Richard disclosed the alleged threat as she returned to the witness stand to kick off the second week of testimony in Combs’ sex trafficking and racketeering trial in Manhattan federal court.
Combs, 55, is accused of exploiting his entertainment powerbroker status to abuse women, including Cassie, through threats and violence for two decades from 2004 until his arrest last September. He has pleaded not guilty. His lawyers argue that prosecutors compiled proof of domestic violence, but not the federal crimes he’s charged with.
Before day’s end, Cassie’s best friend of 17 years and a former personal assistant to Combs testified that she felt trapped as prosecutors tried to uncover proof that Combs was operating a criminal racketeering organisation that relied on employees to help him control Cassie and other women in his life.
Testimony about Combs’ beatings of Cassie came with hardly a mention of the drug-fuelled “freak-offs” that dominated testimony last week, when Cassie explained over four days how her wish for a loving relationship with Combs led instead to her weekly sexual performances with male sex workers that left her too exhausted to pursue her musical career.
RICHARD RECALLS VIOLENT OUTBURSTS
Richard, who began her testimony Friday and concluded Monday, said she witnessed Combs attack Cassie multiple times, including during a visit to Combs’ home recording studio in 2009, when Richard said she and another woman saw Combs hit Cassie “on the head and beat her on the ground” after Cassie deflected a swipe at her head by a skillet.
Richard said she witnessed Combs beat his girlfriend frequently when he “would punch her, choke her, drag her, slap her in the mouth. I saw him kick her, punch her in the stomach”.
Beatings came when Cassie spoke up for herself, “if she had an opinion about something,” said Richard, who also performed in the group Danity Kane.
She said Combs’ staff, including his bodyguards, also witnessed violence, but they “wouldn’t react. They wouldn’t do anything”.
Richard supported Cassie’s testimony that Combs had stifled Cassie’s fledgling singing career, saying she heard Combs tell Cassie that he “owned her” and that any success she had would be on his terms.
Richard said Combs would get mad – sometimes violent – when she and other artistes offered to help Cassie write songs.
Defence lawyer Nicole Westmoreland suggested Richard was testifying because she was angry at Combs for ending Danity Kane and Diddy – Dirty Money, and because she has a pending lawsuit against him.
“You felt that Mr Combs ruined your career not once, but twice?” Westmoreland asked.
“Yes,” Richard answered.
She contended, though, that she was sad, not angry, over the end of the groups, and is suing Combs because he mistreated her and withheld her earnings.
Bad Boy signed Cassie to a 10-album deal in 2006, but only released one – the self-titled Cassie, which came out the same year. Cassie and Combs started dating in 2007 and broke up for good in 2018.
CASSIE’S FORMER BEST FRIEND RECALLS VIOLENT OUTBURSTS
After Richard came testimony from Kerry Morgan. She said she was Cassie’s longtime best friend until they had a falling out after Morgan suffered a concussion when Combs’ choked Morgan and slung a wooden hanger at her in 2018 when he came to Cassie’s Los Angeles home enraged that Cassie was dating someone else.
