The 38-year-old Ventura, a rhythm and blues singer known as Cassie, told jurors on Thursday that Combs coerced and blackmailed her into taking part in days-long, drug-fueled sex parties he called "Freak Offs" during their 11-year relationship.
On Thursday, defense lawyer Anna Estevao sought to undermine the prosecution claim that Combs coerced Ventura into participating. The lawyer showed jurors emails and texts where Ventura professed her love for Combs and told him she was eager for Freak Offs. In another text, Combs said there was no pressure to participate.
"I wanted to spend so much time with him, at this point in 2010, because I'd fallen in love with him and I cared about him very much," Ventura said.
Ventura also told jurors not to take what she wrote literally. "Loving FO's were just words, at that point," she said.
Combs' legal team wants to show the 12 jurors and six alternates that Ventura was violent with Combs herself, willingly took part in the Freak Offs and has financial motives against Combs.
Combs has been held since September in a Brooklyn jail when not in court. If convicted on all counts, he could face a minimum 15 years in prison and life behind bars.
Part of the criminal case stems from Ventura's November 2023 civil lawsuit against Combs. She testified that he agreed after 24 hours to settle for $20 million.
Asked on Wednesday why she decided to testify against Combs, Ventura said she could no longer bear the emotional burden of years of his physical and emotional abuse, and "came here to do the right thing."
Under direct questioning by prosecutors earlier in the week, Ventura recounted more than a decade of what she said was Combs' physical and emotional abuse.
Jurors saw a video of Combs attacking Ventura in a Los Angeles-area hotel in 2016, as well as photos of injuries she said Combs inflicted upon her during his frequent flights of rage.
Combs apologized after the video was released by CNN last year.
Combs has also been known as Puff Daddy and P. Diddy.
He founded Bad Boy Records, and is credited with helping turn artists like Mary J. Blige, Faith Evans, Notorious B.I.G. and Usher into stars in the 1990s and 2000s.
The trial began on Monday and could last two months.
