Cassie will testify under her real name during Diddy’s upcoming criminal trial, prosecutors confirm
On Friday, April 4, a motion filed in relation to the upcoming Diddy trial revealed that Cassie Ventura - the hip hop mogul's former girlfriend, is going to testify in his criminal trial, as reported by People on April 5.
In addition to stating Ventura's decision, the filing also states:
"She [Cassie] is prepared to testify under her own name... Victim-2, Victim-3, and Victim-4 have asked that their identities not be revealed to the press or the public."
Prosecutors reportedly requested the judge to refer to the anonymous victim "at the trial using only pseudonyms" and based the court not to require that the defense share any identifying details about them.
The motion filing also explained the reason behind the secrecy, stating:
"This case has already received an exceptional amount of media coverage, which will presumably only increase as trial proceeds. Permitting these measures will prevent unnecessary public disclosure of the victims’ identities, and the harassment from the media and others, undue embarrassment, and other adverse consequences that would almost certainly follow if these women were forced to reveal their true names publicly at trial."
For the unversed, Cassie Ventura first made headlines last year, in May 2024, when CNN released surveillance footage of Diddy chasing and beating her in a hotel alley. The video, which was later confirmed to have been recorded in March 2016, was captured at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles.
In the footage, Ventura appeared to walk toward the elevators, with Diddy chasing after her, then grabbing her by the neck and tossing her to the floor. He went on to kick her violently, grabbing her phone, purse, and suitcase as he walked back to their room.
The leaked footage supported the allegations made by Ventura in her lawsuit, filed in November 2023. In the suit, Cassie accused the Bad Boy Records owner of r*pe, s*x trafficking, and domestic violence. The lawsuit was later settled out of court.
Diddy's legal team filed a motion against CNN
Cassie Ventura's decision to testify in Diddy's upcoming trial comes weeks after Combs's legal team filed a motion against CNN, claiming that the news outlet altered the footage. The motion, submitted to Judge Arun Subramanian, stated:
"All CNN video footage was substantially altered in significant respects. This includes covering the time stamp and then changing the video sequence. It also includes speeding up the video to make it falsely appear that the actions in the video are taking place faster than they are. As a result, the CNN videos do not fairly and accurately depict the events in question."
Cassie Ventura's attorney, Douglas Wigdor, responded to the letter in a statement to People, calling it Combs' "disingenuous argument" to exclude the CNN video as evidence in his upcoming trial. Wigdor added that he was confident about the video "fairly and accurately" representing the truth, and would be admitted into evidence.
Diddy, who is currently behind bars in Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC), has requested a bail bond multiple times, all of which were rejected. His trial is scheduled to begin on May 5.
