Dawn Richard, Cassie’s Ex-BFF Kerry Morgan Testify About Brutal Beatings & Diddy’s Former Assistant Says THIS On The Stand (Day Six)

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mitzi Steiner resumed questioning of Dawn Richard on Monday, May 19.

Richard previously testified that Diddy threatened her and others one day after he allegedly attacked his ex-girlfriend with a skillet. On Monday, she also said she was “shocked” and “scared” afterward. “…I couldn’t believe this would be the beginning of a journey for us,” Dawn testified, referencing the start of the trio band Dirty Money, which featured her, Kalenna Harper, and Diddy.

Additionally, Steiner asked Richard how frequently she witnessed Combs beat his girlfriend.

“Frequently,” Richard said. “He would punch her, choke her, drag her, slap her in the mouth. I saw him kick her, punch her in the stomach.”

Richard said that on other occasions, she saw Combs punch Cassie in the face with a closed fist and that she saw him punch her in the stomach during an argument at a restaurant.

Cassie allegedly used makeup, clothing, and sunglasses to cover up injuries, which included bruising on her face, eyes, lip, arms, and knees, Richard said. Dawn also testified that the beatings sometimes occurred when Cassie spoke up for herself, “if she had an opinion about something.”

At other times, she said, “…it could be random. We wouldn’t even know where it came from.” Richard said Combs’ staff, including his bodyguards, also witnessed violence.

“They wouldn’t react. They wouldn’t do anything,” Richard testified.

Dawn was asked what she observed between Cassie and Diddy. She said, “He would drag her and kick her, and punch her in the mouth.” She said these acts of violence were often prompted by Cassie speaking up for herself.

— TheShadeRoom (@TheShadeRoom) May 19, 2025

By: Cassandra Santiago and Associated Press Staff

RELATED: From Freak-Offs To Stompings, Cassie Testifies In Trial About Alleged Violent Relationship With Diddy (Day Two)

According to AP, on the stand, Dawn Richard supported Cassie’s testimony that Combs had stifled Cassie’s singing career. Richard said she heard Combs tell Cassie that he “owned her” and that any success she had would be on his terms.

“It would come when he said it would come,” Richard testified.

For context, Bad Boy Records signed Cassie to a 10-album deal in 2006. Ultimately, she 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.

RELATED: 5 Things To Know About Cassie’s Music Career And Why She Only Released One Album Under Diddy

Cassie testified last week that although she continued to go to the recording studio and work on songs, Combs refused to release them. On Monday, Dawn Richard testified that Combs would get mad — sometimes violent — when she and other artists offered to help Cassie write songs.

“Mr. Combs didn’t like that when we talked to Cassie and oftentimes, we would pay for it,” Richard testified, adding: “If you didn’t stay in line, there was consequences.”

She also recalled Combs cursing and telling her to stay out of his relationship.

By: Cassandra Santiago and Associated Press Staff

In her testimony, Dawn spoke of an incident where Diddy allegedly punched Cassie in the stomach, per PEOPLE. She claimed it happened in 2010 in a restaurant where Usher, Ne-Yo, and record executive Jimmy Lovine were. However, it’s unclear if any of the named celebs also witnessed the punch.

By: Cassandra Santiago

According to NBC reporters Adam Reiss and Doha Madani, Dawn Richard also testified about Sean Combs’ alleged drug use and offering of them to others. She said the music mogul had a dealer named “One Stop” who would pull up to recording sessions with substances like cocaine and marijuana. She added that Diddy or his assistants would carry the Louis Vuitton pouch that was filled with drugs. For context, Cassie testified during week one of the trial that she called the LV pouch her “med bag.” 

Prosecutors also asked Dawn Richard if she’d ever seen Diddy with a weapon. She admitted to seeing guns a “few times,” particularly on his bodyguards, who allegedly carried them near their lower backs.

Dawn was asked if she ever witnessed Diddy doing drugs, she said, “Yes. Weed, ketamine, Molly, cocaine.” She claims he “had it all, including plan b and birth control.”

— TheShadeRoom (@TheShadeRoom) May 19, 2025

By: Cassandra Santiago

Dawn also reportedly spoke about her unsettled lawsuit against Combs in her direct examination. As previously reported, she sued her former label owner in September 2024 for sexual abuse, citing instances of him allegedly groping her nude body between 2009 and 2011. She also accused Combs of intimidation and creating a hostile work environment, and claimed she witnessed him being violent with Cassie and possibly Kim Porter.

At the end of her direct examination, Dawn Richard said she was seeking “justice,” per NBC. She also denied that she was expecting any compensation for testifying in Diddy’s trial. “I’m expecting justice,” she reportedly said on the stand.

By: Cassandra Santiago

RELATED: Dawn Richard: From Danity Kane To Testifying In Diddy’s Trial, Here Are 5 Things To Know About Her

Associated Press reports that defense lawyer Nicole Westmoreland suggested Dawn Richard was testifying because she was angry with Diddy 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 insisted that she was sad, not angry, over the end of the groups. She also said she is suing Combs because he mistreated her and withheld her earnings.

Westmoreland also questioned Dawn Richard about changing her story about the skillet incident several times. She told jurors on Friday that she saw Diddy hit Cassie with the skillet in his home, but in a letter to Diddy, she allegedly wrote that she “heard a pan hit the wall.” Ultimately, Dawn told his defense on Monday that she “said the best that I could recall.”

Defense also pushed back against Dawn testifying that Diddy told her “people go missing” the day after the alleged skillet attack. Defense played videos of Dawn’s interviews with prosecutors in October 2024 and March 2025. She did not mention the “people go missing” line in either. On the stand, Richard said she didn’t remember it at the time and remembered “everything” she was saying now, per NBC.

Defense also said she didn’t mention Diddy having guns in at least eight meetings she had with prosecutors. Her reason was that “it wasn’t asked.” As far as seeing Diddy with drugs, namely cocaine, Dawn denied changing her story and instead said she’s remembering more.

“Yes, as time progresses, I get better at knowing what went on because it was quite a long time ago,” Dawn Richard testified.

Richard again said she felt like Combs ruined her career twice, despite trying to work with him as recently as 2020 or 2021.

Earlier in Richard’s testimony, she described instances where she saw Combs with guns and using drugs like ketamine, cocaine, and molly. Westmoreland pointed out that Richard hadn’t mentioned guns during eight prior meetings with prosecutors, to which Richard replied, “It wasn’t…

— TheShadeRoom (@TheShadeRoom) May 19, 2025

By: Cassandra Santiago

After the defense ended their cross-examination, federal prosecutor Mitzi Steiner stepped in for re-direct. Steiner questioned whether Dawn had given much thought to incidents with Diddy over time, which Richard denied.

“No, it was a hard time, a bad time for me,” Richard said, per NBC. “It did not all come back immediately … the environment was traumatizing, so I tried to erase those things from my memory.”

She said interviews with prosecutors have allowed her to recall the experiences. However, she stood ten toes down on what she allegedly witnessed with the skillet at Diddy’s home, saying she had “no doubt” about her recollections about the incident on the stand.

By: Cassandra Santiago

Despite witnessing violence against Cassie and his alleged death threat over 10 years ago, Dawn Richard admitted to recently trying to work with him. She testified so under a second round of cross-examination. Defense also pressed about her pending lawsuit, and Richard replied that she wants “justice and to be made whole.” She admitted that the process includes being paid money.

She also clarified that she wanted to get the Dirty Money group back together to help a friend, Kalenna Harper.

The prosecution questioned Richard about her desire to try to get the ‘Dirty Money’ group back together. Richard testified she did it to help fellow member Kalenna Harper, not because she wanted to work with combs again.

“I didn’t want it, but I was trying to help a friend.”

— TheShadeRoom (@TheShadeRoom) May 19, 2025

By: Cassandra Santiago

In week one of Diddy’s trial, Cassie name-dropped her former friend, Kerry Morgan. The singer recalled an incident where Diddy allegedly hit Morgan in the head with a wooden hanger. That alleged incident ended the women’s 17-year-long friendship from 2001 to 2018. They met as teenagers during a modeling shoot.

Morgan was allegedly still friends with Cassie when her relationship with Combs started, and the singer lived in New York City. On the witness stand, Kerry Morgan said they stopped being friends when “her boyfriend assaulted me,” later clarifying the BF was Diddy. She later said the assault was a combination of being hit with the hanger and choked.

According to NBC, Morgan clarified on the stand that she does “not want to testify” because she had “moved on” with her life. However, she’s in court because the government subpoenaed her.

By: Cassandra Santiago

Morgan further said Cassie didn’t do drugs or heavily drink until she began dating Combs. She added that Diddy would criticize her former friend’s appearance over the years, which caused her to lose “her confidence.” She also said that Combs was nice and generous at times, but “could be very aggressive” at other times and seemed to suffer mood swings.

“He would yell at Cassie. She lost her confidence, big-time, lost her spark,” she said. Morgan added that sometimes Diddy would call Cas “50 times in a row” when he was looking for her.

Ahead of a courtroom lunch break, Kerry Morgan also said she witnessed Diddy physically assault Cassie on multiple occasions, including one time in Jamaica and another in Los Angeles.

Morgan said she and Cassie were on vacation in Jamaica when Diddy popped up midway through. At one point, the singer went to the bathroom, and when Diddy felt she was taking too long, he went in after her. Soon after, Morgan said she heard Cassie screaming and saw Combs dragging her.

“It was guttural, terrifying. I heard her screaming so I went to the long hallway, they were coming out of the master bedroom and he was dragging her by her hair,” Morgan added.

Morgan said Diddy then slammed Cassie to the ground outside. However, the singer and Morgan fled the scene in a golf cart and hid in a ditch, while Combs allegedly used another golf cart to search for them for hours.

As for the L.A. incident, Morgan said it happened at a house he was renting in the Hollywood Hills. There, the former friend testified she saw Diddy hit or kick Cassie and that the mogul’s bodyguard, Ruben, refused to intervene when she asked him to “do something.” They both hid at a neighbor’s home while he looked for them using a car. Ultimately, though, Cassie went back to Diddy’s home, Morgan testified.

In her direct examination, Morgan added that she and Cassie discussed going to the police multiple times. However, she said the singer told her she couldn’t “because of her job, her car, her apartment.” Additionally, she said Cassie never mentioned why Diddy wasn’t releasing her albums, even though she appeared frustrated by it.

By: Cassandra Santiago

The former friend said she suffered a concussion from Diddy’s hanger assault. On the day of the incident, Morgan said she was chilling at Cassie’s apartment, listening to music, when Diddy came in. At the time, Cas was in the bathroom, and Morgan was in the living room.

“He came up behind me and choked me and left finger marks on my neck and hit me in the head with a wooden hanger,” Morgan said in court. “Cassie was in the bathroom. It hit me behind my right ear.”

She left the apartment after that while Diddy raged about Cassie allegedly cheating. Morgan said she visited an urgent care after vomiting “a few times” and felt dizzy.

She admitted to hiring a lawyer at the time but didn’t pursue a lawsuit. Instead, Diddy allegedly paid her $30,000 to stay quiet, and Cassie presented her with an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) that she signed. Morgan confirmed that she and Cassie have not spoken since then.

Morgan testified she suffered a concussion from the alleged assault. Morgan added that she hired a lawyer, but did not file a suit against Diddy.

Instead, Diddy paid her $30,000. She said Cassie gave her an NDA to sign, which she did. The two have not spoken since.

— TheShadeRoom (@TheShadeRoom) May 19, 2025

By: Cassandra Santiago

After a courtroom lunch break, Kerry Morgan’s cross-examination began. Diddy’s lead defense attorney, Marc Agnifilo, kicked off questioning, and his client’s late co-parent, Kim Porter, came up. Porter and Diddy welcomed Christian, twins Jessie and D’Lila, and the mogul often called her eldest son, Quincy, his own.

RELATED: Oop! Photos Of Diddy’s Family At Courthouse Sparks Strong Reactions On First Day Of Trial

Attorney Marc asked whether Cassie was ever jealous of Kim, and Morgan said the singer was. “Yes, she was jealous because she could never go to New Year’s Eve parties,” Morgan testified. In week one, Cassie also admitted feeling jealous of Kim during her relationship with Diddy.

Last week, Cassie testified that Diddy was jealous when he believed she had been flirting with Michael B. Jordan while filming a movie in South Africa. Kerry Morgan confirmed that story under cross-examination.

“What I remember was that she was speaking to Michael B. Jordan and they hung out together,” she testified. “And he was jealous of it.”

Kerry Morgan is back on the stand for cross examination. Diddy’s lawyer Marc Agnifilo questioned Morgan about Cassie and Diddy’s jealousy issues. Morgan recalled a time Diddy was jealous that Cassie was speaking to Michael B. Jordan

— TheShadeRoom (@TheShadeRoom) May 19, 2025

By: Cassandra Santiago

Under cross-examination, Kerry Morgan also affirmed that she stopped speaking to Cassie because of how the singer carried out the wooden hanger attack.

“The reason I stopped speaking to her was because she was not supportive of me after that incident. I draw my line at physical abuse,” Morgan testified, per NBC News.

She said their friendship remains broken, despite Cassie finding a new life with her now-husband Alex Fine. As far as the $30,000 payout, Morgan testified that Cas told her the money was coming from Diddy for her silence.

“She said it was through him, the money wasn’t coming from her. She was the go-between,” Kerry Morgan said. “I did not demand money from anyone. She offered money to close the case on it so I don’t sue anybody or say anything public about it.” She added, “All I got was $30,000.”

Afterward, prosecutors asked to re-direct, and had Morgan reiterate what she said about Diddy’s allegedly beating Cassie in Jamaica.

By: Cassandra Santiago

After Kerry Morgan left the witness stand, prosecutors called Diddy’s former personal assistant, David James. He reportedly worked for Combs between 2007 and 2009. James immediately clarified that he was testifying because the government had subpoenaed him twice in the case.

Under direct examination, David James revealed he was in charge of tasks like booking reservations, being at the Bad Boy office, traveling, and attending studio sessions, often until 3 a.m. James said he and the security team allegedly worked 20 hours a day. He applied for the job while trying to break into the fashion industry, and after seeing an article about Diddy seeking an assistant.

Per NBC, he broke down in tears after recalling his interview with Bad Boy’s staffers in 2007. He claimed that a female executive told him, “This is Mr. Combs’ kingdom and we are all here to serve in it.” Additionally, he testified that Diddy’s security had advised him to “stay in [his] lane” after his hiring. “…I understood it to do what I was hired to do and only that job,” James testified.

James also revealed that Diddy kept armed guards carrying legal firearms. One guard, Uncle Paulie, also kept a switchblade per testimony.

The prosecution calls its next witness—Diddy’s former assistant David James. James testified he was a personal assistant to Diddy between 2007 and 2009, and took the stand today because he was subpoenaed twice.

— TheShadeRoom (@TheShadeRoom) May 19, 2025

By: Cassandra Santiago

In his testimony, David James claimed that the first time he interacted with Cassie, he suggested that he leave the relationship. They were in Miami after Diddy had rented a yacht to impress her, and while smoking cigarettes, Cassie allegedly told him, “This place is crazy.” When James asked why she didn’t leave Combs, she reportedly replied: “He controls my career, pays my allowance, and pays my rent.”

In continued testimony, David James recalled a conversation he overheard on Star Island with Combs. Diddy allegedly said, “Kim is my queen, out in LA with my family.” He also allegedly said, “I have Cassie right where I want her. She’s young and moldable.” 

James testified Diddy was in relationships with five women during the time he worked for him, naming the following women: Kim Porter, Sarah, Tara, Yana and Cassie.

The prosecution asked about James’ first conversation with Cassie, in which he asked why Cassie wouldn’t leave…

— TheShadeRoom (@TheShadeRoom) May 19, 2025

By: Cassandra Santiago

Judge Subramanian adjourned court for the day.

— TheShadeRoom (@TheShadeRoom) May 19, 2025

LIVE COVERAGE OF DAY SIX IN DIDDY’S TRIAL HAS ENDED FOR THE DAY. PLEASE CHECK BACK WHEN COURT RESUMES FOR UPDATES. 

RELATED: Say WHAT?! Here Are The Top 8 BOMBSHELL Statements Shared Since Diddy’s Federal Trial Has Kicked Off