While the jury was out of the room Thursday morning, Judge Arun Subramanian and the lawyers discussed Kid Cudi's potential testimony, particularly about the impact a home break-in, allegedly orchestrated by Combs, had on the musician's dog.

Defense attorney Brian Steel did not want Kid Cudi to testify about his dog being "traumatized" by the experience, stressing he did not want "dog lovers on the jury" to be swayed. The judge said Kid Cudi could only talk about the immediate impact on his dog, not any "long-term consequences."

Grammy-winning rapper and actor Kid Cudi is expected to be called to the witness stand on Thursday in the federal criminal trial of Sean Combs.

Mescudi is known for his debut album from 2009, "Man on the Moon: The End of the Day," and won two Grammy Awards in 2012 for his song "All of the Lights," which he worked on with Kanye "Ye" West. He has also appeared in the HBO TV series Westworld, and the films Don't Look Up and X.

Why is he testifying?

Mescudi briefly dated Combs’s ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, who testified last week that in late 2011, she met Mescudi and they soon started dating. When Combs found out about the relationship during one of their “freak offs,” Ventura said he lunged at her with a wine bottle opener.

Ventura testified that Combs threatened to release “freak off” videos of her and that he would hire someone to “hurt” Ventura and Mescudi. She said Combs also threatened to blow up Mescudi’s car, hoping Mescudi and his friends would be present when it happened.

The car threat allegation was mentioned in Ventura’s 2023 lawsuit against Combs, which referenced "Kid Cudi's car exploded in his driveway." Through a spokesperson, Mescudi told the New York Times that one of his cars did explode in early 2012. "This is all true," the spokesperson said. A Los Angeles City Fire Department report from January 2012 said Mescudi’s Porsche was set on fire by an “incendiary device” and caused an estimated $10,000 in damages.

In a statement to Rolling Stone in September 2024, Combs’s attorney, Marc Agnifilo, said, "There is no allegation that Mr. Combs was involved in these actions or directed anyone else to take them. It's clear the government doesn’t know who set fire to the vehicle or how it relates to Mr Combs, who denies any involvement."

The indictment from last year that led to Combs's arrest states he used arson to control victims.

Ventura said she ended her relationship with Mescudi in early 2012 because she felt there was “too much danger, too much uncertainty of what could happen if we continued to see each other.”

In the courtroom, Ventura testified that the three met at the Soho House after she broke up with Mescudi. She said Mescudi asked, "What about my vehicle?" to which Combs replied, "What vehicle?"

George Kaplan completed his testimony, and rapper Kid Cudi has taken the stand to testify for the prosecution.

George Kaplan, the former executive assistant who said he quit in December 2015 after witnessing Combs's "physical behavior," described working for Combs as a "once in a lifetime opportunity."

"I'm a young man, and this is a god among men," Kaplan said during cross examination. “He didn’t just push me to my deepest depths; he took me to depths that I didn’t know I had. He actually helped me grow up as a man."

Kaplan said he still wishes Combs a happy birthday every year on Nov. 4.

George Kaplan, Combs's executive assistant, testified that he ultimately quit the job in December 2015 after witnessing several violent incidents, including another altercation in Miami where he saw an angry Combs throw apples at a woman named Gina as she tried to shield herself.

He said he gave notice to Combs in September, telling his boss that he needed to spend time with his ailing father, but that was not the main reason.

“The central reason that I left my job as Mr. Combs’s assistant was that I was not comfortable or aligned with the physical behavior that had been going on that I had seen pieces of over the course of a couple months,” Kaplan told the court, adding: “It was extremely challenging because I was obviously extremely grateful to be in the role and have a great deal of respect for Mr. Combs, but in my heart of hearts I knew it was the right thing to do.”

George Kaplan also told the court about another incident in 2015 when Combs ordered him to buy makeup and other items to cover bruises on Cassie Ventura's face.

The former executive assistant said Ventura was visibly upset with bruising under her right eyebrow at Combs's home in Los Angeles. Combs then told Kaplan to go out and get lotions and other remedies to mask the discoloration, including witch hazel.

George Kaplan told the court that he witnessed a violent incident involving Combs and Cassie Ventura on Combs’s private jet in late 2015.

The former executive assistant recalled that during the flight, he heard glass break and looked back to see Combs standing over Ventura, who was lying on her back, with a whiskey glass in his hand.

Kaplan said he looked away, and a few seconds later, he heard Ventura scream, “Isn’t anybody seeing this?”

He then heard more glass break. Combs eventually came up to the front of the plane but told Ventura to stay in the back, Kaplan said.

Security did not intervene, he said, adding that he did not call police about the incident.

George Kaplan, a former executive assistant to Combs, returned to the witness stand to resume his direct testimony on Thursday morning.

Kaplan testified Wednesday that he would stock hotel rooms for Combs with candles, baby oil and lubricant before his arrival, and that he would buy the supplies with a corporate credit card provided by Bad Boy Entertainment.

Here's what to expect at the trial on Thursday:

• Witness testimony resumes shortly after 9 a.m. ET.

• George Kaplan, Combs's former executive assistant, is due back on the witness stand for more direct testimony.

• Rapper Kid Cudi, whose real name is Scott Mescudi, is expected to testify after Kaplan about his relationship with Cassie Ventura.

• Last week, Ventura testified that Combs became irate when he learned she was dating Cudi and threatened to "hurt" both of them — and blow up Cudi's car.

• Mylah Morales, a makeup artist Ventura has described as her “big sister,” is also expected to testify.

• Witness testimony is expected to conclude around 3 p.m. ET.

The trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs continued in Manhattan federal court, with more witnesses testifying in the sex trafficking case. Here are some highlights from Wednesday's testimony:

• Gerard Gannon, a federal agent who oversaw the 2024 raid on Combs's Miami home, testified that agents recovered “freak off” supplies — including baby oil, lubricant and illicit drugs — stockpiled by Combs, as well as firearms, including parts of AR-15 rifles with their serial numbers scratched off.
  

• Dawn Hughes, a forensic psychologist specializing in trauma, testified in general about her work with domestic violence victims, who she said often stay with their abusers because they feel trapped in the relationship and "numb" themselves with alcohol and drugs to cope.
  

• George Kaplan, a former executive assistant to Combs who was granted immunity by prosecutors for his testimony, testified that he set up hotel rooms reserved for Combs under the alias Frank White with supplies, including candles, liquor, baby oil and lubricant.

Here is a recap of what happened in court on Tuesday:

• David James, another former assistant to Combs, also testified that he would stock hotel rooms with items for Combs before his arrival. They included a Louis Vuitton bag containing 25 to 30 pill bottles, drugs such as ecstasy and Percocet, baby oil, lubricant, condoms and $10,000 in cash.
  

• Regina Ventura, Cassie Ventura’s mother, testified that she feared for her daughter's safety after Combs threatened to release sexually explicit videos. She said that Combs demanded $20,000 from the family to "recoup" money he had spent on Cassie, and that she took out a home equity loan to come up with the cash. Regina Ventura also took photos of bruises Cassie showed her from an alleged beating she took from Combs, which were shown in court.
  

• Sharay Hayes, a former male exotic dancer whose stage name was “the Punisher,” testified about his numerous sexual encounters with Cassie Ventura and Combs, including the first at Trump International Hotel in New York City. Hayes said he was paid up to $2,000 for each interaction, which always started with the application of baby oil and often ended with him having sex with Ventura.

Judge Arun Subramanian has dismissed the jury for today. The most recent witness, Combs's former personal assistant David James, will continue testifying tomorrow morning.

The prosecution has called on three witnesses to testify today, the first day of the second week of the federal sex trafficking trial against Combs. The first was Dawn Richard, a former member of the group Danity Kane, who started testifying on Friday. Richard testified that she had witnessed Combs "frequently" hit and assault his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura.

After Richard's cross-examination by the defense, the prosecution called on Kerry Morgan, Ventura's former best friend, who testified that she had received $30,000 for signing a nondisclosure agreement after Combs assaulted her in 2018.

"I had a concussion. I was dizzy. I vomited a few times," Morgan said about the interaction. She said she has not spoken with Ventura since the incident and was only testifying in court because she was subpoenaed by the government.

David James, Combs's former personal assistant, testified that Cassie Ventura told him that she felt like she couldn't "get out" of her relationship with Combs.

James said the two were smoking together during a trip to Miami with Combs early on in Combs and Ventura's relationship, which reportedly started in 2007 or 2008. James testified Ventura told him, "Man, this lifestyle is crazy," to which James replied, "If it's so crazy, why don't you just leave?"

"I can't get out," Ventura responded, according to James. "Mr. Combs oversees so much of my life.”

David James, who served as Combs's personal assistant from 2007 to 2009, testified that he applied for the position after seeing a New York Times story on Combs searching for one.

James said that during the interview process, he spoke with the head of human resources at Bad Boy Records, who James claimed pointed to a picture of Combs on the wall and told him, "This is Mr. Combs's kingdom. We're all here to serve in it."

James testified that he worked with Combs every day and traveled around the world with him. He said sometimes he worked for three weeks straight without any time off.

He testified to the prosecution that Combs's security staffers told him to "stay in my lane."

"I knew not to mess with them," James said.

Under cross-examination, Kerry Morgan reiterated that she has not spoken with Ventura since the aftermath of the 2018 incident in which Morgan said Combs choked her and hit her with a wooden hanger.

Morgan told the court that following the alleged assault, Ventura chose to support Combs and not her.

"The reason I stopped speaking to her was because she was not supportive of me after that incident," Morgan said. "I draw my line at physical abuse."

She also said that she was paid $30,000 by Combs to stay quiet and that the money was delivered by Ventura — a detail that was challenged by the defense.

"She said it was through him, the money wasn’t coming from her," Morgan said. "She was the go-between."

Kerry Morgan's time on the stand has ended after the defense's cross-examination questions and a quick redirect from the prosecution.

The prosecution then called to the stand the next witness, David James, a personal assistant who worked for Combs from 2007 to 2009.

James told the court he was testifying because he had been subpoenaed twice.

During her direct testimony, Morgan recalled that police came to Ventura's apartment after the March 2016 incident in which Combs was captured on surveillance video assaulting Ventura at a Los Angeles hotel.

Morgan was staying with Ventura at the time. When Ventura came home from the hotel, she had a black eye and was wearing a hoodie, Morgan said. The police were called after Combs showed up at the apartment yelling and banging on the door with a hammer. He left before police arrived.

Defense attorney Marc Agnifilo asked Morgan if officers noticed Ventura's black eye.

“Yes, they asked what happened,” Morgan said, but Ventura wouldn't speak to them.

Marc Agnifilo, lead counsel

One of the founding partners of the firm Agnifilo Intrater, which has represented "Pharma Bro" Martin Shkreli and NXIVM cult leader Keith Raniere. Agnifilo's wife, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, is the lead counsel for Luigi Mangione, the suspect charged with shooting the CEO of UnitedHealthCare back last year; Agnifilo himself also joined Mangione's defense team in December.

Teny Geragos

Geragos is part of the Agnifilo Intrater law firm. She is the daughter of criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos, who has represented celebrities like Chris Brown, Jussie Smollett and Michael Jackson, as well as defenders in big cases such as Scott Peterson. Mark Geragos is reportedly serving as an adviser to Combs's legal team.

Brian Steel

Steel, who is based in Georgia, was added to Combs's legal team in April. Steel represented rapper Young Thug in the YSL racketeering trial, which ended up being the longest criminal trial in Georgia history after lasting nearly two years. Young Thug ended up pleading guilty to several drug, gun and gang-related offenses and received a 15-year probation sentence in October.

Nicole Westmoreland

Westmoreland filed her notice of attorney appearance when jury selection began in Combs's trial. In 2001, she survived a sexual assault at an Atlanta recording studio party when she was 19 years old and subsequently filed a lawsuit against the alleged assailant and the Williams brothers, who were major hip-hop recording executives, after the incident.

She also represented a defendant in the YSL trial.

Xavier R. Donaldson

Donaldson was also a recent addition to Combs's defense team, joining on May 2 right before the trial began. He is a former Bronx County prosecutor and a founding partner at Donaldson & Chilliest, LLP.

Marc Agnifilo, Combs's defense attorney, asked Morgan about the jealousy both Combs and Ventura exhibited during their relationship.

Morgan confirmed that Ventura was jealous of Kim Porter, Combs's ex-girlfriend and the mother of several of his children. Porter died in 2018.

Ventura was "jealous because she could never go to New Year's Eve parties," Morgan said.

Morgan also said that Combs was jealous of Ventura's relationship with the actor Michael B. Jordan.

"She was speaking to Michael B. Jordan and they hung out together," Morgan said. "And he was jealous of it."

Court resumed after a lunch break, with Kerry Morgan, Cassie Ventura's former best friend, returning to the witness stand and concluding her direct testimony.

The defense has begun its cross-examination. Marc Agnifilo, Combs's lead attorney, is questioning Morgan.

Kerry Morgan testified that Sean Combs attacked her in Cassie Ventura's apartment in 2018. Ventura testified about the incident as well last week.

Morgan said Monday that Combs let himself into the apartment and "came up behind me and choked me and then boomeranged a wooden hanger at my head."

“I had a concussion. I was dizzy. I vomited a few times,” Morgan said.

Morgan said she had planned on filing a lawsuit after the assault but didn't. A month later, Morgan said she met with Ventura, and Ventura told her she would get $30,000 from Combs. Morgan confirmed she had received the money.

Morgan said she signed a nondisclosure agreement that day and that she hasn't spoken with Ventura since then.