The high-profile trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs, otherwise known as Puffy or P. Diddy, is in its third week in New York City. The music mogul was arrested in September 2024 and has been charged with sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation, but he has denied all allegations and has pleaded not guilty in court.
In the first week of proceedings, the court heard from Diddy's ex-girlfriend Cassandra Ventura aka Cassie, who described the trauma she experienced throughout her relationship with Combs and went into detail about the sexual encounters he allegedly subjected her to - known as 'freak offs.' Since, there have been testimonies from Diddy's former assistants 'Mia' and David James, alongside Daniel Phillip, an escort hired by Diddy.
This week, the court heard from Bryana 'Bana' Bongolan who sued the music mogul for $10million last year, accusing him of sexual battery and physical abuse.
Who Is Bryana 'Bana' Bongolan?
Bryana Bongolan, who goes by 'Bana' is a close friend of Cassie Ventura who works as a creative and marketing director. She became friends with Cassie in 2014, when they worked together at a skate shop in Los Angeles, and met Diddy through Cassie.
According to her lawsuit, she was a 'quintessential starving artist' at the time and thought meeting Diddy would lead to 'once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to collaborate.' As Bana struck up a relationship with the two, she designed the Bad Boy Entertainment jackets, album covers, music videos, and a clothing line for Cassie.
In Bana's lawsuit, it states she has 'experienced violence and abuse firsthand in professional settings', including witnessing Diddy's frequent abuse of Cassie. The complaint accuses Diddy of sexual battery, false imprisonment, inflicting emotional distress, and physical abuse, among other charge.
Combs' representative denied the allegation last December, saying in a statement to Rolling Stone: 'Anyone has the right to file a lawsuit, regardless of the evidence they may or may not have. Since last year, Ms. Bongolan has expressed an intention to sue Mr. Combs and has sought legal representation to pursue her claims. Mr. Combs firmly denies these serious allegations and remains confident they will ultimately be proven baseless.'
What did Bryana 'Bana' Bongolan testify in court?
Bana testified about a terrifying violent moment she experienced with Combs in 2016, which was first described in Cassie's lawsuit in 2023.
Bana said she was staying the night at Cassie's when Diddy came in and dangled her over a 17th-story balcony. She testified she was scared she would fall to her death as she pushed back against Diddy, adding that he was shouting at her throughout the whole ordeal.
'I was scared to fall,' she said, estimating that Diddy held her over the railing for 10 to 15 seconds.
She explained that Diddy then threw her into some furniture, leaving her with bruises and a neck injury. Bana told the court the experience left her emotionally scarred. 'I have night terrors and paranoia and I would scream in my sleep sometimes,' she said.
Bana told the court about a separate occasion, where Diddy threatened to kill her during a photoshoot around 2015. After the shoot, Bana testified, Diddy came up 'really close' to her face and said, "I'm the devil and I can kill you."'
Bongolan also said Diddy gave her drugs on three or four occasions, including ecstasy, cocaine, ketamine and G, a substance she understood was the depressant GHB. She recalled seeing Cassie and Combs throw a knife at each other in the middle of the night once.
Defence attorneys attempted to challenge Bana's testimony during cross-examination, asking her about details that she could not remember.