Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs acquitted three claims in sex trafficking trials
Of the five total charges, Sean “Diddy” Combs was found to have committed two traffic charges to engage in prostitution in a sex trafficking trial.
The New York ju-described believed that Cassandra Ventura Fine had agreed.
To the escort urinating in her mouth. For an inflatable baby oil pool. For sex with strangers.
Ultimately, the ju-decides discover that then-boyfriend Shaun “Diddy” Comb is not guilty of forcing her to “freak-off,” or sex sessions with the escort. Combs only committed the crime of transporting another woman, known only as Jane, for her and prostitution.
The defensive version of the event won. With the entry of his lawyers himself, Kushi is an abuser with a “out of control” temperament. But this was also a lifestyle. Neither of him was on trial.
But when there is abuse, is there any kind of person really free to agree? When will consent survive? If so, perhaps the victim said no, because they met with a punch in the face.
Ventura Fine testified that she sometimes told Combs what he wanted to hear.
“The victim knows what their partner can do and there could be a “consent” under obsession,” says Katy Ray Jones, CEO of the domestic domestic violence hotline. “That should not be considered consent.”
In abuse, there is no consent, victims and supporters say. Your head always has an invisible gun.
Trauma with the abuser
“You’ve returned to him for 11 years,” Combs’ attorney Tenny Jelagos said during the trial.
Ventura Fine has paused.
“I wouldn’t use ‘come back’,” she said.
If you don’t fight back, are you giving consent? This was the central question of the two accusations in this case and a crucial question for many sexual abuse cases.
Ventura Fine was with Combs at the now shuttered InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles for “freak-off” when he attacked her in 2016. He ran into the hallway after her as she was about to leave.
She curled into the ball to protect herself. The comb pushed her into the ground, pulling her with her hair, dragging her and kicking her.
She didn’t fight back. She did so early in her relationship.
It “will make it worse for yourself,” she said. The counterattack would say “I want to make the comb stronger and push me harder.”
The video was shown to the ju judge, but the defense argues that it merely shows abuse rather than coercion.
Judge Arun Subramanian ruled that psychologist Dawn Hughes was not permitted to discuss “forced control,” a type of domestic abuse. However, she was allowed to discuss the victim’s coping strategies and explain why the victim would remain in an abusive or violent relationship.
Victims can form trauma with the abuser, she testified.
Hughes compared the trauma coupling with a slot machine. “Most of the time, someone knows they pretty much lose, but when you hit the money, it feels good and you’re always following that feeling, so victims are often trying to chase those wonderful moments with their abusive partners.
Sometimes survival can mean keeping yourself safe, and it can remain in an abusive relationship, Ray Jones says. “Don’t confuse it with consent.”
Ventura Fine met Combs when she was 19 and 37. He took control of her career, her finances.
She learned that saying no and retreating from abuse has encountered more abuse. At one point, Combs either asked for money from his parents or he released a sex tape. He forced her to carry a handgun.
“I was going to do anything that didn’t make him angry or threaten me,” she testified.
And it can be the only option the victim can see.
“People underestimate how strong and courage they have to go outside. That means that victims have strength and courage every day when they live in an abusive or dominant relationship just to stay alive,” says Ray Jones. “It’s very difficult to survive just. It’s very strong.”
Cathy moves beyond the verdict
The defense attorney said Ventura Fine simply wanted money. This is Harvey Weinstein, R. Similar stories unfold in other sexual abuse cases, including Kelly, Johnny Depp.
Ventura filed a civil lawsuit against Combs in November 2023. New York’s Adult Survivors Act gave victims of sexual abuse a short window into filing civil claims even after the restriction law expired. Comb solved the case the following day for $20 million.
In the stands, prosecutor Emily Johnson raised a question to Ventura Fine.
“If that means I had to go on a freak-off, I’ll pay the money back,” she said. “I’d have agency and autonomy. I didn’t have to work hard to get it back.”
Combs is no longer a part of Cathy’s life.
They passed the pass on May 13th for the first time in seven years, and she testified against the comb.
She didn’t even look at him. She looked straight.
He sat there, a broken man with seven children from four moms, a story that he once paid people to keep secrets exposed. He will learn his sentence later this year for two charges. Each count has a maximum penalty of 10 years.
Since leaving Combs in 2018, Ventura Fine has worked to improve inpatient rehabilitation, treatment, and self-reflexia.
She rebuilds her life with her husband, Alex. He sat in court every day of testimony. They have two beautiful girls and a gorgeous new boy. A dog named French fries.
Her life is when she makes matcha with a momentary notification. Pancakes for girls.
The life she agreed to.
And tonight, Combs will sleep in Brooklynsell, where he has been his home since September 2024.
Laura Trujillo is a national columnist focused on health and wellness. She is the author of “Back from the Shelf: A Daughter’s Truth and the Exploration of Updates” and can be contacted at ltrujillo@usatoday.com.
If you are a sexual assault survivor, Rainnoffers will assist you through the national sexual assault hotline at 800.656.hope (4673) and hotline.rainn.org and enespañolainn.org/es.
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, call the domestic domestic violence hotline at 800-799-7233 or call 88788 on the text “Start.”
