NEW YORK — R&B singer Cassie is predicted again on the witness stand Friday in her ex-boyfriend Sean “Diddy” Combs’ intercourse trafficking trial, with prosecutors insisting cross-examination end by the tip of the day over considerations that the pregnant Cassie is close to the beginning of her third little one.
Cassie has been testifying within the Manhattan courtroom since Tuesday about Combs forcing her to have intercourse with male escorts. Prosecutors mentioned in an in a single day letter to the choose it appeared protection legal professionals have been intent on making Cassie to return to the witness stand on Monday, they usually have been nervous there was a threat of a mistrial if she went into labor over the weekend.
A lawyer for Combs claimed on Thursday that prosecutors purposely delayed calling Cassie to testify till Tuesday, after two different witnesses took the stand, in order that the protection would have much less time to cross-examine her. Within the in a single day letter, prosecutors shot again that it appeared protection legal professionals have been attempting to “filibuster.”
After the jury left the courtroom on Thursday, Choose Arun Subramanian informed protection legal professionals they might have as much as 5 hours to query Cassie on Friday. Prosecutors mentioned they anticipated to have not more than a half hour of questions for Cassie as soon as the protection is completed.
Prosecutors requested the choose to drive the cross examination to finish Friday, saying protection legal professionals could have had a number of hours longer to query Cassie than the federal government took in its direct examination. The choose requested Combs’ attorneys Friday morning if they’d any difficulty ending by the tip of the day, however they didn’t straight reply the query.
Prosecutors accuse Combs of exploiting his standing as a strong music government to violently drive Cassie and different ladies into marathon encounters with intercourse employees he referred to as “freak-offs,” which generally lasted days. He is additionally accused of utilizing his entourage and workers to facilitate unlawful actions, together with prostitution-related transportation and coercion, which is a key factor of the federal prices.
Combs has pleaded not responsible to federal intercourse trafficking and racketeering prices. His protection says that, whereas he could possibly be violent, nothing he did amounted to a legal enterprise. Combs insists all of the intercourse within the freak-offs was consensual.
Throughout cross-examination on Thursday, Combs’ legal professionals sought to painting Cassie to the jury as a prepared and keen participant within the music mogul’s sexual way of life, by having her learn aloud her messages to him together with some that confirmed her expressing enthusiasm for the drug-fueled group intercourse.
Cassie mentioned Combs locked in a lifetime of abuse by threatening to launch movies of her throughout these encounters, and testified Wednesday that Combs raped her when she broke up with him in 2018.
She sued Combs in 2023, accusing him of years of bodily and sexual abuse. Inside hours, the go well with was settled for $20 million – a determine Cassie disclosed for the primary time Wednesday – however dozens of comparable authorized claims adopted from different ladies. It additionally touched off a legislation enforcement investigation into Combs that has culminated on this month’s trial.
Combs, 55, has been jailed since September. He faces at the least 15 years in jail if convicted.
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