A former employee of Sean “Diddy” Combs faced sharp questions on cross-examination Friday as the hip-hop mogul’s federal racketeering and sex trafficking trial ended its third week of testimony.
The employee – testifying under the pseudonym “Mia” – testified with a stronger tone under cross examination, in contrast to her guarded manner during questioning by prosecutors when she spoke with her head bowed down and her bangs covering her face, at times responding in nearly a whisper.
She is expected to resume cross-examination today.
Here’s what we learned on Friday:
Ex-employee explains why she stayed so long
Mia testified on Thursday that Combs physically and sexually assaulted her, humiliated her and forced her to work grueling hours during her employment. On cross-examination Friday, defense attorney Brian Steel challenged her to explain why she still worked there from 2009 until 2017.
“In an abusive relationship there’s a cycle of violence,” she said. “I was young and manipulated and eager to survive. I’m unraveling a lot of this now in therapy. Nobody was there to say these things that were happening were wrong. There was nobody around us that ever even flinched at his behavior.”
Steel suggested three times that Mia made up her sexual assault allegations against Combs, but she stood firm. “What I said in this courtroom is true. I have not lied to anyone at all,” she said.
Defense focuses on positive social media posts
The defense confronted Mia with about three dozen warm and friendly social media posts she made about Combs over the years following the alleged sexual assaults she described to the jury on Thursday.
Steel challenged how Mia could write kind words about someone who “ruined” her life. On the stand, Mia said social media was about showing how great your life is – even if it isn’t true – and said promoting her life around Combs was part of the job.
“He would have destroyed my reputation”
At the end of her direct testimony earlier on Friday, Mia testified about the end of her work relationship with Combs, her struggles with severe PTSD and her inability to keep a job. She testified that she tried to “run away” from the job multiple times but felt she would never be able to be hired again.
Alleged pressure from Combs’ camp
Beginning two weeks after Cassie Ventura filed her lawsuit against Combs in November 2023, Mia said she received several messages from Combs and his security guard asking for her to call Combs, but she declined, making excuses at times that she didn’t have cell service.
“I just didn’t want anything to do with him at all,” she testified. “He was the person I was traumatized by.”
