opening statements. This is in the midst of his criminal federal trial. There is another civil lawsuit filed. Now, this is a civil lawsuit. Just because it's a lawsuit doesn't mean it's necessarily factual. This could be completely true, partly true, or just flat out not true. But as detailed in Jane Doe's lawsuit, she states, no, it all starts in an elevator. She's in one of those high rise office building elevators in Manhattan with three of her friends, and there happens to be a man in the same elevator with her. And he's giving her like the full up and down look, and he's asking, any chance you guys want to come to a party tonight? They exchange numbers and apparently they end up building some sort of a friendship. She'll end up at VIP sections with Sean Combs, who will tell her, you're very well managed. You really keep yourself together. I like your nails. I like your toes. Now, in the lawsuit, she details a few odd experiences that she has. Like being in a black SUV with a bunch of his bodyguards. Like, more bodyguards than there are people that they're protecting. And Sean Combs would allegedly try to kiss her. She didn't really like it, but every time he would do stuff like this, afterwards, when she clearly signaled that she did not want this, he would overload her with niceness, and she would feel like, okay, maybe that I was thinking too deep into it. And then she would agree to meet up with him once more until the very last time she sees Sean Combs. Now, this is at a party. Sean Combs allegedly starts smoking marijuana, blowing the smoke back into Jane Doe's face as well as her friend's face. And after about 40 minutes, Jane's friend keeps asking her, do you feel weird? Because I feel weird. Jane says, I mean, I do notice that my legs and arms are really weak in the sense of, like, when I'm trying to walk down the stairs, I need to hold onto the banister. And so both Jane and her friend are talking to each other that neither of them have ever felt like this. They're like, this is really bizarre. I mean, I get that maybe we're tired, but this isn't even just that. Because Jane feels so weird. They end up leaving the entire party with Sean Combs. And Jane states that she's just asking him, can you please take me home? I don't feel good right now. He keeps trying to detour back to his Upper east side apartment. He's like, I just need to grab something. I need to stop by there first. Eventually, when the car is parked, he gets out, grabs Jane by the hand, and she details in her lawsuit. He says, come with me real quick. Jane is being dragged. And he says, quote, I want to show you my bedroom. This is what she's alleging. Sean Combs, according to that lawsuit, locks the door behind her to his bedroom, throws her onto the bed, grabs her by the neck and screams at her, I'm going to suck the life out of you. The lawsuit reads, quote, defendant Combs released plaintiff Jane Doe's neck and then held her arm down while using his other hand to swiftly unbuckle his belt and pants before pulling out his bare skinned private parts, which appeared to be the length and girth of a large Tootsie Roll. The plaintiff went the extra mile to include a picture of a Tootsie Roll for reference and with a comment that said she thought his penis was an itty bitty ditty. The lawsuit alleges that Sean Combs proceeded to essay her after that. Now, I will note that this document has not yet been reviewed by the county clerk, but this lawsuit is filed again May 14, 2025, just two days after the opening statements in the federal court case against Sean Combs. Which begs the question, how many more people are going to come out in court to testify against Diddy? Because Cassie also filed a civil lawsuit and she testified. And now with this episode, Dawn Richard, who who is a former bandmate of Sean Combs, filed her own civil lawsuit and she will also be testifying. This is the testimony of Dawn Richard and Cassie's former best friend of 17 years. So we have Don Richard and Carey Morgan and how all of this connects Sean Combs to Michael B. Jordan, therefore Lori Harvey. And ultimately, as the Internet has become the most intrigued by this is Sean Combs connection to Steve Harvey. We would like to thank today's sponsors who have made it possible for Rotten Mango to support the Joyful Heart Foundation. They are working to transform society's response to sa, DV and ca. This episode's partnerships have also made it possible to support Rotten Mango's growing team and we'd also like to thank you guys for your continued support. As always, full show notes are available by rotten mango podcast.com a few disclaimers there are themes of DV essay and sex trafficking in today's episode. Please watch with caution if these are sensitive topics to you and this one's going to be a little bit heavier. Many of the quotes and statements included have been shortened and condensed and or combined for brevity. Now there are a lot of parts where I'm going to be reading like directly off the transcript, but but I want to convey to you the exact, or at least try to convey to you, do my best to convey to you the tone and the delivery in which the transcript and these words were said in the courtroom. So my researchers and I have been in the courtroom pretty much every single day. Like at least one of us has been in there every single day since the trial has started, if not two of us. And so when we read the transcript at the end of the day, it's hard to get a gauge of how words are delivered and the impact that it might have on the jury. So we're going to try to deliver at least the pacing, at least some of the tone. That is how we perceived it in the courtroom. Any descriptions or observations regarding Mr. Combs, his legal team, the court, and or the public during the trial are personally noted by myself or my two researchers who are present in the courtroom. They should not be used as a definitive source to determine guilt or innocence. In fact, Sean Combs is innocent until proven guilty, and that burden lies on the government. So with that being said, let's get started. There are microphones placed strategically all around the courtroom. The design is to be capture spoken words, all spoken words during the proceedings. There are microphones mounted on the ceilings. Even where there are places where people aren't really supposed to talk, like the pews. Nobody in the gallery is really supposed to be saying anything. Only the front of the room you're supposed to talk. But there's microphones everywhere. There's directional microphones on the desks of the defense, the prosecutors, the court system staff. A few microphones are placed strategically on the exact defense table that Sean Combs is sitting on. And sometimes when the microphone is placed and pointed towards Sean Combs and, let's say, Brian Steele, who's on the left of him, Combs will literally grab the mic and point it directly at the ceiling. So it's like a long, thin, moldable black wire with a little mic at the top. And he will point it so that it's erect and straight up towards the ceiling. And he's pretty intentional about it, so it's nowhere near his mouth. Court stenographer will not be graced with hearing his little whispers in court.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
When you say there's microphone in the ceiling, what does that look like?
Unnamed Host or Narrator
They look kind of like smoke detectors.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
But they're microphones.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
Yeah.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
How did you find out they're microphones?
Unnamed Host or Narrator
Oh, yeah. I eavesdrop a lot in court. I think a lot of people do. So it was mentioned by people who work in the courtroom.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
Okay, so, like, who's listening to the voice?
Unnamed Host or Narrator
The court reporter, the stenographer has these headphones that amplify all the spoken words from all of the multidirectional microphones inside the courtroom.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
So the mic is for them to hear only?
Unnamed Host or Narrator
Yes.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
Wow.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
And then they will do the transcript in real time. And then actually. Okay, speaking of, in case this is information that might come up later. So as the stenographer is, I guess, doing the transcript in real time, everyone that works in the court. So the defense table, the prosecutors, they have a live feed of all the words that are being spoken. They have a live feed of the transcript.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
Oh, the transcript. Got it, got it. Not the thing that you guys are.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
Talking about in the back, but that transcript for the public and the press, you know, it doesn't. You don't get it live.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
Yeah, yeah, yes, exactly.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
Now, Officer Riz, the man who controls the courtroom, literally my boss for this entire trial, he is making, I mean, it's a very interesting day on Friday. I think anytime it's about to be the weekend court seems to be in a better mood. He's making sure the public section knows, hey, no talking in the courtroom. He literally tells us, if you want to talk, go outside and tell your 122followers. And that gets a really good giggle out of every single person, including the people with 122 followers. It was a good joke. Now, outside the courthouse, everyone has just been livestreaming. It has been very intense. The press pews don't have as much of a problem with the not talking rule. Our problem seems to be sneaking caffeine into the courtroom. That's what I see. Press get in the most trouble for. Another thing I never really took into consideration, there are absolutely no glass bottles allowed in the courtroom because they could be used as projectiles, which makes absolute sense. I just really never gave it much thought until one of our researchers is chugging coffee from a glass bottle outside the courtroom because it's just not allowed. Now, the defense, they're sitting in their normal spot, and one person we haven't really talked in depth about is Raspberry Air. That's what we call him. He looks like he might be the youngest guy on the defense team.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
Raspberry Air?
Unnamed Host or Narrator
What does that even mean? Yes, his name is Jason Driscoll and we call him Raspberry Air because we know nothing about this man. The only thing that we could find out about this is he's pretty young. He's an associate from Alexandra Shapiro's law firm, and he's sitting at the big boys table. And we don't exactly know what he's doing yet, but he seems heavily involved. So we don't know if he's like a dark horse that's gonna come out swinging. So we have created this whole plot in our heads where he is secretly part of the Driscoll family, the massive berry farmers. So we call him the Raspberry heir. And every day, Raspberry Air is getting a bit more involved and a bit busier and a bit more interactive with Sean Combs. So it's Becoming a daily mystery for the RM team of like, okay, what's his role going to be throughout the rest of this trial? Combs walks in and some days he's even more unassuming. Honestly, he is less impactful every day that he walks in. There have been at least two days where the press and the public are seated. First he's escorted into the courtroom. And since the judge is not on the bench, we are allowed to talk. Everybody's chit chatting. Everybody's like giggling at Officer Riz's jokes. And by the time people look up, Sean Combs is already in his chair and nobody's even heard him walk in. Nobody even cared. It seems like at this point everyone just wants to get a general vibe of his energy levels and what color sweater he's wearing. But when he walks in, there's even less presence every single day. Like, Officer Riz has more star power than him. So it's been very interesting.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
And then his family members are also shrinking right in size.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
The pews are starting to get sparse. So the rose reserved for Combs and family and friends. He has two rows so none of his family can sit in the pew directly behind him. It's a safety hazard. They're reserved for government workers only safety concern. But the second pew behind him is usually filled with all of his family. Third pew is usually filled with all of his friends, representatives, whoever's on his approved list. So you have these two rows that were in the beginning of the trial completely jam packed the recent days. You could fully lay down in the pew and rest your head if you so wished. I mean, you could, but you could if you really wanted to. I do think that all of his kids went back to California for the twins graduating high school as well as prom. Maybe they're still there. The two sons did eventually fly back. It's been a thing. But everybody in that courtroom, it could be because of this. Everybody in that courtroom seems sick. And even Sean Combs is asking his attorney for a tissue. He's like honking his nose throughout the day. Mark Agnifolo will take up crumpled up tissues and post its and like do little air basketballs into the wastebasket before the judge comes in.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
So it seems like people having like in a very light mood.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
It's like, it's a very weird feeling. Some days it's, there's so much tension and it feels so high stakes. And then some days you walk in and the attorneys are doing air balls with tissue paper into the wastebasket and they're Giggling and cackling. And it's confusing and it's very weird because I think you walk in and you know the subject matter at hand, you know the types of crimes that he's accused of doing. And then everyone is like interactive in like a normal human way, even the prosecutors. And it feels kind of strange. It feels very jolting, I will say. They're doing air basketballs into the wastebasket. He's got impeccable aim. But the court officers, they're looking at him like, sir, please be a serious person. They're like the most serious people. They're the two court officers that escort Sean Combs to the bathroom. I don't think I've seen either one of them really ever smile.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
Really?
Unnamed Host or Narrator
Yeah. And it's interesting that the energy seems so light, considering the thing that we've noticed is it appears that when there is someone testifying that is not so closely related to Sean Combs, the defense and the defendant typically are in lighter spirits. If it's like a Homeland Security agent that's testifying, they might not be as tightly wound. But let's say it's Cassie or it's Don Richard, someone that has worked with Sean Combs for decades. Somebody that is filing a civil lawsuit against Sean Combs, Someone that has very interpersonal relationships with the defendant. Typically, I don't see them this relaxed.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
But you're saying Dawn Richard is about to come on.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
Yes.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
So why are they so relaxed?
Unnamed Host or Narrator
We don't know. Dawn Richard walks in. She is wearing a three piece suit with a pinstripe long winter coat. It looks like perfectly tailored. It looks like somebody tailored it onto her body. It's so well fitted. She walks in with four attorneys. They trail in and they sit directly in front of us, like literally in the row in front of us where Cassie's attorney, her husband, her brother and cousin had sat. So that's like the row reserved for them. Now Don, her face stone cold. She starts walking up towards the witness stand. Her eyes are trained to the front. She looks somber. That's the word that I kept writing on my notes. Others say that she looks like she's ready for war. But it seems maybe the best way to describe it is like a combination of both. Like you're ready for war and maybe you're not necessarily motivated and riled up like propaganda. You just feel like this is life, this is war. And the way that Sean Combs is sitting, honestly, he looks like a guest on Shark Tank. He leans back against his chair. His chair is pulled all the way back away from the table. His legs are crossed and his hands are in his lap. He looks like he's sitting there while there are people coming up to the witness stand to audition for him, that it feels like making the band his reality show, where he finds artistic talent and creates bands out of them. That is what it feels like. Don Richard is asked to point out Sean Combs in the courtroom. Usually the prosecutors will say, can you identify him by a piece of clothing? But before they can even get those words out, Dawn Richard lifts her right arm and points directly at Sean Combs. The whole courtroom, you hear a lot of people shuffling in this moment, but not because they're doing other things. They're literally like, this is what it feels like. They're literally trying to look at what the hell is going on. Because it's a very tense moment. At no point has anyone physically pointed at him. A lot of the times, the witnesses will kind of quick glance and then say, he's the one in the gray sweater. But this is like she's looking and she's pointing, and it's so tense, it feels like she's holding up her hand for a century. It's probably no more than a few seconds, if even that, to the point where maybe Sean Combs feels awkward because he goes to lift up both of his hands, almost in a sarcastic you got me? Like, his elbows are bent at 90 degrees and his hands are near his face, palms out.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
That's interesting.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
It's a very tense, odd moment. And when these types of tense, odd moments happen, typically people in the courtroom will try to chuckle, not because it's really funny, but because it's so tense in there. I think everyone's just trying to find a way to release some anxiety. But at this point, nobody's laughing. The whole thing is just strange. U.S. attorney Steiner is the one that's going to be handling the direct examination. Prosecutor Steiner, which I keep wanting to call them days. They're not. They're federal prosecutors, but you get the point. She does a little bit better than the other prosecutors, minus Comey. I'm sorry, I don't know why. Like, I know nothing about Comey, but I have this undying fascination with her when she's in that courtroom. So during the direct examination, Steiner is asking Dawn Richard a bunch of questions about, just like, establishing how she knows Sean Combs. The first thing that prosecutors do is they try to establish Dawn Richard's connection to Sean Combs. Dawn Richard's was signed with bad boy records, which is Founded by sean combs. From 2004 to 2011, she was part of this massive girl group, Danish Kane. We've talked about them during our original four part Diddy series. And then later she was signed to another group called Diddy Dirty Money. Diddy Dirty Money was literally just Sean Combs, Diddy, Dawn Richards, and a woman named Kalina Harper, another artist. Now I will say Danity Kane was probably the more well known of the two groups. The first album that they ever released, they debuted at like number one on the Billboard charts. Whoa. Many members of Danity Kane have come forward to talk about Sean Combs, with a few of them participating in the HBO documentary the the Fall of Diddy. D. Woods, for example, says in that HBO doc, from the outside, he was a mogul. He was this guy who could make your dreams come true. But there was this other side of him who might not be so safe. I remember this one time he like had the cameras there. So they were all part of this reality show called Making the Band. And it's exactly what you imagine it to be, a reality show of all of Sean Combs. Different bands, like girl groups, guy groups, and they're all just trying to do all these auditions and trying to market themselves. I remember this one time he like had the cameras there when we were like trying on clothes so he could watch us. He's going to point this little camera at us for Diddy so he can judge our appearance. I called it like Jedi mind tricks. This happened so early on. He was going one by one, just like critiquing our style. And when he got to me, it wasn't about the clothes. In the reality show, he would ask D. Woods, what's your stomach looking like? Are you still a little thick? She's 20, 21 at this point, she says, I'm working out, I'm running. I always feel thick next to these skinny girls, yet you're like a burger away. She said, I started questioning my faith, like, why did I put this on myself? And I haven't even been able to express any of that. And without the world victim blaming and shaming me and telling me I just need to be grateful because he gave me an opportunity. Aubrey o' Day, another member, a former member of Danity Kane, has also been probably the most outspoken about her Danity Kane days. Dee Wood says about Aubre, I remember Aubrey sharing with me that he had sent her all of these inappropriate pictures. I saw a lot of the things that he would email her. Very sexual in nature, just like very Overtly pornographic, like things he wanted to do with her. And she was just like, what do I do? I remember telling her, girl, put that in a folder, send it to your mom. Save that when those feelings were clearly not mutual between Aubrey o' Day and Sean Combs. Combs allegedly fired Aubrey o' Day humiliated her, calling her promiscuous and raunchy for turning down his advances. Now, another person that has spoken out is Kalina Harper, who is not part of Danny Kane, but rather Diddy Dirty Money. So Diddy Dirty Money, like I said, is Sean Combs, Dawn Richard and Kalina Harper. Dawn Richard filed a civil lawsuit against SEAN combs in 2024 after Cassie Ventura. Kalina Harper goes on to Instagram to write. I acknowledge the recent lawsuit filed by Dawn Richard in which my name has been mentioned 33 times. While I fully respect Dawn's right to recount her experiences, I want to emphasize that her account reflects her personal perspective and should not be interpreted as a universal truth applicable to everyone involved. It's important to understand that while I was present in some of the same professional settings mentioned, many of the allegations and incidents described in this lawsuit are not representative of my experiences and some do not align with my own truth. We were not involved in, nor were we aware of any behavior that could be considered abusive or unlawful. Sean Combs will later be accused of paying off Kalina Harper for that very Instagram statement. What? Dawn Richard is in her three piece suit sitting at the witness stand next to the judge where she is shown a picture of Cassie. Did you observe an incident between Mr. Combs and Cassie? Yes, I did. Can you please describe that, what you observe generally? I observed Cassie being attacked. And when you say that Cassie was attacked, who was she attacked by? She was attacked by Sean Combs, again at a high level. What did you observe at that attack and Dawn Richard? Her answers are soft spoken but very firm. He came down the stairs screaming, belligerent, asking where his food was and proceeded to hit her over the head and then kick her and beat her on the ground in front of us. Us. Where did that incident take place? In his Los Angeles home. Don Richard explains that they were recording for Diddy's Dirty Money, the group in Sean's LA home. So it's like three floors. This house is massive. It's a mansion. And it's the three of them, Sean Combs, Dawn Richard and Kalina Harper. He's got a studio at the residence at the very bottom level. And this is nighttime. Cassie's also there, but she's on the second level in the kitchen. Presumably during a break in recording. Don and Kalina go up upstairs and according to Don, they see Cassie cooking breakfast for dinner, basically. Cooking breakfast. She was cooling eggs. That's what Don Richard says. So now it's the three women on the second floor. Combs is on the floor above the very top level. It's a three floor home. And Don says she sees him. He came downstairs angry and he was saying where the was his eggs. Excuse my language. Dawn Richard says that. Excuse my language. And he was telling Cassie that she never gets anything right. Where the is his food? And he proceeded to come over to skillet with the eggs in it and tried to hit her over the head with it and she fell to the ground. Can you describe the skillet? It was just. It was a black skillet, just something you would cook eggs in, like a flat pan. Can you describe the material? Like, I don't. A regular pan. A skillet that you would see at any store. I don't. You said that he attempted to hit her, Is that correct? Correct. Where did he attempt to hit her with the skillet over the head. And you testified also that Cassie dropped to the ground, is that correct? She fell to the ground. So did the skillet hit her? It didn't seem like he hit her fully. It seemed like she was anticipating it by going down. When you said that she dropped to the ground specifically, can you describe what she did? She went into a fetal position. You could see she was literally trying to hide her face or her head. Ms. Richard, what happened after Cassie dropped to the ground in the fetal position? He started to punch her and kick her on her body and her head. Then he proceeded to take his arm around her neck and put his hand in her hair and dragged her upstairs to the first floor. What, if anything, did you hear from upstairs? Glass breaking and yelling. Ms. Richard, how did you react to seeing and hearing this? I was scared for her and I was scared to do anything in fear of what that might mean for me too. Did you do anything to intervene between Mr. Combs and Cassie? No. Did you call for law enforcement assistance? No. Why not? I had never seen anything like that before and I didn't even know what that would mean. I was scared of what that might mean for myself. He was punching his girlfriend. He was beating her up in front of us. And I was scared if I intervened or did anything that I might get worse. What, if anything, were you directed to do the next day? So Don Richard is explaining, after they see this whole incident, Sean calls them and is like, hey, can you come back into the recording studio the next day? The next day, he locks the door behind them. In that studio, what, if anything, did Mr. Combs tell you and Kalina in the locked recording studio? He said that what we saw was a. Like a passion and what lovers do in relationships. He said that Cassie was okay and that it would be in our best interest if we didn't say anything. He was trying to take us to the top, and that where he comes from, people go missing if they say things like that. People talk. If people talk, they go missing. And then he gave us flowers.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
So she wasn't the only one being told that story. Helena Harper, she hasn't said anything.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
She's basically said, that's not my truth, in maybe less words.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
Interesting.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
When Mr. Combs told you that people can end up missing, what did you understand him to be? Meaning that people could die. Death. I don't know. It just seemed. Cassie. Mr. Agniphilo interrupts. I'm gonna object to this entire lie in your honor and move to strike it. Prosecutor Steiner is confused. Your honor, this is the defendant's statements that she is explaining her understanding of. The judge calls for a sidebar. Because this is getting a little bit. The emotions are quickly ramping up. It seems like the defense. They're getting very passionate. They're getting riled up. Everybody seems really tense. Even the way that the prosecutor. Prosecutor Steiner, is responding to Agniphila's objection. It seems very emotionally impactful. Not like they're emotional and unprofessional, but it seems like. What do you mean? Objection. Like, get out of here. That's the vibe. Now the judge calls for a sidebar, and when they get back, the jury is abruptly dismissed. So we're sitting there, and we see the clock. We see that there's time left for the rest of the day, probably like a good 30, 40 minutes. And this judge, he does not like to let us out early because he's all about trying to get the trial finished, like around the Fourth of July. That's his thing. That's always been his. So he likes to use every single. He always has every five minutes. It adds up over the weeks. But he's just dismissing the jury.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
That's it. Sidebar, and then dismiss.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
Don Richard was on the stand for, like, 20 minutes, not even. And there's still time on the clock. So none of this is making any sense right now. Everybody kind of walks away a little bit confused. Some would even say, I Think honestly, as Dawn Richard is walking down the aisle and her attorneys are following her out from literally the pew in front of us. And she looks confused.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
Yeah, yeah.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
Like she looks like she thought her testimony would be done Friday and she'd be home for the weekend. Cuz she doesn't live in New York City.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
Right. And did you guys leave after that?
Unnamed Host or Narrator
So we're kind of sticking around, trying to figure out what's going on. And even if you do read the transcripts afterwards, you realize that the defense and the prosecutors are in disagreement because the defense is wondering what any of Don's testimony so far has to do with any of the charges that Combs is actually charged with. That's what they're saying. They're saying, what does. Does this egg incident have anything to do with sex trafficking, RICO charges, anything? The prosecutors argue it is a few steps removed, your Honor, but we allege that the entire course of conduct, the way that count two is charged. So count two is sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion. Is that all the abuse created a culture of coercion and a culture of fear. And I think Ms. Ventura testified to that, that the violence was always in the back of her mind when she was told to do a freak off. The judge is trying to clarify. I mean, I think what you're saying is that anything concerning Mr. Combs and violence is now in the case. No, you, Honor. Why wouldn't it be? Now he's not asking her, as in like it should be. He's asking her to challenge her legal thought. Anything concerning Mr. Combs and Ms. Ventura and abusing Ms. Ventura specifically, who is the victim alleged in count two. So that's respect with count two, you, Honor. But Mark Agnifolo argues it's not count to. It's not sex trafficking, it's domestic violence that you guys are arguing. It's not sex trafficking. It's not one of the charged offenses. It's too far. It's just too far removed. What the government is trying to say is anytime Mr. Combs does anything somewhat violent to Cassie Ventura, that anyone who sees it, you know, remote in time, the next day in a different place, without Ms. Ventura, they then can therefore add evidence to this trial about how afraid they were, it's unduly prejudicial. And this is wholly irrelevant. The judge is trying to kind of negotiate with both sides. I think the government's arguments is that they're saying that the freak offs were a result of force, fraud, or coercion. So they can show that Mr. Combs, as to Ms. Ventura, imposed physical violence on her on a routine basis, then a jury can rationally infer that when these sex acts occurred, they also were a result of the same physical violence. So why isn't, isn't that an inference that the jury could draw, could permissibly draw? And I always find these like, back and forth between the attorneys so fascinating. But Mark Agnifolo is saying, I mean, Ms. Ventura first of all was on and off the stand and she didn't mention this incident. So let's start with that. She didn't mention this incident. There's no testimony from her about almost being hit with a frying pan. She didn't say a word about it. So we know she was not afraid of that because she didn't mention it. So that's the first thing. The second thing is our position is that this is just a drop dead lie. This didn't happen. And the way we know it didn't happen is because Ms. Ventura didn't talk about it. My point is if the government's theory is when Cassie Ventura is subject to violence, that is something that's in her head that compels her to do something that the government is saying is illegal. We can't make that connection with this event because Cassie Ventura does not have this event in her head because she's testified this entire week and didn't talk about it. So it's already on dubious ground to start with. The prosecutors argue it's because there's so much violence in the past 11 years that Cassie does not remember every act and instance of violence. But the judge even mentions that some portions of the testimony from Don Richards, quote, strikes me as a case built on gossip as opposed to what witnesses actually saw or did or communications that would otherwise be admissible. So he's not saying the egg incident, but other questions that maybe the prosecutors were trying to get admitted into the testimony. He's not saying like Don is gossiping, he's just saying certain questions that the government is proposing and the way that they're trying to structure the testimony he feels is not to his liking in some regard. So with that, Don Richard is more or less stuck in New York City for the weekend. She's got to come back Monday morning back to the courthouse.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
So again, why did they call it off?
Unnamed Host or Narrator
Dismissed it so early because there was so much sidebar. This is the whole argument that they were having.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
Uh huh. So they don't want to continue. They want to think about it or.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
No if they were to have this whole argument and then go back to the testimony, it would have been time for the jurors to go home. So the jurors would have just sat around during a massive side.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
Oh, they dismissed everyone and they continue this discussion.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
Yes.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
Okay.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
And this is in open court. A lot of it. So you're just sitting and everyone's gone, the jurors are gone, the witness is gone, and you're just listening to them argue. Okay, yeah, just got a new puppy or kitten. Congrats. But also, yikes. Between crates, beds, toys, treats, and those first few vet visits, you've probably already dropped a small fortune. Which is where Lemonade Pet Insurance comes in. It helps cover vet costs so you can focus on what's best for your new pet. The coverage is customizable, sign up is quick and easy, and your claims are handled in as little as three seconds. Lemonade offers a package split specifically for puppies and kittens. Get a'llemonade.com pet your future self will thank you. Your pet won't. They don't know what insurance is. Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile with a message for everyone Paying Big Wireless way too much. Please, for the love of everything good in this world, stop with Mint. You can get premium wireless for just $15 a month. Of course, if you enjoy overpaying. No judgments. But that's weird. Okay, one judgment anyway. Give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch upfront payment of $45 for three month plan equivalent to $15 per month required. Intro rate first three months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra. See full terms@mintmobile.com businesswoman entrepreneur and supermodel Cindy Crawford founded Meaningful Beauty with world renowned cosmetic specialist Dr. Sabah to share his age, maintenance focused skin care treatments and formulas. After using meaningful beauty for eight weeks, 100% of women said their skin looks vibrant and bright. Tomorrow's gorgeous starts today. Go to meaningfulbeauty.com beauty to receive 25% off and get the targeted treatment duo gift set for free. Meaningfulbeauty.com beauty that's meaningfulbeauty.com beauty Now Monday morning, Dawn Richards walks back in. She's in another perfectly tailored outfit and this time Sean Cock Holmes barely gives her the time of the day. He doesn't even really look up at her or watch her as she makes her way to the witness stand. He's either taking notes or whispering with his attorneys. He seems extra confident. So that's Friday. This is Monday. He seems even more confident now. I will say I feel like him not even giving Don Richard a glance while she's walking to the witness stand is intentional. It just feels intentional. It feels. Yeah. It just feels like something someone would do.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
And he's been staring down, like you said. When Cassie walked in, he's, like, trailing her, right?
Unnamed Host or Narrator
Yes. But even on the last day of cross examination, I recall he was not watching her each time.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
Watching who?
Unnamed Host or Narrator
Cassie. Because it's almost like a I really don't care about you type of feeling is the feeling it gives because most people are watching dawn as she's walking.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
He seems very confident the cross examination is going to happen soon. So is that why once everybody is seated, he's leaned back up against his chair again, his shoulders are slightly up, his head is cocked to the side, and he will go from either staring at dawn while she's talking to jotting down notes. Brian Steele is on the left side of him. He looks super stressed. And they are back to, like, leaned in super close. I feel like in the beginning they were leaned in close, then they were separated, and now they're sitting so close, if they both look at each other too quickly, I feel like they might exchange a kick. Like that's how close they are. Don tells the jurors just to refresh their memory. After she saw Cassie get abused by Combs over eggs, he invited her and Kalina Harper over the next day and told them that, quote, that he. The relationship that he had, that was an incident of passion and Cassie was okay, and that if we say anything, we could go missing. When Mr. Combs told you that you could go missing, what did you understand him to mean? That we could die. Ms. Richard, how did you react when Mr. Combs threatened you in this manner? I didn't react at all. I was shocked, but also scared because it was our first time really getting started to record. And that was my first time really being in a group with everybody. And I couldn't believe that this would be the beginning of a journey for us. After the incident in Mr. Combs's LA residence, were there other occasions where you observed acts of violence between Mr. Combs and Ms. Ventura? Yes. How frequently did you observe Mr. Combs being violent with Ms. Ventura? Frequently. Can you please describe for the jury what you observed? Generally, he would punch her, choke her, drag her, slap her in the mouth. I saw him kick her, punch her in the stomach. And generally, based on your observations, what would prompt these acts of violence? It varied. It could be Cass speaking up for herself. It could be random like, we didn't even know where it came from. It could be she wanted to perform or she had an opinion about something. It just varied. At this point, Combs is taking notes, and we wrote down. He looks like he's taking as many notes as the press, but so are the jurors. They're a lot more captivated by Dawn Richards on Monday than they were on Friday. Maybe because the testimony was so abruptly ended on Friday, it just. It felt like something's about to happen. So they're all scribbling down notes. When she's describing the violence. Many of the jurors, they start taking notes down at the same time. And when you state that it happened, sometimes when Ms. Ventura would speak up for herself, can you describe what you mean by that? Cass is, like, quiet. She would be quiet. She had a quiet demeanor. She was soft. And then when she would have these moments of, like, trying to be. Stick up for herself, trying to be more for herself, he wasn't having that. He would hurt her for it. Did you ever observe Ms. Ventura with injuries after these instances of abuse? Yes. Where? On her body? Her face. And when I say face. Her eyes, her lips, her arms, her knees. How, if at all, would Ms. Ventura attempt to cover up or hide these injuries with makeup, clothing, and sometimes sunglasses. So they bring up another incident where Don, Kalina, and Combs and Cassie were in his New York City house getting ready for a performance in Central Park. Don says that she and Kalina were in the bathroom getting ready. They hear Sean and Cassie arguing in the hallway, and then they look outside the door. He punches her in the face with a closed fist. And afterwards, Cassie comes into the bathroom with them, crying, and he's walking away angry, and she's just. Just. Everything was uncomfortable. She says, we were with her, and it was really quiet. You could see her. You could see her upset. Like, she was just hurt and she was embarrassed. Which the jurors are told to disregard the last sentence because Dawn Richards cannot tell us how Cassie felt. But she did observe her eyes swelling. And she just, like Cassie, started doing her makeup to try and hide it. She wore sunglasses that day. Don says so did she, for quote, solidarity. And at this point, Sean Combs is shaking his head. There are a lot of points during witness testimonies where he shakes his head or he'll look okay. Not with people like Don Richard, but more so maybe like his former PA's personal assistants, he'll kind of, like, look at them like, now, where are you making up this story like that's? The vibe he gives when he looks like, I've never heard this before. Can you believe it? But with this one, it's like shaking his head. How could you tell a lie like that? It's that feeling. And clearly he probably wants the jury to see that. She says for a friend to be a support system for someone who needed it. I wanted her to feel supported. She wanted to be with us. We wanted to have her back. In another instance, Don says that they were in a Mercedes Sprinter going back home. Cassie and Combs are arguing. He had just punched her in the stomach in front of all of these people in public. And she was telling him that she was embarrassed in the car. Like, on the way home. She's like, that was very embarrassing that you hit me in front of all your friends. How did Mr. Combs respond? He grabbed her by the neck and popped her in the mouth. He slapped her in the mouth and told her to shut the fuck up. Like an open hand slap to the mouth at one point. At this point, one of the jurors looks up mid taking notes. So he's like, writing down probably Mercedes Sprinter, like, quote, popped her in the mouth. They peer up at Sean Combs, eyebrows raised, takes a second, looks at his side profile, and then goes back to finish writing up the notes. I guess they were trying to see his reaction. What did Ms. Ventura respond after she was hit in the mouth? She looked outside the window, and everyone was quiet for the rest of the ride. There's this really sad moment where, after all that, the Prosecutor asks Don, Ms. Richard, what. What, if anything, would you discuss with Ms. Ventura about her music career and Dawn? You can hear her smiling when she talks. She said Cass had big dreams. She really love. Objection. Overruled. Which means dawn can continue. She wanted to put out her album, and I told her I would write for her. She wanted to do more modeling. She wanted to do well with her career. And I, myself, and Kalina, we encouraged her to do that. We wanted to support her in any way that we could. But she says clearly Combs didn't want it. He didn't like that we knew or we talked to. And oftentimes we. We'd. We'd pay for it.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
Pay for what? Oh, oh, oh.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
Being around Cassie.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
I see.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
What, if anything, do you recall Mr. Combs telling you, oh, man, stay the out of my relationship. You are here to work, not be part of my relationship. You don't know real work. It's always, you do this, or else something bad will happen to you. It's always like that, a threat that if you didn't stay in line, there were. There was a consequence. It was mean. It was mean. It was meant to. She says that even the president of Bad Boy, Harv Pierre, once told her, harv said, it gets dark and lonely. And Mr. Combs used to say this, too. It gets dark and lonely if you don't listen. It was very much like, y' all need to listen to him. Y' all don't want to deal with what happens if you don't. At this point, many of the jurors start taking notes. And I think it's so specific, and it evokes a strong feeling. It gets dark and lonely if you don't listen. Like, does that mean you're iced out of Hollywood forever? She says clearly she's terrified of him because I had seen and witnessed brutality in a way that I had to believe that if the person that was supposedly in love with Cassie did what he did to her, what would he do to an employee? How did you respond to these threats? My thought was to be as kind as possible. Like, I tried to please. I saw. I saw what? If you spoke out, I saw what that looked like. So I would oftentimes approach Mr. Combs, like, with softness and like, hey, how are you? It was always very much like, if I do this like this, maybe I'll have a better chance than what the other option looks like. Did you continue to try and intervene in Mr. Combs relationship? No. I made the decision that it would be best for the safety of myself to not interfere because I don't think she was ready really to do anything. From our perspective in that courtroom, it does seem like dawn appears to have a harder time testifying to the fact that she didn't help Cassie. In certain ways. That's just the listener's perception. It just sounds like maybe she's more traumatized by that than actually witnessing the violence. It just sounds like she's beating herself up about it, is the feeling she does say, I told her she should leave, but Cass looked torn, like she. She would listen, but you could. I could see the fear. And again, Sean Combs shakes his head lightly at that. And at the very end of the direct, she is asked, did you yourself file a civil lawsuit against Mr. Combs? I did. Are you aware of any details of any settlement negotiations with Mr. Combs? No, I'm not. Are you aware of how much money, if at all, has been requested to settle the lawsuit? No, I am not. As a result of your Testimony here today, Ms. Richard, are you expecting any compensation? I'm expecting justice. Are you Expecting any compensation, Ms. Rachard, for your testimony? No. No further questions, your honor.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
At this point, like, is it half a day of Monday already or it's like, super brief.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
It's pretty brief. The whole direct was pretty brief. Now, I will say there were a lot of objections during Don's testimony that even she. When Westmoreland. Nicole Westmoreland from the defense objects to yet another question. Don is just like, okay. Like, she doesn't even. It's so many objections. And she's like, okay, okay, okay. Mid sentence, she's talking object. Okay, okay. So with that, it is time for the cross examination. Nicole Westmoreland wasn't even supposed to be the one doing the cross examination. Mark Agnifolo was the one, but he told the judge Monday morning. I checked with the government on Saturday to see if the government would be okay with the fact that Ms. Westmoreland would be doing the cross of the current witness rather than myself. And they said they were fine with that. So I don't know what changed over the weekend that made Nicole Westmoreland take the cross, but Nicole Westmoreland, she worked with Brian Steele on the Young Thug case. She's an attorney from Atlanta, Petit. She was one of the last attorneys to be added to the defense team. She wasn't even here for, I think, like, the first few days of jury selection, or at least like the beginning portions. That's right, yeah. Because I believe she was still either in Georgia or working on another case. She finally makes it to New York City, and since the trial kicked off, she really has not been that particularly active in the courtroom. I'm sure they're all working crazy after, you know, behind the scenes, but you don't really hear her talk, even amongst attorneys. It's not like she's this booming voice that's just constantly socializing. And, I mean, we haven't really taken that many notes even on her demeanor. Just that she wears really nice Christian Louboutins, she has a Chanel bag, and she looks good every day. She just kind of flies under the radar until she takes that podium on Monday for the cross examination of Dawn Richard. Now, I'm gonna try to include clips of Nicole Westmoreland during other trials where it has been televised. I don't know if it's maybe the echo in the courtroom. She's got this incredibly low octave, velvety rich voice, and I can even do it for you. Good morning, Ms. Richard, my name is Nicole Westmoreland. I represent Mr. Combs. Okay. So the way that she talks, the best way to describe it is she does have a bit of a Southern accent accent, but it's not in the way that you would imagine, because I'm from the South. It's not like a typical, typical Southern accent, at least not to the area that I'm from. But this woman, she sounds incredibly authoritative. The best way that I can describe her aura when she's on that lectern is she sounds like a Southern professor, a cutthroat professor that you admire because she knows what she's talking about. She's probably the best professor in her field, but she's very intelligent. She doesn't like to play around. She holds herself and all of her students to very high standards. And when she finally does crack a joke with you or give you a compliment on anything, you're going home kicking your feet the entire weekend. Do you feel special? That is the best way to describe Westmoreland. This is the very first thing that she's been doing, at least public facing, of course, in this trial. I'm sure she's working really hard behind the scenes, but she doesn't seem nervous at all. All some of the other attorneys during their first cross, they seemed a little bit nervous, even like Brian Steele before his second cross that we're going to get into in another video. He's like, in and out of the courtroom. It seems like he's going to the restroom. He seems like really, like, got a lot of pent up energy. But not Westmoreland. She's got her hip popped up against the podium. Her body is naturally angled towards the jurors. She looks like she lives on this podium. I need to ask you a few questions, okay? Now, before filing a lawsuit against Mr. Combs, you're aware that your attorney sent a demand letter on, correct? I'm not aware of what my attorney said. I'm sorry. Without telling me any conversations between you and your lawyers, you hired civil lawyers, correct? I have civil lawyers. And you understand that the civil lawyers that you hired are litigating on your behalf, Correct. Can you give that in a term that I can understand? You hired lawyers to do a job on your behalf? Yes. Thank you, Ms. Richard. Now, after filing a formal lawsuit against Mr. Combs, you had an interview with the government. Remember that? What are you referring to? Like, just a conversation with. Can you give me more? I'm sorry. You've had the opportunity to sit down and speak with federal prosecutors the government. Correct. Correct. And you sat down and you spoke with them numerous times. Right? A few times. You sat down with them eight times. Does that sound right? One thing I will say is Westmoreland does not look at her notes like much during this cross. She's very prepared to give you the idea of the exact feeling I had during this cross was. First of all, the jurors, they're all looking at Westmoreland when she talks. A lot of them don't even glance at Dawn Richards in the beginning. When she's responding later, they'll, like, be bouncing back and forth like they're at the US Opens. But in the beginning, when she's just going through, like, these little yes and no questions, some of them don't even look at Don Michelle for her response. Westmoreland has complete control over this courtroom. She's come prepared, and she did not come to play or just wing it. I don't recall the number. I'm sorry. Would several be fair? A few times. Would you agree with me that over the few times that you sat down and spoke with the government that your allegations, the one that you've testified to today, have changed over time? No, I think that they've been. As best as I can recall. You think they've been consistent? As best as I can recall. First, I want to speak with you about your testimony on Friday about the egg in the kitchen incident. Do you remember explaining a situation like that to the jury? Yes, ma' am. So already Dawn Richard is going into her yes, ma' am responses, which it does like. I don't know if it's just interesting. It feels like Nicole Westmoreland is completely in control of this conversation. So he attempted to hit her on the head, and then you testified Ms. Ventura dropped down into a fetal position. She covered herself, yes. And that's your testimony? Yeah. This isn't the first time testifying on Friday and today. It's not the first time you spoke about this egg alleged incident, Right? Spoke in my civil case and right now. And you've also spoken about it to the prosecutors? We spoken, yes. Let's start with the civil part. Are you aware in the letter sent on your behalf to Mr. Combs that the egg incident that you allegedly saw that is described, are you aware of that? Side note, Even Nicole Westmoreland's reference to the incident as the egg incident does not seem to be unintentional. Even the judge on Friday called it the incident with the skillet. Later he said, I will call it the skillet incident. But Nicole Westmoreland consistently calls it the alleged egg incident.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
That's crazy.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
Wow.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
She is prepared.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
Yeah. It's so interesting because it's so subtle, but it's likely very impactful over time. Like these types of changes in the wording and rebranding in real time, if you will. Are you aware in the letter sent on your behalf to Mr. Combs that the egg incident that you allegedly saw, that it's described, are you aware of that? No, I'm not aware. I'd like to show it to you to see if it would refresh your memory. Okay. Even the way she says that is just very interesting. Like, she's able to build trust really quickly because a lot of the times, the records that she's showing Dawn Richard, we're not privy to the press. We don't see them. They're not admitted into evidence. But the way Nicole Westmoreland is saying it, I'm like, I feel like I trust whatever's on that document. Like, you're telling me that's on that document. It probably is on that document because. Because of the way she presents herself. And I wonder if it's the same impact for the jurors. And I'm not saying this as, like, a way to side with one party or the other. I think everyone should be innocent until they are proven guilty, and that burden is on the government. But I will say her presence in that courtroom was very trustworthy. It was very authoritative. She's so confident, so firm, so natural. It just feels like if she told me the sky is pink, maybe I'm naive. Maybe I would be a victim of a cult one day. I would be like, the sky is pink. Pink. Ms. Rashard, could you please read that to yourself? And once you're finished, please look up at me. And she sounds like a professor. Like, just please look up at me. Don is just following her complete lead. She looks up. Are you done? Yes, ma' am. Did you ever make the statement that you heard a pan hit the wall? You didn't see it? I don't recall. Does looking at the document refresh your memory? I don't recall that, though, writing that. Are you aware that that was said on your behalf? Objection, your honor. Sustained. Interestingly, in this moment, instead of just asking a new question, Westmoreland goes to rephrase it and even guides the jury on where to go now. So I think this was because I was looking into how to handle a really good cross examination, because I'm not an attorney. I don't have any Legal experience. And I was getting confused because certain cross examinations or even direct testimonies, I'm like, why are the attorneys asking such convoluted questions? They keep bringing us everywhere. And I feel like if I'm confused, probably the jurors are also confused because we're just normal people with no legal background. And they were saying that a lot of the times framing questions, giving timeline is very specific and very important because you don't want the jurors to feel like, wait, what topic are we on now? Nicole Westmoreland is very good. Said, let's go back. You hired civil attorneys, correct? Correct. And you are aware that civil lawyers reached out to lawyers in reference to Mr. Combs? You're aware of that, right? I'm not aware of that. I'm sorry. You're aware that you. That they filed a lawsuit on your behalf, Correct. And you understand what a civil suit is, Correct? Correct. That's when you're suing someone. Correct. And you're asking for money. Correct. You understand that I'm asking for compensation for the work that I had. Compensation, money. Whatever term you'd like to use, that's what you're asking for, right? Correct. At that moment, if I'm not mistaken, I did see one of the jurors smirk. I don't know if that smirk is in reference to perhaps Westmoreland is grilling Don and it comes off a little mean, or could it be that, yeah, I mean, compensation is money. I don't know. Meanwhile, Combs is looking up at Westmoreland. He looks very impressed, not confused or agitated like he did in some of the other crosses. He looks very impressed. Ms. Richard, let me ask you this. You sat down with the Federal Government on October 31, 2024, didn't you? I don't remember the date. I'm sorry. May I show you something to help refresh your memory, please? Yes. Thank you. Now that you had the chance to look at the document, does that help refresh your memory that you met with the government on October 31, 2024? It doesn't help me because I don't know what the document like. I've never seen that document before. Do you have any reason to disagree with me that you met with the government? I was saying I didn't see this document. No worries. No worries. I want to get to the substance of it. When you met with the government, didn't you tell them that Mr. Combs actually hit Ms. Ventura with a frying pan? I said he attempted to hit her with a Frying pan? I didn't ask you that. Did you actually tell the government not that he attempted to hit her, that he did hit her? Yes.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
Wait, so are you saying that based on the document that they've reviewed, Don told the government that he did, he did hit her?
Unnamed Host or Narrator
Yes.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
And she's like, honing in on that point. Hey, you say that he hit her. Her on that date?
Unnamed Host or Narrator
Yeah.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
Okay.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
And now Friday testimony, you're saying he tried to hit her. Like he didn't hit her. It didn't look like it fully hit her.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
Right.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
You told the government that. That he hit her? Yes. And do you agree with me that there's a major difference between attempting to hit someone with a frying pan and actually hitting them? You agree with that? Yes. And you understand that when you were sitting down with the federal prosecutors, that it was very important for you to tell the truth? Truth, yes. And at some point, the jurors are like, watching this back and forth again, that this is like the US Opens in the beginning, it's just Nicole Westmoreland. They're only looking at Westmoreland. And now it's like their heads were making me dizzy. And you understand that it was important for you to be as accurate as possible? To the best of my ability, yes. And you know that you need to tell the ladies and gentlemen of this jury the truth? Absolutely. And you would agree with me that there is a difference between hitting someone with a frying pan and throwing a frying pan, correct? Correct. But you gave two different stories, didn't you? I did the best that I could recall. How about you gave another interview? Would you have reason to disagree with me that your next interview was on March 18, 2025? I wouldn't disagree with you. That sounds right. And in that interview, isn't it true that you told the federal prosecutors that Mr. Combs actually threw eggs at Ms. Ventura? No, I don't recall that. You don't recall that? And that after throwing eggs at Ms. Ventura that he actually set the pan back down? Do you remember saying that? I don't recall that. Let me show you something to help refresh your memory. Okay. Please read that to yourself and then look up at me when you're done. Are you done? I am. Does it refresh your memory that you actually told the prosecutors that Mr. Combs didn't hit her with the pan at all? I don't recall saying that. I'm sorry, you don't recall saying that? Uh huh. And we discussed that when you had these interviews that there was A note taker, right? Yes. You agree that throwing eggs and then setting the pan down is different than hitting someone with a pan, right? I do. And you agree that hitting someone with a pan is very different from attempting to hit someone with a pan, right? Correct. And you agree that hearing a pan thrown against the wall is different than all three of the other ways, right? Right. Correct. Ms. Richard, let me ask you, would you agree with me that it's been hard for you to keep your story the same in reference to this egg incident? Objection. Overruled. No, I wouldn't agree with that. You would agree that you told multiple different stories, though? No, I would agree that I told it to the best of my recollection, and it was as close as I could get it. To the best of your recollection? You have four different recollections on what may have happened that day. No, I don't. Let's talk about the day after. Now, you testified on Friday, and you furthered that testimony today, and you explained to us that Mr. Combs called you to the studio the next day, Right? He did. And that you went to the studio, Mr. Combs locked the door, and he told you this was love and passion thing, right? Correct. And then he told you, you better not say anything. And. Excuse me. He told you and Ms. Harper. Right. Ms. Harper was there. He told both of you, you better not say anything because where I'm from, people go missing. Correct. And that's what you told the ladies and the gentlemen of the jury in this court. That's what you said. Correct. And that's the truth. That's the truth. Now, testifying Friday and today, that's not the first time that you've had the opportunity to explain the alleged incident. Right? Right. Correct. Because you sat down with the prosecutors on numerous occasions. Right? Correct. October 31, 2024. We're going back to what you don't argue with me is the first interview. So she's not saying, like, don't argue with me. She's like, saying, you didn't argue that this was the first interview. Like, you're. You verified it's the first interview.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
That's. Wow. The framing of even that statement is so interesting.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
Yeah. She's so sharp on her feet in, like, I would really. I would. I would lose.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
I would, like, watch every word that I say because even if I phrase it differently, it will be used against me somehow.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
Yeah.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
You know, so it's like her logic.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
Is really logicy, I think, like, the way that a lot of I heard Whispers in the courtroom is. You know, I think it's tricky because I'm sure every single person in that courtroom, even in the press pews, everyone's going in with the bias, right? But it's like, it's so hard because you try to put it aside so that you can have these, like, clear, okay, this is what happened inside the courtroom today. And so we're trying to have these discussions about things that happen in the courtroom without putting our biases in it and just being like, what if we were the jurors and we had no bias? We don't know any of the things that have allegedly taken place or any of the emotional impacts of anything. We don't know. We're a fresh slate. Right. And a lot of people just. They say it felt kind of more like an interrogation than a cross examination. It just was so, like, I felt like if I were up there, I wouldn't be able to breathe. I could see myself just, yes, ma' am. Yes, ma' am. And then just trying to get out, because it was so. It was hard to watch. Now, isn't it true that at that interview, during that interview, you explained to the prosecutors that Mr. Combs told you this was not. This has nothing but a love argument. Right. No one was hurt. Correct. And you did not tell the prosecutors that Mr. Combs told you. Where I'm from, people go, miss, can I see what you're saying? Because Absolutely. So she's like, can I see the document of the notes from the government meeting? And she's like, absolutely. Thank you. Please read to yourself and look up at me when you're done. That whole line, please. Thank you. You're done. Mm. Does that refresh your memory that you did not tell the federal prosecutors that Mr. Combs told you people go missing? I always state what I've stated, so if not, it's not my recollection that wasn't stated, but. But that was what happened. Let's go to your interview on March 18, 2025. That's your next interview. And isn't it true, in that interview, you stated that Mr. Combs said this was a love thing. No one was hurt. Right. And you did not say anything about Mr. Combs telling you people go missing, is there. What was the question? You didn't tell prosecutors that on March 18, 2025. Isn't that true? No, that's not true. I don't recall not saying that. I'm going to show you a document to refresh your memory. Thank you. I'll ask you one question. You didn't tell the prosecutors on March 18, 2025, your second interview with Mr. That Mr. Combs told you people go missing. I tell my story as I remember it. I think I tell my story as I remember it. Those are not the best words to be used, regardless of how one feels about Dawn Richard and about this whole testimony, I think that was generally not the best response. I felt like a lot of people kind of winced in the courtroom because those are words that could be so easily twisted. I tell my story as I remember it. Just the word choice was not optimal. But later, dawn further clarifies, I spoke as best as I could as I remember it. It was a long time ago. I'm doing my best to understand these questions as best as I can. Let me ask you this. When you were in that room with the federal prosecutors, Mr. Combs was not there, right? No. None of his lawyers were there. I wasn't there. And you felt safe in the room with federal prosecutors? Yes, ma' am. And you know it was important to tell the truth? Yes. Right. And you would agree that you alleging Mr. Combs threatened you was something that you would want to tell the United States federal government, right? Yes, ma' am. And although that's what you're saying here in trial, you would agree with me that even in your second interview, you didn't mention that. I. Again, I mentioned it. Whether or not I don't know what the notes were taken, I don't know. I can't know what the notes are going to be taken. Sorry. You did another interview on April 17, 2025. Okay. Do you have a reason to disagree with that date? No. During that interview, you and the United States government, you guys spoke about this incident that you're alleging you spoke about it again. Do you agree with that? I would have to see the docu. No worries. Could you Please pull up 3574 012, page 2, first paragraph. Please look up at me when you're done. I'm done. We're on our third interview. Mr. Combs was not there? No, he was not. I wasn't there? No. None of his lawyers were there? No, ma' am. You felt safe in this interview? Yes, ma' am. You didn't tell the federal prosecutors that Mr. Combs told you people go missing? I told them exactly what my recollection of that event was. So your recollection that day was that Mr. Combs didn't threaten you by telling you that people go missing? He threatened me and said People go missing. I understand that's what you're testifying here. I'm asking you, you didn't tell the government that on April 17, 2025, your third interview, correct? I'm telling you, I told them what I remember. So you just didn't remember the threat? No, I remembered everything. I'm telling you now. Miss Richard, isn't it true that the first time that you mention and allege that Mr. Combs told you people go missing was a week ago, on May 10, 2025? No, ma' am. Would you like me to show you the rest of your interviews to refresh your recollection? I know what I said, ma' am. Now, you said that when Mr. Combs told you people go missing, you took that to be a death threat. Yes, ma' am. That's what you're telling us, right? Yes, ma' am. A death threat that you didn't recall on seven different occasions. Objection. That's sustained. Let's move on. Ms. Richard, you testified to some other incidents that you allegedly witnessed. Now, you told us about a restaurant, right? And that Ms. Ventura and Mr. Combs were arguing and that he punched her. He hit her? Yes, ma' am. Please tell us who was at this restaurant. Harve, Pierre, Capricorn, Clark, Mia and myself. Kalina, our bodyguards, which were Bonds and Drock, and Cassie. Side note, this was covered in the direct. In the direct. And this is the part where I was like, wait, now I need to see those government notes, because I'm confused. This is the part where I was like, wait, maybe I'm mistaken. I'm mistaken because I kept looking through the direct, and I'm like, I don't understand the point being made in the cross. Now, in the direct, the prosecutor asks dawn about this exact incident, perhaps not even an hour prior to westmoreland asking her. Ms. Rich, directing your attention right to the following year, in 2010, did there come a time where you were in a restaurant in West Hollywood, California, and Mr. Combs and Ms. Ventura got into an altercation? Yes. What happened at that restaurant? Mr. Combs punched Cassie in the stomach. Can you please describe what you observed leading up to that incident? We were having a private conversation, and we were all sitting, eating at the tables together when I saw we. I mean, some bad boy, some from our label, and even some celebrities were in the room, and they were secretly arguing, and he punched her in the stomach. Sean Combs punched Cassie in the stomach. She immediately bent over, and then he was like. He told her to leave because I could See him point out and she went out and left the room. Who, if any, of Mr. Combs employees were present? Harve Pierre, Capricorn Clark, Mia Drock, Bonds, myself and Kalina Harper. What, if anything, did Harve, Pierre or the other employees present do to intervene after the incident? They didn't. No one intervened. We did. So now, back in the cross examination, Westmoreland is asking Don about it. Now, you've spoken about that incident before and you remember being asked who was all there, right? Mm. Do you recall alleging several celebrities were actually there? Yes. So when the government asked you who was all there, and I asked you who was all there? Right. Now, you didn't mention any of the celebrities. Right. Please recall those celebrities. Now. Usher was there. Jimmy Ivine was there. Neo came through. There were a lot of few others. I don't recall those people, but those were the ones I remember talking to. Those are the ones you remember talking to. Any reason why you left those individuals out when I asked you the question? I just. I thought you were recalling what I mentioned here, asking me to give you the names of the people I mentioned here. Any reason you left these individuals out when the government asked you the question? She just asked me, who was the there? And if those individuals were there, why didn't you say their name? I'm not sure. So this part I didn't quite grasp. It felt like in the direct, she did mention that a few other celebrities were there. She did tell the government that.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
Oh, she say boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. And then a few others.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
Yeah, like a few celebrities were there.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
Okay.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
But she didn't mention them by name, and the government did not ask her to elaborate. I also don't think that if I were Don, I probably wouldn't want to bring a bunch of celebrities names in, because anytime a celebrity name is dropped in this trial, it seems like there's headline news, a spawns of tiktoks and conspiracies. And so I get it. Like, I don't think maybe she's trying to do them a favor of not mentioning their names unless she absolutely has to and is going to commit perjury. So I just. This part I didn't really understand. Yeah.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
But for Westmoreland, this is another opportunity for her to discredit her, Right?
Unnamed Host or Narrator
Yeah. But I think it was interesting seeing, because we don't get to see the government meeting notes, but we do see the direct, and it just seemed like a lot of twisting of her words, so. It seemed like a lot of twisting her words. To make it seem like there was.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
A deeper intention or just make her less credible.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
Yeah. Yeah. Westmoreland moves on to our next point where she asks Dawn Richard of all the times she saw a gun near or on Sean Combs. But she states that it was never mentioned to prosecutors during the eight interviews she's had with them. And out of eight interviews, you didn't tell the prosecution, hey, I saw a gun. It was at the studio at Daddy's house. That's the studio name. You didn't tell them that? I answered what was asked of me. They didn't ask you any detail that wasn't asked at the time? Well, when you say at the time, I'm talking about eight times it wasn't asked. I'm sorry. Okay. Thank you for that. I feel like Combs is getting a lot of confidence from this cross examination. So this actually takes place Monday, Tuesday. He comes in. He's, like, in the best mood of his life. Life, really, that we've seen so far. Just, like, lots of more interactions with the jury. He seems very upbeat. He seems like he's got, like, a pep in his step. And I feel like maybe a lot of it is coming from this. Even during Nicole Westmoreland's cross, he is more frequently looking over at Nicole Westmoreland and probably the jurors sitting right behind her. One point, he even passes a note to Mark Agnifolo. Mark Agnifolo reads the post. It looks back at Sean Combs and just smiles and nods. It feels like it's not an actual note. It feels like, hell, yeah. And then he's like, hell, yeah. Like, that's the feeling I got. I mean, it could be not. It could be something else. Like, I'm hungry and he's smiling, and I don't know, but it just felt like that. Wow. You never saw Mr. Combs do cocaine, right? Objection. That's sustained. I'm asking, have you ever seen Mr. Combs do cocaine? Yes. You have? Okay. Was there a time that you told the government in interviews that you've never seen Mr. Combs do cocaine? I don't recall that. Let me help refresh your memory. Can you Please pull up Doc 357-4006? Can you take us to page 7? This is for the party's first bullet point. Can you highlight that? Ms. Richard, can you please recall these.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
Pages, like, instantly, or does she have to look for it and then call it out?
Unnamed Host or Narrator
She looks down to read it, but she's not, like, flipping through her pages. So a Lot of the other cross examinations. And to be fair to Esteveo, her cross examination of Cassie Ventura was two days long. But a lot of it was, like, going through, and then it was like, wait, what are we moving on to right now? Like, I don't even know what this question is in reference to. Like, I don't know what timeline you're asking this of Cassie, but with Nicole Westmoreland, I mean, she's like, just glancing down, looking for the number. That's it. Did that refresh your memory? It did. So I'll ask you again. Isn't it true that you told the government that you've never seen Mr. Combs do cocaine? At the time, I hadn't recalled. No, I'm sorry, at the time that you did the interview on October 31, you hadn't recalled that? No, I hadn't. But the government asked you about Mr. Combs drug usage, right? They did. And you didn't say to the government, hey, I don't know. No, I didn't say, you told the government Mr. Combs. I've never, never seen him do cocaine. That's what you said? Yes. And you would agree with me that your testimony has changed on that? It has. I mean, you would agree with me at this point that your testimony's changed on quite a few things. I think I'm. As time progresses, I get better with knowing it because it was so long ago. So you would agree with me that as time progresses, your story changes? Yes. And isn't it true that you've never actually seen One Stop sell drugs? Okay, so One Stop is the drug dealer that would allegedly drop by the studio to sell drugs. And it's inferred that he's called One Stop because he's a One Stop shop. He even sells Plan B and, like, Advil along with cocaine. So there's that. A whole CVS and an alleyway on one person. And isn't it true that you've never seen One Stop actually sell drugs? No, I've seen One Stop selling drugs. Who did you see give One Stop money? That varied. It could be an assistant, or it could be Puff giving the assistant money to pay for it. You said could be. I'm not asking you to speculate. That's not allowed here. I'm asking you to answer the question if you know. Yeah, I've seen him give money. An assistant give money to One Stop and he would give drugs. Can you please pull up document 3574015, page two? This is just for the parties Isn't it true that you had an interview with the government? Right. And you decided, discussed one Stop. They asked you questions, they, meaning the government, and whether you had witnessed one stop selling drugs. Isn't it true that you told the government that you never saw anyone give payment to one stop? Yes. You didn't know who paid for the drugs? Correct. Right. So when you testified today in front of the ladies and gentlemen of the jury that you saw one stop sell drugs, that you saw Mr. Combs pay him for drugs, that was of a lot. No. So you agree with me that what you're testifying to today is different than what you told the government in that interview? Correct. Another story change? Not a story change, but yes, different. Ms. Richard, I don't know the exact count, but at this point, you would agree with me that we. We have several story changes. Objection. Sustained. Let's talk about your testimony in reference to how threatened you felt by Mr. Combs. You were scared? Yes, very. So, Ms. Richard, you separated in 2011, meaning you went on as a solo artist, right? Correct. And you were no longer around with or around Mr. Combs. Right. And, I mean, you being pretty scared and so fearful in fear of your life after 2011, you were away from him, right? Correct. And I'm sure you being pretty fearful and scared of him that once you were able to get away from him, you definitely wouldn't want to come back, right? Correct. But you would agree with me that you actually asked Mr. Combs to come back, didn't you? No, not to come back. No. They pull up a text message thread just for the party so we don't get to see it. Isn't it true that Mr. Combs didn't just reach out to you, you reached out to him? Correct. So you weren't. Dawn tries to bring up the fact that, yes, she did reach out to Sean Combs multiple times after she left in 2011, but it was mainly because she was either trying to get in contact with somebod else, or she mentions that Kalena Harper was going through some things and maybe they wanted to get Diddy Dirty Money back together, so she was doing it more so for Kalina Harper versus like, I want to spend time with this guy. Like, that's kind of what is implied. During the testimony, Westmoreland brings up Don solo career and how when she was part of both Danity Kane and Diddy Dirty Money, they're getting platinum for songs. And since she's gone solo, you've released over 100 songs. Correct. And you would agree with me that the songs that you've released haven't reached the levels of success as Dirty Money and Danity Kane to me. No offense, but you agree with that, right? Correct. And do you agree with me that you actually asked Mr. Combs to sign you as a solo artist before I left? So there's this whole debate and back and forth about why would you, if you were so scared for your life, if he had threatened you and said, people go missing back where I'm from, then why would you even want to work with him? And. And it just is like a continuation of this back and forth. And there's a lot of parts in the cross examination where it just feels like a lot of power play. That's what it feels like. For example, Westmoreland would say, music is your dream. Yes. And you've been trying to succeed at it for a long time. I did succeed at it in the past. Now, like, it just, like in the moment, I know when I say it, it doesn't seem like a. Ooh. It doesn't seem like a power play. But I think in that moment, there was level of tension. It was a level of, like, there was so much tension in that courtroom during the cross examination. I think this was probably the most brutal. That's the word that I hear most people say in the hallways. It was just brutal to watch. It was brutal to hear, to witness. In one line of questioning, Westmoreland asks Don, you once yourself had fame, right? It just everything seems like there is an emphasis on Dawn Richard only doing well in her musical career when she was associated with Sean Combs. And there's really just. It just was a lot. By this point in the cross, most of the jurors aren't even taking notes. They're not even looking at Don Richard, but at Nicole Westmoreland. At one point, there is a brief sidebar, and I'm watching the jurors. Two of them, from our perception, they look at each other, their eyes are wide, and they're, like, nodding kind of. It gave the damn. That was. I don't know. They could be thinking something else. They could be thinking about what they were talking about during lunch. Right. I wouldn't know. Well, at this point, there was no lunch, I believe, but it could have been something else. But it looked like that to me. Even after the sidebar. Combs, he's not even paying attention. He's just pouring himself a water. It feels like he believes Westmoreland has it down pat already. And there's nothing more. Once he's done pouring his water. He's pivoting his entire body towards the jurors. And Westmoreland continues her line of questioning about the lawsuit and that after Dawn Richard read Cassie Ventura's lawsuit, she then filed her own lawsuit. So Nicole Westmoreland is trying to seem like a money grab, like a cash grab. And shortly after Ms. Ventura filed suit, you filed suit yourself. Right. And it is your want to get a lot of money from Mr. Combs, correct? No. So you're not filing a lawsuit to get money? I'm filing a lawsuit to get compensated for the work that I've put forth. And you would agree with me that your definition of compensation is money? Yes. Correct. I have no further questions. There is this incredibly long sidebar where Don Richards looks incredibly uncomfortable. I mean, the whole thing, everybody's looking uncomfortable. And during this sidebar. Okay, so right behind the defendant is a sketch artist on that first pew. And then the second pew is a family friend, because the family, that's usually reserved for the family, family, but they're not there. So, like, a lot of the family friends have been sitting in that pew. And he's like, looking at the sketch artist trying to do a thumbs up. A court officer was passing by, and so the family friend is peering, trying to look over the sketch artist's shoulder at the sketch. The court officer is walking by. So clearly they see the sketch, and the family friend looks up at the court officer and does like a thumbs up towards the sketch, as in, is the sketch good? And it's just so interesting that the family friend puts emphasis on the sketch. Christian Combs, one of the sons, also had a moment with a sketch artist that we noted beginning of the trial. And so I just wrote in my notes, does defendant get pissy about sketches? Because some of these sketches have not been favorable to the defendant. So it's just interesting to see.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
And what did the officer do?
Unnamed Host or Narrator
The court officer did a thumbs up. And then so my researcher and I, we fully pivoted our bodies to try and take a look at the sketch. It was not a thumbs up sketch. So I'm not. Yeah, I think the court officer was just trying to keep everything peaceful. But it's very interesting, this strong level of intrigue coming from the defendant's side about these sketches. This has been very fascinating. Just got a new puppy or kitten. Congrats. But also, yikes. Between crates, beds, toys, treats, and those first few vet visits, you've probably already dropped a small fortune, which is where Lemonade pet insurance comes in. It helps cover vet costs so you can focus on what's best for your new pet. The coverage is customizable, sign up is quick and easy, and your claims are handled in as little as three seconds. Lemonade offers a package specifically for puppies and kittens. Get a'llemonade.com pet your future self will thank you. Your pet won't. They don't know what insurance is.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
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Unnamed Host or Narrator
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Unnamed Host or Narrator
Try@Mintmobile.Com Switch upfront payment of $45 for 3 month plan equivalent to $15 per month required intro rate first 3 months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra. See full terms@mintmobile.com for the redirect. After the cross examination the prosecutor goes back up and I will say it's the prosecutor. They're not going to be aggressive in any of these because right now it's the government's case in chief. All of these people are either government witnesses or they're subpoenaed by the government. I do believe when it's the defense case in chief, the prosecutors are going to be a lot more aggressive grilling a lot of the witnesses when they are in the cross examination spot. So naturally the prosecutor is just trying to rehabilitate the the testimony and the witnesses credibility. So during the redirect she's asking clarifying questions of why did you now decide to talk about it? Like what's going. Why did you try not to think about all of the events? Because that's why Don is like yeah, I'm trying to remember all of these things but it happened so long ago and for so long I just tried to suppress the memory of these. And she says because it was a hard time, it was a bad time for me and a bad Environment for me. Me. Can you describe the process for the jury of trying to recall these events that you've tried to forget for so long? They don't all come back immediately. I have to go back to memories that I don't want to. And it takes time to remember things that have happened during that time that you try to forget. Ms. Richard, without speaking about your personal condition, what, if any, memories have you been trying to suppress? The environment was volatile and it was very hard to work. And so I tried to erase those things from my mind. She said that every day it does get easier. But one thing to note is during the redirect, they mentioned that every single time in every meeting with the government, Dawn Richard has detailed interactions between Sean Combs and Cassie. And they were violent and there was Cassie being attacked and beaten. That has always been consistent. Now, there is a quick sidebar that's held before Westmoreland does her recross where she acts? Asks the judge. And we don't hear this in court. We only see this on the transcripts after. So we like come home for the day and then we can see what was happening during the sidebar. So Westmoreland is asking. I'm asking this out of abundance of caution. You might not have an objection. We talked about it yesterday. But you asked her about the financial contention of the lawsuit. I'm going to ask her if she's aware of the $22 million demand. So this is what they were referencing earlier in the cross of like this is the letter that your lawyer says in demand to which the prosecutors don't like this. She's already testified that she doesn't know there's a $22 million amount that is included. But I don't think that you've laid the foundation that she would have any reason to have knowledge of that amount, even though she said she never looked at that document. Westmoreland continues to argue. I don't think she needs to look at the document to have knowledge. I think she authorized them to file suit on her behalf. I want to ask if she's aware. If she's not, she could say no. Agnifolo makes a further comment. Your Honor, can I add one thing? I think the number is so large, it's just it goes to her credibility when she says she doesn't know that a lawyer asked for 22 million on her behalf is different than she doesn't know that a Lawyer asked for $100,000 on her behalf. One strains credibility. I think the judge, though, fully disagrees saying that's not true. I mean, if she doesn't know what demands have been made, she doesn't know. You can ask questions. If you think that someone in her position would know what the number is, then there are a number of questions you can ask to try and establish that she does or does not know. So you can do that. And let's take it from there and see if you get to a point where the witness says that she's been following and receives the updates from her lawyers and all the other stuff. And then you can take it from there, and you can raise your objection there. So during the reacross, Westmoreland starts at the point Dawn Richards requested, regardless of if it's for a friend or not, that she wanted to get the ban back together. And she's just pointing out that means you're gonna be spending a lot of time with Sean Combs, even though he threatened your life and you were deathly afraid of him. Like, you still want to spend time with him. And then she moves on to the lawsuit. And then you went and hired your own lawyers, right? Yes. And you filed your lawsuit. Yes. And you were hoping to be nicely compensated for that. Correct. For justice. And justice for you would be money. It would be to be made whole and also be paid for the time that I was with Pup Wishawn Combs. Which means money. Yes. No further questions. And with that, the judge looks at Dawn Richard. Thank you very much, Ms. Richard. The government may call its next witness. Wow.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
How long does that. Did the whole thing last? Like a full day? Half a day?
Unnamed Host or Narrator
I would say not even half a day.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
Oh, wow. But it was intense.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
It was very intense. It was probably the most intense cross examination I did hear. A lot of people. Okay. This is the crazy thing, too. I was. So the press line and the public line are outside of the courthouse near each other. And I was listening to members of the public. I don't know why I'm always eavesdropping. Okay. But I was listening to them, and they were talking about they were anticipating that Don Richard is going to be testifying. And one of them. Who. The exact verbiage I believe they used was along the lines of, and there's going to come at Dawn Richard. And he was saying, you know, she's not pregnant like Cassie is. She didn't have this romantic relationship with Sean Combs like Cassie did. And she is a darker skin, black woman. Like, they're going to come at her with everything they've got.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
Wait, who said this?
Unnamed Host or Narrator
This was a Black man that was in the public line. And so I thought that was very interesting insight that I maybe would not have have come to that conclusion before the testimony. And I don't know why. I just kept thinking about it during the entirety of the testimony. And then I don't know if I was thinking too much into it, because, you know, it's very easy to start going into conspiracies when you're sitting in that courtroom for eight hours because there's so much going on and then your mind starts running. But I was thinking about that, and then I was thinking about. It is interesting that Mark Agnifolo was originally supposed to do the cross, and then he didn't. So I thought maybe that had something. But it was very interesting that that was pointed out. I don't think that was insight that I would have had going in in. But it did make sense once I was in there to some degree. So I guess the question is, what are your thoughts on that comment? Do you think that has anything to do with how the cross was handled? Because it was genuinely one of the more intense crosses. I did talk to Dawn Richard's attorney. I talked. I spoke with her very briefly. She was actually sitting in front of us in the courtroom. But I was on a zoom call with her, just asking her about, because I think it's just very interesting to see the human aspect of testifying. I mean, even when she went up there, she pointed at Sean Combs, and without even, like, divulging anything that would be breaking attorney client privilege, she was just mentioning to me how it's a lot. Because Dawn Richard is a musical performer, so she is comfortable in front of a lot of people, but this is not her field. And what she said was that a lot of witnesses that do end up testifying, sometimes the feeling that they might walk away with is like, I wish I could have clarified something. Or like, I wish. Like, I feel a little bit misunderstood. And that's just kind of what happens when you get cross examined as a witness. So it must have been incredibly frustrating for Dawn Richard after that type of cross where it, like, the speed of that cross was also crazy. Like, I don't think I would have been able to even think before answering. And it's like there's some sort of expectation when the speed ramps up to keep up with the speed. So I can see how that was very daunting. And then as they were walking out of the courthouse, Dawn Richard and her attorney, Lisa Bloom, they were getting harassed by someone who's like filming them saying, how big is Diddy's dick? Can I get 10 million? I want to get my ass beat for 10 million. And then when people are like, whoa, what's wrong with you? They said, isn't this freedom of speech? So, yeah, I mean, I imagine it was a very, very difficult experience. But there are lots of mixed netizen comments with one reading, Don Richard was complicit. She watched Combs violently abuse Cassie and a former assistant, but she continued working with him anyway. And for what? I can't name a single Don Richard song, but another one reads, she was terrified to tell what he did because she didn't want to go missing. What do you not get about that? There are points during the day where Sean Combs looks like he's about to fall asleep, which I do write in my notes. How much caffeine does he get? One would hope that he does not have access to other drugs and stimulants in prison or jail. But coffee wise, how much does he get? I'm looking at the MDC commissary list because I know that the inmates only get coffee on the weekends with their breakfast. But on the commissary list it lists Colombian coffee. You can only purchase three at a time. And then there's another one that says decaffeinated coffee. But then I go on Reddit and a lot of people report that the coffee in these jails that they sell at the commissary have barely any caffeine. They don't want the inmates to be awake. They don't want them to be stimulated. And so I see him. He looks like to me and to my researchers, he looks like he's kind of falling asleep at certain parts. Now for this next witness, at least in the beginning, Sean Combs appears to be very invested because it is Cassie's former best friend of 17 years, Carey Morgan. Morgan. She was also Carrie Morgan was the one that was at Cassie's house when the Intercontinental Hotel incident happened. So when Cassie went home, Carey Morgan was there. When Carrie Morgan walks in, Combs does stare and follow her with his eyes, which is intriguing because if you remember from Cassie's testimony, there was a text message admitted into evidence where Cassie says it always goes back to, well, maybe Carrie would have been the better one to go after since I've witnessed more than one wants you realizing that she is way better fitting for you than I am. Yeah, so perhaps he was showing displaying interest at some point, invested in Carrie Morgan. But when those court doors open, she Walks in. He's watching her walk all the way to the witness stand. Prosecutor Foster walks up to the podium. They exchange good mornings, and she's clarifying statements. So they were best friends from 2001 to 2018, and now they don't speak. Their friendship ended in 2018, which is the same year that technically, Cassie and Sean Combs also broke up for good. What, if anything, happened to you in 2018? Her boyfriend assaulted me. So Kerry explains that her friendship with Cassie ended because Sean Combs assaulted her. Kerry Morgan. Now, Kerry explains that she was also subpoenaed to testify. She doesn't want to be here. She doesn't want to testify. Like, I wrote that in my notes. She literally does not want to be here.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
What does she say?
Unnamed Host or Narrator
Just every response is like, she just does not look. This is the last place she wants to be. She flew in, likely from LA with her best friend who was sitting in front of us, and she just doesn't want to be here. I've moved on with my life and away from all these people and their problems. So Carrie met Cassie at a photo shoot. Carrie was 16, Cassie's 15. They hit it off. They end up living together in New York City at one point doing the back to school circuit. That's how she describes it. So they would do the target ads, JCPenney ads, like back to School, where they got the backpack with the little notebooks. Oh, they would do that circuit every single year. And she does mention later that Cassie was doing really well as a model. She was making. This is before the Me and you song came out. She was making like some years, a quarter million dollars a year. Yeah, she, Cassie starts dating Sean Combs. And prior to that, she describes Cassie as, I mean, very confident, worked really hard, very successful as a model. And then she starts dating Combs and the three of them start hanging out more. Prior to it, they didn't really drink or do drugs, but with, I guess the lifestyle, they start drinking a little bit more. Maybe it's age, maybe it's the lifestyle. Maybe it's Sean Combs. They do drugs with Sean. And when you first got to know him, what did you think of him? I thought he was very nice, extremely generous, also sort of intimidating and a strong presence. And as you got to know him more, how did those views change? You see that he had mood swings. Sometimes he would get aggressive or he'd just be upset instead of always having fun. What would he do when he was aggressive or upset? What would he do? Sometimes he would just yell at Cassie or you could feel like he was mad. Kerry's explaining that after they start dating, Cassie lost her confidence big time. She lost her spark. She was not like the same Cassie. Carrie says even her body, she was always very slumped, kind of just bad posture. She just became like this. And she's hunching over, showing the jury, and the jury, a lot of them are heads down, like, taking notes on all of this. The key points that Carrie Morgan testifies during her direct testimony is when Combs can't get in contact with Cassie. Some. Sometimes he would call Carrie. Some days he'd call Carrie 50 times. Some days he'd call her a few times. It really depends. Sometimes he'd send over an employee or have an employee call Carrie.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
50 times is actually scary.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
Yeah, 50 times is like, I expect.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
She say 50 times. Yeah, that's actually scary. Like alarming. Alarming.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
Alarming. She said 50 times in a row.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
Yeah, that's. Wow.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
She did notice over the years that Cassie was building a frustration because she's constantly working on this music, but she's getting frustrated that. That it never gets put out. What types of things did you see him do to her? Hit her, pull her hair? I've seen him kick her, push her. She said on one of those occasions there was a bodyguard around. And she told the bodyguard, do something. Because they can both clearly see that Cassie is getting pushed and kicked. And Reuben, the bodyguard, she claims he's not doing anything. And that particular assault on Cassie got so bad, the bodyguard, Reuben, does nothing. It gets to the point where Cassie and Carrie end up escaping out of the house away from Sean Combs hiding on. On the steps of a neighbor's house, like laying flat on the stairs because their house was on an incline so that they couldn't be seen. And they said that they were laying face down on the concrete stairs for 20 to 30 minutes while they could hear Combs and the bodyguards just driving back and forth looking for them. Carrie says, I didn't know what to do, so I just wanted to stay there until everyone calmed down. Another event Carrie says happened while they were on vacation. She just hears screaming. Can you talk through the chain of events, Vets? What, if anything, happened before the screams happened? Cassie had gone to the bathroom. And then after a few minutes, Sean said, she's taking too long. So he left me. And I was just in the bar by myself. And then a few minutes later, I heard her screaming. And how would you describe her scream? Like guttural, like terrifying. What did you do? So I heard her screaming. I went to the hallway. The hallway was extremely long, and they were coming out of the master bedroom, and he was dragging her out by the hair on the floor. And how far did you see him drag her by the hair? I saw. Probably saw like 10ft. And then I ran back to get my purse so that we had credit cards and a phone and stuff. And when I came back, they were outside, so I didn't actually see him drag her all the way down the hall. Carrie says that she ran and got her bag just in case they needed to run away and she wanted to have money and a phone. I saw him push her on the ground, and she hit her head on the back brick. And how did you see Ms. Ventura react after she hit her head on the brick? She didn't move. She fell on her side. So she was, like, in a loose fetal position, I would say. Were her eyes closed or open? Closed. Carrie says she thinks that Cassie knocked out because she didn't move for, like, 20 or 30 seconds. Sean and I were yelling at each other, and while we were arguing, she got up and ran into, like, a wooded area barefoot. What did you do? I jumped into a golf cart that was. Was. There was two golf carts in the driveway, in the circle driveway. I got on one. Sean went in the other one. We went different ways looking for her. Carrie ends up finding her. She came running out of the woods. She got in my car. I turned the lights off. We drove. I don't remember we. Where we parked the golf cart, but we ended up hiding in a ditch. Again, they could hear Sean and his friend looking, trying to find them. So they're hiding in what feels like hours in this ditch. And Cassie is crouched down with what she describes as a really big bump on her forehead. During this testimony, it's interesting how much Combs body language resembles someone from the press. Like, he will cock his head to the left, listen with his hand over his notepad, and then once he hears something that he thinks is of interest, he'll start jotting it down. Like, that's one thing all of us, the RM researchers are writing down is like, sometimes he genuinely looks like a member of the press found a way to sneak up the there. The way he, like, takes notes, the way he cocks his head to listen to certain testimonies, and then starts jotting down notes. Which I know is. That doesn't mean anything, but it's. It's just. I'm trying to paint the picture, I guess.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
Yeah.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
Because even the way that the other attorneys jot notes, I wouldn't necessarily say they look like a member of the press jotting down notes. Sometimes they look more serious, sometimes they look a lot more casual. During those times you saw violence, did you ever see fighting back? Eventually, yeah. Can you describe what you saw from her? I don't remember, but I know she started fighting back. So throughout this trial, prior to this, we just had the Intercontinental Hotel footage, right Then during the trial, we find out that there was a male escort in the hotel room during the day that this all happened. This was during a freak off. Then we find out that when she gets home, when Cassie gets home from the Intercontinental Hotel, Carey Morgan is there. So she walks in through the apartment door. Quote, she had her hoodie completely covering her face. And she kind of like slumped down. She dropped her bags and she didn't say anything. She was just standing there. When she pulled her hoodie back, she had a black eye. Then 30 minutes later, Sean Combs comes to the door. And they know this because he starts hitting the door with a hammer, trying to bust it open. How did you know this, Mr. Combs? He was yelling. I could hear him. There was a peephole that we could see through, through. She even says that she sees the actual hammer that he's trying to burst through the door with. Meanwhile, Cassie is just fully numb. That's how Carrie describes her after the Intercontinental Hotel incident. She was just sitting on the couch. She wasn't doing anything. She wasn't. I was freaking out. And she was just like, she didn't care if he came in and killed her. She was just like, wow. I think other parts of Carrie's testimony that some jurors looked locked in, other jurors, they looked kind of bored, like they were falling asleep. But at this part, it felt like all of them were taking notes. Carrie doesn't really remember who, but somebody called the police. And the only thing is they asked Cassie for her ID and she wouldn't give it to them. She wouldn't tell them her name. And eventually they left. She says the whole relationship was very toxic. I wanted her to do what she wanted to do, but sometimes I would tell her that she could leave. Cassie would tell Kerry, no, I can't, because my job, my car, my apartment, he controls everything. She would lose her entire livelihood. Not only that, Kerry mentions that she was the only friend really in Cassie's life at the time. All of her other friends were all employees of Sean Combs. And the thing that she noticed is every time Cassie talks To them, she's more adamant than before that she's going to stick it out, if you will. She didn't want to leave. After spending time with associates of Mr. Combs, she would see some people that, that you could tell that they were convincing her that it's. But the incident that ruins their nearly two decade friendship is. Kerry and Cassie are in Cassie's house in the Hollywood Hills. They're listening to music. This is in 2018. Cassie is using the restroom when Shawn just comes into the house. Carrie says I guess he had a key and she didn't know. So she was in the bathroom, she saw him come in and she locked herself in the bathroom. And I was in the living room and he came up behind me and choked me. And then when I got away, he boomeranged a wooden hanger on my head.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
What?
Unnamed Host or Narrator
How did he choke you? I'm not sure, but I had finger marks on my neck. So what type of hanger did he hit you with? A wooden coat hanger. And what part of your body did the hanger hit you? Behind my right ear. Without telling me Mr. Combs specific words. What did he express concerns about when he hit you? Who Cassie was cheating on him with at the time? Did you know what he was talking about? I had no idea. Carrie is trying to flee the apartment. She ends up seeing Combs old assistant Ryan. And she's telling him he's going crazy, like he's lost it. Ryan doesn't really do anything, just kind of shrugs. Kerry walks away concussed from the wooden hangar. She's dizzy, throwing up. She has to go to urgent care. And this is the point where she's just over it. She gets an attorney. She plans on filing a lawsuit, but she doesn't. Instead she meets up with Cassie at a pizza place in West Hollywood. Hollywood. Cassie offers her $30,000 to sign an NDA and not file a lawsuit. What did Cassie say when she told you about the money? She told me that I, she thought I was milking it, that I was over exaggerating and da, da, da. But she signs the NDA without even really reading it. There's no lawyers present. She gets the 30,000. This is the last time she's ever spoken to Cassie. This is where the friendship completely ends. She hasn't spoken to Combs since the wooden hanger projectile was flung at her head. Now one very interesting thing to note is that during Carey Morgan's entire direct, I keep writing in my notes, she like does not want to be here. And I think Even the way she answers. Yes, she's answering the questions, but she's not. I don't think she even wants to be. I don't think she should be, but she's just very. This is what happened. I'm ready to leave. Like, that's the tone that everything was. But when Mark Agnifolo takes the cross examination for the defense, the best way our team could describe it collectively is he is incredible at disarming the witness. He's so good at building trust and rapport. Not even just with the witness, but with the jurors, too. He will make strategic jokes, at least in hindsight, they feel strategic. You grew up in Buffalo. You said yes, came to New York for the vastly improved weather. And all the New Yorker journey jurors are laughing because it's been so cold and windy and like, the weather has been honestly heinous. Going to the courts house. All the jurors are smiling and they can clearly relate. He also hates using the microphone. Agniphilo. I've noticed. And I've always wondered if he is literally just an old teddy bear dad or if this is strategic because it comes off more approachable and just like, oh, clueless me, where's the microphone? Mark Agnifolo is so good at disarming Carrie. She starts opening up. She's way more receptive to his questions. She seems way more engaged than she was during her direct. During her direct? Yeah. She answered just enough to show, hey, I answered your questions during the cross. She's giving out more information.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
Really?
Unnamed Host or Narrator
Yeah. And another side note is Westmoreland and Agniphilo are great at addressing the members of the jury, the prosecutors. I feel like they do say things like, could you explain to the jurors? Could you explain to the jury? But they kind of act like the jurors don't exist. Is the vibe.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
Mm.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
I'm sure if I pore through the transcripts all over again, just specifically searching for the parts that they address the jury, I will find it. But it's done in a way that they feels so minimal or non existent. But Mark Agnifolo, even though for the witness, he acknowledges Carrie Morgan was subpoenaed, you don't want to be here. Like, he tells her that he's going to do his best so that she can get out of here with the jury, he's always like, wait, I'm confused also. Maybe the jurors are confused. So could you explain it for us? Like, it's very. He doesn't say Those exact words. But he doesn't make it seem like invisible force field. They're just watching like the press and the public.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
He knows exactly what he's here to do, which is convince the jurors.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
Yeah, even Nicole Westmoreland is like, you know, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, could you explain to the ladies and gentlemen of the jury. So it feels very like a three way conversation almost. Instead of like I'm invisible and you're just acting like I'm not here type of feeling. Carrie mentions in the cross examination that Cassie was probably jealous of Kim Porter. She was jealous because she could never go to the New Year's Eve parties. Also, a bunch of celebrities get name dropped in the cross examination in one giant group picture. Keke Palmer is in the picture. So her name comes up. But again, there's no sinister context, just she happens to be in this massive group picture with like a dozen other people. Mark is trying to prove that Combs had helped set Cassie up with other artists for collaborations that were much larger than her. AKA trying to help her career. He casually just throws out in the middle of the cross. Cross, I think you said Lil Wayne. Carrie Morgan is like. I didn't say that. You didn't? No, sorry. Do you know if that's true?
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
What?
Unnamed Host or Narrator
That she worked with Lil Wayne? Yeah. Not that I can't. That's fine, that's fine. Do you remember any other artists that Ms. Ventura did work with? And at that moment I was like, I feel like he did that on purpose because nobody heard Lil Wayne. Unless he's. Maybe he's looking at the meeting notes from Kerry Morgan and the government. But then he would have pulled it up. I don't know. It was just so bizarre.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
No, I can see it. I can see him just like, like taking. Yeah, eminent. Like just throwing names out there to.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
Yeah.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
Wow, wow, wow.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
That's fine, that's fine. Do you remember any other artists that Ms. Ventura did work with? Yeah. French Montana. Fabulous. Too short. I'm sure I'm missing a bunch, but she did a mixtape that had a features on every single. But probably the biggest part of the cross was that Carrie Morgan says when the hanger incident happens, Sean Combs was wondering who Cassie was cheating with. And she said, I have no idea who she was cheating with at that time, but it turns out she was cheating on him with somebody. Yes. Okay. And at that time, at that moment, you didn't know who it was? I had no idea she was cheating on him. So it's kind of unclear Whether or not Cassie was cheating or not. Not that it would in any way absolve anyone the guilt of giving a friend a concussion, but it's unclear. It just in the cross, it made it seem like perhaps, perhaps she was cheating, which, I don't know, it did kind of feel like an aha moment when she said that.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
Wait, so wasn't Diddy always have multiple girlfriends?
Unnamed Host or Narrator
I guess the picture that the defense are trying to paint is it was like a two way toxic relationship. Oh, now the cross ends and the redirect. The main focus of the prosecutor is that Combs was violent. And he was not just violent when he was jealous and accused Cassie of cheating like the defense is trying to make it appear, but he was violent for all things. They asked Kerry why Combs was attacking Cassie during the vacation, and she said that she was taking too long in the bathroom. One very interesting moment. Mark Agnifolo tells Kerry Morgan that she has to speak or say yes or no into the mic rather than shake her head because the court reporter is only taking down spoken word. Do me a favor. If you don't say yes, he will hit. Hit me. Talking about the court reporter that's sitting right in front of her. I just thought it was an interesting choice of words. I don't know if it's strategic. Could be, could be. Not even when he asks about the NDA signing and the $30,000 exchanged at the pizza place for the wooden coat hanger incident, Mark asks if there were any lawyers present, and he comments because she says no. He comments, which is probably why the exchange got done. Withdrawn, withdrawn. So he's like making fun at attorneys and making fun at the situation of like, come on, guys, you can't be doing these things without attorneys. Everyone was giggling. The press were giggling, the public was giggling. The jurors are giggling. It was very interesting. And at the start of the case, which feels like three years ago, but this was basically like a week ago, right? Michael B. Jordan was all over the news because he was listed on the people and places list for jury selection. It was said that Cassie and Michael B. Jordan dated briefly, which was confirmed by Cassie and now by Carey Morgan. Carey admits that Combs was jealous of Michael B. Jordan because while Cassie was in South Africa to shoot a movie, she was not dating Sean Combs. She was in the midst of talking to Michael B. Jordan. Now, in terms of the relationship, Kerry said she didn't really ever meet him or know anything about him, but she just knew that Sean Combs was jealous of Him. Now this is where it gets strange. We go from Michael B. Jordan because he's brought up in this testimony and then I go home, I go online after court and everyone's like Steve Harvey. And I'm like, what's happening? Everyone on the Internet are making quote Steve Harvey and the Diddler jokes. That's not me making the joke, that's the Internet making that joke. The public timeline of what we kind of know and we've briefly went over this in our four part series, there were sources in 2018 that stated and suggested rather that Lori Harvey and Justin Combs, Combs second son with Misa Hilton were dating. The next year in 2019, Lori Harvey was linked romantically with Sean Combs, Justin Combs dad. They were photograph vacationing in Italy with Steve Harvey and Marjorie Harvey, Steve's wife. Their relationship seems a little bit more confirmed but unconfirmed. Like they seemed like there's pictures of her kind of of with her arm around him. It seems like they had some sort of close friendship or relationship. Lori Harvey has come out to categorically deny the allegations stating that she never dated son and father. So it seems like perhaps, maybe she only dated Sean Combs and not Justin Combs. But the next year in 2020, she starts dating Michael B. Jordan in a very public relationship that is confirmed by both of them. That's how people connect all of this. Now some people are stating that Sean Combs dated Lori Harvey to get revenge on Michael B. Jordan for dating Cassie. But the timeline doesn't add up because Lori Harvey started dating Michael B. Jordan after she was pictured with Sean Combs. Others say that the vacation to Italy between Combs and Lori was not for Combs and Laurie. It was for Combs and Steve Harvey because they were secretly dating, which I tried to find some actual substance to that. It's just a bunch of Internet rumors so far as well as a lot of AI generated content. However, Steve Harvey does make what I think a normal person would consider, rightfully consider an alarming amount of baby oil jokes. With one segment on his show, someone asks him for tips. This cute little middle aged lady asks my husband and I watch the show. He often takes your advice and well, recently I was in the room laying down. He came in there and he squirted cold baby oil on my back. It was very cold. It was ice cold. And whatever mood I was in, I wasn't in it anymore and neither was he. So Steve, you give good romantic tips. Can you share some techniques? Steve says Player came in here with that cold ass baby oil. Listen to me. I talk about baby oil all the time because it's a specialty. You got to be a baby oil professional. You need to microwave this baby oil before you come in there. Now, most people don't have a microwave in their bedroom. I've installed one because I need hot baby oil at Handy. Now, you don't want to put no microwave in your bedroom. Here's a couple of low budget ways to accomplish it. Run a sink full of hot water and just lay the bottle of baby oil in there for about 15 minutes, turn it, let it heat up like that. Oh, my God. Don't ever, ever not include baby oil in your love life. You are missing one of the greatest inventions. Baby oil ain't really for baby babies. It's for your damn baby. In another episode, he's going over someone's vacation packing list where he says he's reading it. Three bottles of baby oil. Whoa, whoa. My all time favorite. Got to have that baby oil baby.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
Wait, when was this? Is this before the whole Diddy baby oil thing? Oh, this is before the baby oil Diddy situation came up.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
Yeah, he's just been like a baby oil lover, which a lot of people are. A lot of people use it. It's not unheard of. It's pretty common from what I can see for intimate situations. But I guess you don't really hear.
Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator
Yeah, not like 50 bottles.
Unnamed Host or Narrator
Yeah. And you don't really hear people, like talk about it on TV with such enthusiasm of like, greatest invention. In another segment, he's giving advice to a pastor and his wife who have been married for 32 years. I'm just gonna keep it real with you. Y' all have been having bowling night and pizza night and like that. Just throw baby oil in there. Pastor, it ain't nothing simple about throwing some baby oil in there. I'm telling you, B baby oil, it just goes with everything. You can get baby oil on pizza. I done got it on pizza before. You taste it. You can't even hardly taste it. I had baby oil all around my mouth before. I don't even know what's on there. I'm just a baby oil type of night. It's just baby oil. Praise the Lord. Baby oil. Yeah. So that's why Steve's Harvey's Instagram comments are now filled with baby oil comments and memes. But there doesn't seem to be an actual direction link. But back to the cross examination with Carey Morgan. Mark Agnifolo moves to Admit Defense Exhibit 1620, which is a text message from Carey Morgan to Sean Combs. And it's a poem which the prosecutors object. But Mark argues the reason that the poem can be admitted into evidence is quote, I've never known a poem offered for its truth. He's basically saying no one's going to think that this poem is definitive truth. So that's why it should be admitted. It is admitted. And the poem reads, condensed. Deep at the center of my being, there's an infinite well of love. I now allow this love to flow to the surface. It fills my heart, my consciousness. The more love I use and give, the more I have to give. The supplies endless. It's like a self love poem. And Mark is just pointing out that Carrie sent it to Sean. So he's telling the jurors that Sean and Cassie had friends all around them from both sides that wanted them to work out unrelated to the case. Case? Well, semi. But there's this really sad moment where Mark agniflo asks, for 17 years you guys were best friends and you haven't spoken to her since? No, I'm trying to understand this at the sake of being Captain Obvious. It's May 2025. You have not spoken to Cassie in what, almost seven years? Yes. In that period of time. She left Sean Combs 6 and a half years ago. The reason I stopped speaking to her was because she was not supportive of me after that incident. It all comes back to what you said on Direct. Tell me if I'm right where she said that you were overreacting about that one inc. Hanger. Yes. And that ended the 17 year old friendships from what I understand. I draw my line at physical abuse. She also has not reached out to me. I don't know why she doesn't reach out to me. So I'm sure she doesn't have the same phone number anymore. Also. And there's this other part where she's asked about if a text message was sent around Cassie's birthday and she's like, yes. And she lists Cassie's birthday. Like she still remembers Cassie birthday to this day. It's just kind of sad. It feels very strange. It's like a very weird feeling. And then when she walks off the stand, she goes to the friend that she came with that's sitting right in front of us as she's walking down the aisle. She just smiles happily at her friend and says, let's go. And they just walk out the courtroom together. And that is the testimony of Dawn Richard, Carey Morgan and the new lawsuit filed against Sean Combs. And coming next, we're going to be going through Kid Cudi's testimony. I've been trying to save that one because Capricorn Clark is testifying and she's heavily involved with the Kid Cudi situation of the blowing up of the car, the breaking into the house. So I thought it might be cleaner cut to combine those as well as potential witness tampering. New hiring of attorneys, that has been happening. Also, where is Gina? Has been a question that has been more or less spoken out in court by attorneys. So that's gonna be a whole different. I mean, I'm trying to move some of these testimonies around because the government, they call witnesses based on schedules and then sometimes it's like there will be an HSI agent that's testifying and then all of a sudden it's someone that's a friend and it just feels, it would just be like, and then, and then, and then it doesn't like it's not coherently coming together. So I'm trying to group them in a way where it's like, here's what the government is trying to prove. These are the witnesses, these are the crosses. So all of that will be coming up as well as the eye drops that have drugs in them. That's a whole thing. So stay tuned and I will see you in the next one. Want to pull off the season's freshest trends? You just need the right shoes. That's where designer shoe wear warehouse comes in. Loving wide leg jeans. Pair them with sleek low profile sneakers. 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Rotten Mango Podcast Episode Summary
Podcast Information:
In this gripping episode of Rotten Mango, host Stephanie Soo delves deep into the latest developments surrounding Sean "Diddy" Combs’ legal battles. The episode centers on a newly filed civil lawsuit by Jane Doe and the intense courtroom testimonies from Dawn Richard and Carey Morgan, both of whom allege severe misconduct by Diddy.
The episode begins with the revelation of Jane Doe's recent civil lawsuit against Sean Combs, filed on May 14, 2025, just two days after the opening statements of his federal criminal trial. Jane Doe's lawsuit details a series of alleged abuses, starting with an incident in an elevator where Combs supposedly initiated an unwanted relationship, leading to further allegations of physical and psychological abuse.
Notable Quote:
"[00:48] Unnamed Host or Narrator: ...So, everything starts inside of an elevator..."
Dawn Richard, a former bandmate of Combs, takes the stand presenting harrowing accounts of witnessing violent outbursts from Combs. Her testimony includes specific incidents, such as Combs attempting to assault Cassie Ventura with a skillet and other forms of physical violence. Dawn’s narrative aims to establish a pattern of fear and coercion exerted by Combs over the years.
Notable Quotes:
“[02:34] Unnamed Host or Narrator: ...what does that mean for me too.”
“[17:06] Unnamed Host or Narrator: ...the way that Sean Combs is sitting, honestly, he looks like a guest on Shark Tank.”
Carey Morgan, Cassie Ventura’s former best friend, provides additional layers to the narrative, describing violent incidents between Combs and Cassie. She recounts specific events such as Combs attempting to break into Cassie's home with a hammer and dragging her by her hair. Her testimony underscores the pervasive fear and the toxic environment fostered by Combs.
Notable Quotes:
“[95:32] Unnamed Host or Narrator: ...‘she was hunching over, showing the jury, and the jury, a lot of them are heads down, like, taking notes on all of this.’”
“[104:31] Unnamed Host or Narrator: ...doing nothing while Sean and his friend were looking for Cassie.”
Stephanie Soo provides a vivid portrayal of the courtroom atmosphere, highlighting the behavior of Sean Combs and his legal team. Combs is described as detached and unperturbed, often appearing confident and even amused by the proceedings. The dynamic between the prosecution and defense is intense, with numerous objections and strategic questioning aimed at undermining witness credibility.
Notable Quotes:
“[11:19] Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator: When you say there's microphone in the ceiling, what does that look like?”
“[72:11] Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator: That's crazy.”
The episode meticulously breaks down the cross-examinations conducted by Nicole Westmoreland for the defense and Mark Agnifolo for the prosecution. Westmoreland's approach is described as methodical and strategic, aiming to highlight inconsistencies in Dawn Richard’s testimony. Conversely, Agnifolo employs a more personable technique to disarm Carey Morgan, fostering rapport and eliciting detailed responses.
Notable Quotes:
“[85:26] Unnamed Host or Narrator: ...she is just very.”
“[107:13] Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator: Yeah.”
Stephanie Soo touches upon the broader public and media reactions to the testimonies and courtroom antics. Social media is abuzz with conspiracy theories and memes, including bizarre connections involving celebrities like Steve Harvey and Michael B. Jordan. The intense scrutiny and sensationalism surrounding the trial add another layer of complexity to the case.
Notable Quotes:
“[115:34] Unnamed Host or Narrator: ...Steve’s Harvey’s Instagram comments are now filled with baby oil comments and memes.”
“[89:19] Unnamed Co-Host or Commentator: How long does that. Did the whole thing last? Like a full day? Half a day?”
As the episode wraps up, Stephanie Soo teases future discussions, including Kid Cudi’s testimony and potential witness tampering involving Capricorn Clark. She also hints at exploring the ramifications of the litigious environment surrounding Sean Combs, including the involvement of new attorneys and evolving testimonies.
Notable Quotes:
“[89:27] Unnamed Host or Narrator: ...Kid Cudi's testimony.”
This episode of Rotten Mango offers a comprehensive and detailed exploration of the ongoing legal troubles faced by Sean Combs. Through meticulous analysis of courtroom testimonies and the intricate dynamics at play, Stephanie Soo provides listeners with a nuanced understanding of the case, the accused, and the alleged victims. The inclusion of direct quotes and timestamps enriches the narrative, offering an immersive experience for those following the trial's developments.
Disclaimer: The events and testimonies discussed in this summary are based on the podcast transcript provided and are part of a fictionalized narrative for the purpose of this summary.