Diddy’s Lawyer Argues Cassie Ended Things Over Jealousy Of Kim Porter

Opening statements began today (May 12) in the federal sex trafficking trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs, held in his hometown of New York City. As both the defense and prosecution set the tone for their arguments, jurors, members of Diddy’s family and supporters, and media in attendance were presented with surprising new revelations along with key facts in the case.

According to reporters present from NBC News, one standout statement from the defense included the idea that Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura — ex-girlfriend of Diddy — ended their tumultuous relationship because she was “jealous” of his love for late partner Kim Porter.

Porter, who sadly passed away in 2018 from complications of Pneumonia, shares twin girls D’Lila and Jessie and son Christian Combs with the disgraced Hip-Hop icon. Cassie, on the other hand, dated Diddy from 2007 to 2018, and supported him through his grievance of Porter’s death.

“Cassie ended her relationship with Combs because she realized she would ‘never’ mean as much to him as his former girlfriend, Kim Porter,’” Combs’ attorney Teny Geragos alleged in her opening statement. According to the outlet, Geragos told the jury that when Porter died of pneumonia, Cassie remained by Diddy’s side for support.

However, Geragos argued that after Cassie realized how much love Diddy still had for the mother of his children, she then came to terms with “never” being able to compare to Porter. “When Combs said Kim Porter was his soulmate, Cassie realized all the things she would not be, she wanted to be Combs’ wife,” Geragos reportedly stated. The defense added that Cassie then left on her own terms when it was clear “she would never be that, never be his wife, never be his love of his life.”

Cassie essentially kicked off the slew of lawsuits and allegations against Diddy in 2023 after accusing him of rape, physical abuse, and sex trafficking. Although the case was swiftly settled with her receiving an undisclosed amount, it marked the beginning of a wave of allegations, with multiple other accusers stepping forward. Several women claimed the “Last Night” artist exploited them and some men have also alleged sexual misconduct.

The situation escalated further when surveillance footage from 2016 surfaced, showing Diddy violently assaulting Cassie in a hotel hallway. The three-time Grammy winner issued a public apology, admitting he was “f**ked up” at the time, though he notably avoided mentioning Cassie by name. Reports later suggested that both parties were under legal restrictions preventing them from publicly naming one another.

“My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I’m disgusted. I was disgusted then when I did it, I’m disgusted now,” he said at the time in the since-deleted video. “I went and I sought out professional help and I had to go into therapy. We’re going to rehab…I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry, but I’m committed to be a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry.”

Since then, an incarcerated Diddy and his legal team have challenged the authenticity of the infamous surveillance footage, so much that they’ve taken it a step further seeking to block the video from being shown during his trial. In a motion filed in April, Combs’ attorneys asked a federal judge to exclude the controversial clip.

His lawyers argued that the footage has been “altered, manipulated, sped-up, and edited out of sequence,” claiming it’s unreliable to Combs’ case. The filing claimed that allowing the video to be presented in court would “unfairly confuse and mislead the jury,” and would further damage his reputation more than anything. But despite the motion to block the video, the court has allowed for it to be used as evidence.

Diddy’s trial began on May 5 with jury selection. If convicted, he could face up to 15 years in prison.