Rapper Kid Cudi testified on Thursday that Sean “Diddy” Combs broke into his Hollywood Hills home in 2011 after discovering Cudi was dating Combs’ ex-girlfriend, R\&B singer Cassie. Weeks after the break-in, someone set Cudi’s car on fire.
Cudi, whose real name is Scott Mescudi, spoke in Combs’ sex trafficking trial in New York. He said he and Cassie briefly dated in 2011, and one day he took her to a hotel in West Hollywood to keep her away from an angry Combs. While there, he got a call from Combs’ assistant, Capricorn Clark, who told him Combs and another person were at his house and that she had been forced to go with them.
Cudi said he left the hotel and drove home, calling Combs on the way. He said he asked Combs why he was in his house, using strong language. According to Cudi, Combs calmly replied, “I want to talk to you.”
When Cudi got home, Combs was no longer there. Cudi said he found his Christmas gifts opened and his dog locked in a bathroom. Confused, he called the police.
A few weeks later, Cudi said his Porsche was burned while it was parked in his driveway. He was at a friend’s house when his dogsitter called to say, “my car was on fire.” Photos shown in court revealed a hole in the roof and a Molotov cocktail on the passenger seat.
Cassie testified the week before that Combs had threatened to blow up Cudi’s car and hurt him after learning about their relationship. Cudi is known for his alternative hip-hop style and has won a Grammy Award.
Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. He was arrested in September at a hotel in Manhattan. He denies the claims that he used threats and his status in the music industry to abuse women and others. Cassie said Combs forced her to take part in drug-filled sexual events with other men, which left her unable to focus on her music career.
Federal agents began looking into Combs in November 2023, a day after Cassie sued him in Manhattan court for years of abuse. He settled the lawsuit for \$20 million the next day.
Sean Diddy in an interviewCassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, testified over four days last week. She said Combs abused her throughout their relationship, which lasted from 2007 to 2018.
She said she started dating Cudi in late 2011 but ended it after just a few weeks, when Combs found out by checking her phone during one of the forced sexual events — which she said happened many times over the years.
George Kaplan, who worked as Combs’ assistant from 2013 to 2015, testified earlier on Thursday. He said he only saw Combs act violently toward Cassie once, during a 2015 trip to Las Vegas on Combs’ private jet. He described hearing glass break, turning around, and seeing Combs holding a whiskey glass.
“There was tremendous commotion and a scuffle, and then after the glass crashed, Cassie screamed: ‘Isn’t anybody seeing this?’” Kaplan said. He added that no one on the plane, including staff or security, helped her.
Kaplan said he didn’t step in because he didn’t want to lose his job. He decided to quit after that trip and another incident where he saw Cassie with a black eye. Combs then sent him to buy medicine to treat it.
Kaplan also shared that he saw Combs act violently toward another girlfriend, known only as Gina, when he threw green apples at her at his Florida home.