The trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs, otherwise known as Puffy or P. Diddy, continues this week, with Diddy's defence lawyer Anna Estevao questioning Cassanda Venutura, otherwise known as Cassie, about the rappers 'freak offs', which encompass sexual escapades from A-list after-after parties to his hotel sex sessions with an escort.
Singer Venutura is the key witness in the prosecution's case against Diddy, and the pair and an on-off relationship for 11 years, from 2007 - 2018. She has alleged she was physically, sexually and mentally abused by Diddy for most of this time, accusing him of forcing her into 'hundreds' of drug-fuelled sex sessions with male escorts in this 'freak offs,' while he watched. Daniel Phillip took to the stand this week, who was allegedly hired as an escort by Combs to have sex with his then-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura.
Diddy faces charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs also faces dozens of sexual assault, abuse and drugging civil allegations that range from the ‘90s to the past year. He denies all allegations and has pleaded not guilty in court.
Who is Anna Estevao?
Anna Estevao is a lawyer from New York. She has been described as a 'top rate white collar crimes attorney from New York;, according to Super Lawyers. She is a partner at New York law firm Harris Trzaskoma LLP. She graduated from New York University School of Law and briefly worked as a federal defender in California, according to her Linkedin profile. In this role, she represented indigent criminal defendants in federal court, with particular emphasis on immigration-related offences.
What has Anna Estevao said in the Diddy trial?
Cassie, who is eight and a half months pregnant with her husband Alex Fine's baby, has been on the stand since Tuesday, detailing years of sexual and physical abuse she alleges she endured during her relationship with Diddy.
On Thursday, Cassie's testimony was cross-examined by Estevao. She set out to portray her as a willing participant in Diddy’s 'freak offs,' challenging the singer’s insistence that she was coerced into the drug-fuelled, voyeuristic sexual encounters. Text messages between Diddy and Cassie were heard in court, that appear to show Cassie was enthusiastic about the 'freak-offs' plans. Prosecutors have alleged Combs coerced Ventura into participating and blackmailed her with the recordings.
At one point, Cassie expressed that old text messages she was being asked to testify about might be taken out of context by the jury. 'This isn’t what I feel is relevant right now,' she said. 'There’s a lot we skipped over.'
Estevao also pushed her argument that both Combs and Ventura acted out of jealousy in their relationship. She mentioned two of Cassie's previous relationships, including one with Kid Cudi which angered Combs at the time.
Alice Hall is Staff Writer at Grazia UK. She writes news and features about pop culture, health, politics and interiors.