We're well into the second week of the trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs, otherwise known as Puffy or P. Diddy, commenced in New York City. The music mogul is currently facing charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. He was arrested last September following a federal investigation and has been denied bail three times. As well as his criminal charges, Combs 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.
There is a long list of famous names that could potentially be called to testify, which was described as 'mammoth' by the judge. One key player in the trial is Daniel Phillip, who took to the stand the first week. Daniel was allegedly hired as an escort by Combs to have sex with his then-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, aka Cassie. Cassie took the stand as the prosecution's key witness in the trial. Her husband, Alex Fine, came to court to support her.
Another major player in the Diddy trial will be Kerry Morgan, who is a former close friend of Cassie's. She was named in court on May 13, after the model was mentioned in her 2023 civil lawsuit involving Combs.
Who is Kerry Morgan?
Kerry Morgan is a model and a former close friend of Cassie's when she and Diddy started dating in 2007. The jury in Diddy's trial was shown a 2004 photo of Cassie Ventura hugging model Kerry Morgan while they sat on a lounge chair.
How is Kerry Morgan involved in the Diddy trial?
Kerry Morgan is mentioned in Cassie's 2023 civil lawsuit. According to the lawsuit, Diddy threw a wooden hanger at Morgan once, which resulted in a concussion. Cassie alleged that Diddy paid Morgan £50,000 ($30,000) to keep quiet about the incident. The alleged assault was reportedly a key factor in the end of Cassie and Morgan's friendship.
Morgan is also mentioned in Cassie's lawsuit when she spoke about a trip to Miami with Morgan, Diddy and Dallas Austin, a music producer. She recounts that Diddy gave her 'Blue Dolphin' ecstasy on a boat.
What happened to Cassie Ventura?
Cassie filed a civil lawsuit against Diddy in 2023, alleging that he subjected her to a pattern of controlling behaviour and abuse for over a decade. At the time, Diddy vehemently denied all allegations, but then last May CCTV footage from 2016 was leaked online and showed Combs violently kicking and beating Ventura outside their hotel room. The following day he shared an apology on social media and the case was reportedly settled for an eight-figure sum outside of court. In November last year, Diddy’s defence lawyers claimed the video was 'edited. An attorney for Cassie called Diddy’s apology “disingenuous.’
What did Kerry Morgan say at Diddy's trial?
Kerry took to the stand at the start of the second week of the trial. She appeared in court because she had been issued a subpoena, admitting, 'I do not want to testify, I moved on with my life.'
In court, Kerry described Diddy as a man who 'could be very aggressive.' She also testified that Combs would get mad at Cassie and that her friend 'lost her spark' and confidence while in a relationship with the rapper.
She noted one incident when she and Cassie were on holiday in Jamaica, and Diddy flew out halfway through the trip.
Morgan said, 'Cassie had gone to the bathroom and after a few minutes Sean said she was taking too long, and he left me and then I heard her screaming. It was guttural, terrifying. I heard her screaming so I went to the long hallway, they were coming out of the master bedroom and he was dragging her by her hair.'
She detailed another time when she was with Combs and Ventura at a house the defendant was renting in Los Angeles’ Hollywood Hills. She alleged that she saw Combs hit and kick Ventura. Morgan testified that she then begged Diddy's security guard, Ruben, to 'do something' but he refused.
She also said that she and Cassie had talked multiple times about why she didn't leave Diddy. 'I wanted her to do what she wanted to do, but I told her she should leave him,' Morgan said. 'And she said she could not, because of her job, her car, her apartment.'
She then discussed the alleged attack that ended her and Cassie's friendship. That day, Morgan alleged that she was at Cassie's house when Combs came into the singer's apartment. Cassie was in the bathroom and Morgan said she was in the living room at the time.
She told the court, 'He came up behind me and choked me and left finger marks on my neck and hit me in the head with a wooden hanger... It hit me behind my right ear.'
Morgan added that she went to the hospital for a concussion, noting that she was dizzy and 'vomited a few times.'
She hired a lawyer but did not file a lawsuit, which is when she was paid the $30,000 from Combs through Cassie, and told that she needed to sign an NDA.
'We haven't spoken since,' Morgan revealed. 'The last time I spoke to Sean was the night of the assault and the last time I saw Cassie was when I signed the NDA.'
When she was cross-examined, she admitted, 'The reason I stopped speaking to [Cassie] was because she was not supportive of me after that incident. I draw my line at physical abuse.'
She added, '[Cassie] said it was through him, the money wasn’t coming from her. She was the go-between. I did not demand money from anyone. She offered money to close the case on it so I don't sue anybody or say anything public about it,' Morgan said. 'All I got was $30,000.'