A former assistant to Sean “Diddy” Combs has accused the hip-hop mogul of repeated sexual assaults and violent behaviour during her eight-year tenure working for him, testifying in a New York court this week under the pseudonym “Mia.”
Speaking through tears, Mia described a workplace environment she called “chaotic” and “toxic,” and said she lived in constant fear of Mr. Combs’ outbursts. “The highs were really high and the lows were really, really low,” she told the court.
Mia is the second woman in the ongoing federal trial to allege sexual abuse by Combs, following earlier testimony from his former partner, Casandra Ventura.
During her testimony, Combs, 55, sat at the defence table with his arms folded, watching silently. He has pleaded not guilty to charges including racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution.
“I couldn’t tell him no about a sandwich,” Mia said. “I couldn’t tell him no about anything.”
Mr. Combs’ legal team has yet to cross-examine Mia or formally respond to her claims.
According to her testimony, Mia began working for Combs as a personal assistant in 2009 when she was in her mid-20s.
Her job, she said, required her to always be within his line of sight and to anticipate his “needs, whims, and moods.” She added that she was often required to stay at his homes, where she wasn’t permitted to lock the door or leave without his permission.
Mia told the court that Mr. Combs was frequently violent. On one occasion, she said he threw a bowl of spaghetti at her head, narrowly missing. In another instance, she testified he hurled a computer at her after she told him the Wi-Fi was still being fixed.
She also recounted witnessing abuse directed at Ms. Ventura. On a trip to Turks and Caicos, Mia said Ventura ran into her room screaming that Mr Combs was “going to kill me.”
The two fled and hid on the beach. On that same trip, she said the pair used a paddle board to escape into the ocean as Combs paced along the shore and a storm approached.
“I was trying to weigh if it was scarier to face mother nature, or go back to Puff [Mr. Combs],” she testified.
Mia further described a 2013 incident in Los Angeles when Combs allegedly banged on Ms. Ventura’s door and assaulted her. She said he threw her onto a bed frame, cutting her eyebrow open, and when she tried to intervene, he slammed her into a wall.
“He’s actually going to kill her,” she recalled thinking.
Despite witnessing and experiencing abuse, Mia said she never reported it because she believed Combs was untouchable. “I believed that Puff’s authority was above the police,” she told the court.
She also detailed multiple instances of alleged sexual assault. One such incident occurred during Combs’ 40th birthday at the Plaza Hotel in New York, where she said he gave her two strong vodka shots, kissed her, and put his hand up her dress.
On another night between 2009 and 2010, she claimed she awoke in a bunk bed in his Los Angeles home with Combs on top of her, initiating rape.
“I just froze,” she said. “It was very quick but it felt like forever.”
Mia said the assaults continued sporadically during her employment. She told the court that while she doesn’t remember every detail, she’s left with a “dark feeling in my stomach.”
When asked why she didn’t say no or go to the police, Mia explained she feared losing her career and facing retaliation.
“I knew his power,” she said. “I knew his control over me and I didn’t want to lose everything I worked so hard for.”
She also claimed that another assistant was fired after reporting Combs’ violence toward Ms. Ventura. At one point, Mia said Combs threatened to tell Ventura about their sexual encounters.
Following the alleged assaults, she said she tried to bury what had happened. “I tried to pretend the most shameful thing of my life didn’t happen,” she said.
When asked by prosecutors why she was now telling her story, she responded, “I had to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.”
Mia is expected to continue her testimony on Friday, when Combs’ legal team will have the chance to cross-examine her.
