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Mia is not Mia's real name.
She is testifying against Sean Combs with a pseudonym.
The understanding could not be clearer.
If you know who she is, no you don't.
If you don't know who she is, keep it that way.
It's pretty basic understanding.
But midway through Mia's multiple day -long testimony, prosecutor Johnson stands up.
Sorry, your honor, one additional issue we just wanted to put on the court's radar.
the government has become aware of an individual who's broken the court's pseudonym order in respect to Mia the individual was present in the courtroom yesterday and the government saw the individual outside the courtroom at the end of the court day broadcasting her name in a public square right outside the courthouse we've seen his youtube channel in which he says Mia's true name and we saw that same individual in the courtroom yesterday and this is becoming a problem even with Jane the new witness on the stand her attorney has even come forward to tell the court I just wanted to bring this to
the court's attention that there are media outlets, YouTube accounts, Instagram accounts and others that are seeking to discover and or to reveal Jane's identity.
These are active attempts and some are ongoing and many of these accounts and outlets have many readers and followers and so that is why I felt it was important to make this in a timely manner this notice to the court.
These posts and media outlets threaten her safety and privacy.
I'm just so confused how any of this is happening in 2025.
Why are we doxxing witnesses?
And the worst part is, if I'm not mistaken from what I have heard from a lot of the members of the press in that courtroom we've interacted with the someone that later doxxed Mia.
The person that they just called out?
Yes. And they seemed so normal I don't know why they felt compelled to do this.
Like I don't know if I was naive for thinking they were normal or if they accidentally, like I genuinely don't understand.
Wait, so but that YouTuber is currently banned from the court right?
What's crazy is he was banned for 24 hours.
I did briefly see him again.
Huh. Yeah, and it is so bad that even the defense, I mean they're not bringing up the doxing, but in court they're talking about how they wanna admit a happy birthday video into evidence and they note that they received emails of the video from internet users after they found out Mia's true identity they found a video of her telling Sean Combs happy birthday from like a decade ago and Started emailing it to the defense team They say I think there were people on the internet who think they figured out who Mia is and so mr Agnifla as well as some of us have received Emails or communications from random
people on the internet with the same video and so we were thinking about using it But I don't even know if this is the worst part of Mia's testimony I mean the doxing is but pretty much every single aspect of Mia's testimony gets Incredibly tense and just like what the hell is happening That's the feeling and now Sean Combs and his defense team have filed another motion for a mistrial again for the second time We would like to thank today's sponsors who have made it possible for Rotten Mango to support Achievement Centers for Children.
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As always, full show notes are available at RottenMangoPodcast .com.
few disclaimers there are mentions of SA there's a lot of distressing content revolving that so please just be warned many of the quotes and statements included have been shortened and condensed for brevity or combined.
now you guys know the drill, sean combs is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
that burden of proof is the responsibility of the prosecution, the government, and all of the crimes he has been charged with are alleged until a verdict is reached, which at the time of this episode has yet to occur.
Any descriptions or observations regarding Mr. Combs, his legal team, the court, anybody in that courtroom during the trial were personally noted by myself or my two other researchers who were present in the room.
I will say we are just trying to understand observable behaviors.
When somebody is nodding or somebody is smirking or somebody appears to potentially look disengaged, but any opinion on what that behavior might mean is strictly an opinion and it doesn't really mean anything because we could be totally wrong.
We could have missed saw something.
So this is truly, don't base any information off of this.
So with that being said, let's get started.
There is a light bulb out in the courtroom right above the witness stand.
And it's like this whole operation to change this little light bulb.
The ceilings are so tall that they just use this massive long stick.
And at the very end of the stick, it's just like a plunger.
Oh yeah the light bulb changer.
Yeah you've seen these before?
I've never seen this.
I thought that we're gonna bring in a massive ladder.
It's just a stick with a plunger at the end and they're sucking it on the light bulb and twisting and twisting and twisting it's a light bulb plunger.
I'm intrigued and so is Mark Agnifolo.
He walks straight in Home Depot dad's this entire light bulb changing process and he's just like in a good mood which is interesting.
I mean I can't even hear the jokes, but he points to the bald spot on the back of his I don't know.
Perhaps he's making a joke that the light is shining on his bald spot Imagine he's not talking about his bald spot at all.
And I'm just calling him out for his bald spot I don't know My theory is that when Mark Agnafalo gets sleep, he comes in early and he does his little court rounds That's the best way I can describe it.
He goes over to the stenographer the court reporter, you know He goes over to the sketch artist. I don't know what prosecutors to write Yeah.
And I don't know what this man is talking about, but pretty much, any time Court is in session, Mark Agnifalo stands up, everyone goes, oh man, what now?
It's gonna be filibuster, he's gonna be talking and yapping, but like before Court is in session, any time Mark Agnifalo is talking to anybody, people are obsessed.
The court reporter is like falling out of her chair giggling.
The sketch artists, they can't even handle the giggles when they're talking to Mark Agnifalo.
And I'm like, what, is he that funny?
Because I can't even hear.
I just see them giggling and now I need to know Meanwhile, Sean combs is walking out in a light blue sweater, which definitely brings out the white in his hair He also and I was so confused by this.
He pours himself of water There's like a stack of he was recently drinking a lot of water bottles, but then he went back to his styrofoam cups of water What am I looking at?
Okay, but he would go back to his like stack of water He had a stack of styrofoam cups these little kerefs that he pours the water into and there's a stack of three cups.
He pours the water into the stack of the three cups and just starts drinking out of the stack of three cups.
He doesn't take it out.
Oh, he's using three cups as one.
Yeah, I'm just so confused.
In other news, if you don't follow us on TikTok, he also had recently turned to a court sketch artist and asked her to quote, soften me up a bit, you're making me look like a koala bear.
I was not in the courtroom, so I didn't hear it because this was like during a lunch break, but it's very oddly specific description that is reminiscent of what we said at the beginning of the trial.
And just, I'm just saying it's weird. Now the energy in the courtroom is always like a little volatile.
Some days, everyone's in a good mood, including what appears to be the defendant.
Other days it feels stressful, but it is just so clear that something's happening recently because not too long ago, lead defense counsel, Mark Agniflo stands up and he tells the judge.
Now, side note, some context here.
The government stated that they believe they will be finished with their case in chief sooner rather than later.
Mark Gagnifilo is now informing Father Arun, it may be that the government rests sooner than they were planning to.
That doesn't mean that the trial is going to end sooner than we were all planning to because there are certain things, and I don't want to give it away.
One of the few things we have on our side on the defense is we get to react.
It may be that because of witnesses the government is not calling, we might have more on the defense case.
Hmm it feels cryptic.
So what is he saying?
Like it's gonna last longer We have more we want to bring more people on now because of that and it feels cryptic Especially when nine days later another motion is filed for another Mist trial which just so you know This is my personal opinion the chances of Diddy's defense team being granted a mistrial are probably relatively slim too at the most moderate, I don't know, like I can't really tell you, it just seems like only a minutia of federal cases that go to trial are granted a mistrial.
And it appears that an even smaller percentage are because of prosecutorial misconduct.
Which is what the Combs team is alleging in the motion that they just filed.
Diddy's defense lawyers are asking Father Arun to declare a mistrial because they claim the prosecution knowingly presented false testimony to the jury on two separate occasions.
This is like a massive ordeal.
They're saying that the government knew Cassie and her friend were lying They're saying the government at least knew or should have known because it was that easily noticeable And they still put them up on the stand and had them lie.
That's what the defense is claiming That's the gist that I get from it and it all revolves around this balcony incident in 2016 in Cassie's LA apartment So in summary the assault allegedly occurs when Cassie's best friend Bana is sleeping over at her place Diddy comes banging on the door, forcing his way into the apartment at around 3 in the morning.
Cassie is in her bedroom asleep, Bana is on the balcony smoking, and according to both Cassie and Bana, Diddy just books it to Bana on the balcony, lifts her up, dangles her over the balcony, which is 17 stories high, then throws her onto the balcony furniture, the patio furniture on the balcony, Bana collapses, Cassie screams at Didi, Didi leaves, flees the apartment after assaulting Bana.
I mean, we heard about this incident in the prosecution's opening statement, but also when Cassie testified during her direct, she said quote, I saw him, Shawn, bring Bana back over the railing of the balcony and then throw her onto the patio furniture.
Then, during Cassie's cross, Estavelo, the defense counsel, she shows Cassie a text message in which Cassie indicates that she only heard about Sean dangling Bana off the balcony, to which Cassie responds, I saw what I saw so I don't know.
Almost two weeks of the trial go by like nobody really talks about this.
We don't really hear about this anymore, and then Bana gets called to testify.
She gets up on that stand.
She's sworn in and she testifies that Diddy dangled her over the 17th story balcony at Cassie's LA apartment during the early morning hours of September 26, 2016.
Now to support her testimony, prosecutor Smeisser admits into evidence picture of Bana's bruised leg along with metadata that shows that this picture was taken September 26, 2016 at 9 45 a .m. Bana says on the stand that the photo was taken the day of the incident.
However, Nicole Westmoreland gets up to do the cross.
She just starts ripping into Bana's testimony you guys remember her from Don Richard's cross which okay first of all the whole cross is not a look this was considered one of the bigger defense wins.
Nicole Westmoreland asks Bana about her drug usage with Cassie at the time.
Okay, you and Cassie would do Cocoa Puff?
Yeah. Turn to the ladies and gentlemen of the jury and explain to us all what Cocoa Puff is.
It's when you take a blunt and you open the blunt and you put weed in there and then you sprinkle cocaine in it.
Okay That was one of your faves' favorites.
Yes. How does Coco Puff make you feel?
It's like add all the weed feelings and then a little like sharp feeling because of the Coke.
She's asked about a drug dealer.
Do you remember a drug dealer Ray J?
I don't know if that's his name.
Do you remember a drug dealer that you would send to Cassie often by the name of Ray J?
I don't remember that name.
OK, so you have no idea who Ray J is.
I mean, he sounds like that singer, but I don't think it's him.
Which, later, again, she's asked about Ray J, and she kinda giggles a little bit in her testimony.
She's like, ha, I just don't know why he's called that.
And it's just like, I don't think, I don't think it was perceived well by anybody, this entire testimony.
And at one point, Nicole Westmoreland leans on the lectern and even asks Bana, you ever been stuck in a khole?
Yes, but to the more pertinent elements of the cross, Ms. Bangalan, you know that Mr. Combs performed at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey September 25th, 2016.
True, Westmoreland shows Bona a picture of Combs in New Jersey, because remember she said that the assault on the balcony happened in the early morning hours of the 26th.
He's performing in Newark, New Jersey on the other side of the country September 25th, the night before, it's a But I see what you're showing me, and you're aware that Mr. Combs and Cassie wear New Jersey on September 25, 2016 true?
Alright well Are you aware that on September 26 Mr. Combs and Cassie were in New York at the Boys and Girls Harbor Salute to Achievement benefit?
Are you aware that?
Not aware. Are you aware that on September 26 Mr. Combs was also doing a signing at Macy's?
She's not aware. Nicole Westmoreland brings up Trump Hotel receipts from Frank Black staying in New York.
Arrival date shows September 24th and departure date is September 29th.
They are also charging in -room dining breakfast for September 25th and 26th, the days that Bana states that she was attacked.
Which side note, he does spend $700 on breakfast in one morning in a series of charges, but that is neither here nor there.
Nicole Westmoreland brings this all home by asking Bana, Ma 'am, you agree that one person can't be in two places at the same time.
Bana is on the stand and she just responds...
in like theory, yeah.
You're not sure? Hard to answer that one.
Ms. Bongolan, you told us, you testified, that Mr. Combs, on September 26, 2016, came into Cassie Ventura's house, hung you over the balcony, threw you into some furniture, and that you sustained several injuries.
That's what you testified to the ladies and the gentleman of this jury, did you not?
Nicole Westmoreland brings up the meta data again of the pictures of Bana's injuries.
And she stated that she took it the same day, but if that was the same day, September 26, it seems like Combs was allegedly in New York City.
Nicole Westmoreland is trying to bring this home.
Mr. Combs did not cause you the injuries that you showed us that we saw on your phone with the meta data from September 26 to 2016, did he?
I can't agree with you.
No. So, you gave this photo to the government with the metadata showing that this picture was taken on September 26, 2016.
True? Yes. And you would agree with me that one person cannot be in California and in New York at the same time?
My answer is still the same.
In theory, yes. Ma 'am, you came in here and you lied to the ladies and gentlemen of this jury.
Isn't that true? I can't agree with you.
I've no further questions, Your Honor.
So this is very important to the mistrial.
So she is pretty much, I guess, in the defense's eyes like disproving that this ever happened.
They're like drawing questions of, did this happen, did this not happen?
Now, you could argue that maybe Bana remembered incorrectly.
Maybe the incident happened a few days before, which is he might have still been in California and then she took the photo on a different day and she just misremembered that or you could argue that she lied.
I don't know. Now, soon after this cross -examination, the government steps in and moves to admit the evidence of text messages between Cassie and Christina Corum, and it's talking about the balcony incident.
So the government is pretty much saying, in my opinion, hey, you guys just disproved, like made it seem to the jury, that this balcony incident never even happened.
Well, this text message, Cassie is talking about the balcony incident to Christina Corum.
When did the government submit that text message?
Okay, so, Bana was on the stand for two days, it was right before finishing up the cross the next day.
So, I mean, pretty much the damage of the cross examination was already done.
I see. And that was submitted and then shown to the jury?
Yes. Now, the text message reads, from Cassie to Christina Quorum, hey I just found out some crazy shit.
Christina says, yeah, we're here and I don't think I did it.
This is like, irrelevant.
We don't really know what she's talking about.
Cassie explains he came into my house while my friends were here and we were all sleeping They woke me up because he was ringing the bell crazy at 3 a .m And when he came in I went to my room and he went to Bana and choked her then dangled her feet off the balcony This is crazy.
I have to stay away The text message is from September 30th 2016 and we all thought that this was so weird Like the way that they admit this evidence to the jurors Bana is already off the stand.
Uh -huh, and they just like have the jurors come in and they're like, by the way This is the new exhibit and they read it.
Okay, moving on bringing the next witness it was just so random because usually a witness is on the stand and then the exhibits come up naturally throughout the Direct examination or the cross -examination.
It was just like, okay, here's like a random text message and the jurors are like, okay I guess right.
Okay, so they just quickly say hey look at this it was true by the way moving on That's kind of the vibe I mean they don't say that but it seems like the vibe.
Then the next witness hits the stand and then nothing happens until Saturday, the weekend, like two days ago, defense files a motion for another mistrial.
They state that the prosecution knew that Cassie had lied during her testimony and still allowed it.
They said that the prosecution had this entire text message thread when they were doing the direct on Cassie but they still allowed her to say that she saw Sean Combs dangling Bana over the balcony.
So they're saying how can you do that?
when she clearly in this text message said she found out she was told about the alleged incident by another unidentified person.
Nevertheless, they allowed her to continue to insist on Cross that she had witnessed this incident with her own two eyes and quote left the jury with the false impression that Ms. Ventura saw Mr. Combs dangle her friend over the balcony and this made her fearful of him When in fact, if there was any incident, Ventura merely heard about it afterwards, considerably lessening any probative value as to her state of mind.
Next, the government doubled down by presenting perjured testimony from Bangalan intended to corroborate Ventura's false testimony.
They're saying the government knew or should have known that Bana was lying on the stand because Mr. Combs was not in Los Angeles on September 26.
That's what they're alleging in this mistrial.
They say accordingly, the court should grant a mistrial based on prosecutorial misconduct.
So we do have a few theories on this.
There were some theories circulating online that perhaps Combs flew back to L .A.
and then flew back to New York and we wouldn't necessarily be that surprised.
Like he does appear to be very dedicated to his motivations.
It's like the man can do.
He wills, but not will what he wills.
Like that kind of thing.
Like he needs to do certain things.
He goes, flies to L .A.
does the balcony, comes back to New York, orders room service.
That was a small theory online, but we looked into the concert that he had in Newark, New Jersey.
It started at 8 p .m., I don't know exactly when it ended, but we do know that the set list was massive, it's about like 50 songs long.
And he had 10 costume changes, so presumably it could not, I mean it could have easily gone into the midnight, maybe one a .m., which to then leave, get on a flight, even a private jet to L .A., that is five hours on a plane, Then to get to Cassie's apartment in LA, then bring Cassie with him to New York City for the event on the 26th Because remember, she was in New York City on the 26th apparently.
The timing doesn't really make sense Which leads us to another practical theory of perhaps the balcony incident took place on the 24th or a few days prior to Bana taking this picture and she just did not remember that or she misremembered that.
So those are the theories we have But we're just gonna have to wait and see regardless of if a mistr - Yes.
Okay, so even in the text message from Cassie back in 20, what?
2016. It was September 30th.
Right, on September 30th, to KK, right.
She said, Hey, I just found out something.
The discrepancy here is she's speaking on the stand saying that she saw it, but instead, the text message saying she didn't see it with her own eyes.
Yes. And I think, I mean, I think the problem is maybe a lot of netizens would perhaps be like it seems feasible that it happened, it seems feasible that after a decade people don't really remember the exact dates but the pictures and you just don't really forget something like that it seems feasible that maybe some small shifts in the story could have occurred but it does seem one could argue online with no impact to the case, one could argue I mean with his track record of things we have seen from him, perhaps it's a feasible thing that he could do, right?
However, I think in court it's a little bit different in the sense of her text message cannot really prove that this happened.
It's hearsay. She doesn't even identify who told her.
So if she had said, oh the little rabbit down the stairs told me then they can subpoena the rabbit and be like, okay rabbit, did you see this happen?
Yeah, yeah, yeah. That makes sense.
So it's just like. Yeah, so it's not even about.
You can't take it as fact.
Yeah, do we believe it happened though.
It's the fact that they have the the chain of..
Yeah. So that is why they're filing for a mistrial.
And regardless of if a mistrial is granted, Bona's cross might be considered one of the larger defense wins.
Which by the way, this is going to probably go up around the time that Father Arun is going to rule on the mistrial.
So I'm going to leave like a pinned comment down below.
But with that being said.
So if the mistrial is approved, We're gonna do this all over again.
That means, yeah, this is done now.
We're just going to wait a while until to do this all over again.
So with that being said, let's get into what a lot of people online have been calling the most important defense win for the entire case.
They say it's not Bana.
They say it is the cross examination of the second victim to testify, Mia.
I don't know if this defense win is what they think it is.
I do want to note something really quick before we get into the rest of it.
Mia's testimony happened before the judge told Combs to stop nodding at the jurors and interacting with them.
A big part of the discourse online has been about jurors' reactions to Mia's testimony, so there will be somewhat of a focus on the observable actions of the jurors during the testimony.
Just because I observe someone doing something physically with my eyeballs, first of all, I feel like eyewitness testimony is crazy.
There's always people saying, ''Humans are not the most reliable.'' Does that mean I'm suddenly a mind reader because I see someone shaking their head?
I don't know what that means.
Just to give you an idea, our researcher had really bad allergies in court one day.
A lot of people in the pews thought she was crying during the testimony of another witness, not Mia, which the testimony was indeed very emotional, but she also did indeed have really bad allergies that caused her to sniffle the whole way through.
So, again, everything can be misinterpreted, everything can have like a different meaning and like a different inference when truly nobody will ever know except the person.
Yeah, so I think you are gonna describe it.
Yeah. And then you gonna tell us how you feel but that's still your feeling.
Yeah, that's just my human experience inside that courtroom but that doesn't really mean anything honestly.
So with that being said, let's get into it.
Mia has been on the stand for a day already at this point and the defense team is trying so hard to get this video admitted into evidence.
It is the happy birthday video.
It's like a 20 second clip of Mia telling Sean Combs happy birthday, which the judge is trying to understand I mean everybody is trying to understand in the gallery.
Why do you need this video to like wait?
What is the point of this video?
She's just telling him happy birthday.
Like what is the value of this video?
Is this the video that's submitted by the public?
Yes, so they the defense team didn't have this video Yes, that's because of social media Okay, so that's where it gets a little bit tricky the defense at some point they were like, yeah, we didn't have this video until yesterday and then at another point, they're like, no, no We had this video but we didn't understand the importance the value of this video until Mia testified So it's kind of a little wishy -washy Alexandra Shapiro states as we indicated It's the defense's belief that the aspect and demeanor of the witness is essentially a false Persona that she's presenting to the jury If you watch
this video, you can see that her demeanor is night and day from what it has been during the direct testimony.
They're saying that this video shows a completely different Mia, which I mean, I would imagine that everyone behaves differently.
Like I think I would behave very differently seeing Happy Birthday to someone versus testifying in court in a federal criminal case, but Mark Agnifilo argues, I believe that the jury may conclude that her affect on the stand is an act.
I think that's possible.
I think the jury might conclude that and this video makes that conclusion clearer.
The judge allows the Happy Birthday video.
And Combs has started to get a little bit more comfortable in the courtroom.
I feel like he used to be a little bit more reserved in his mannerisms in the beginning.
I mean clearly the judge is sick of his interactions with the jury but there are other things.
He started doing this thing whenever he's leaning back in his chair he'll lean forward to grab a post -it.
He'll lunge himself forward right on the post -it on the table And then when he sits back so his back is on the back of the chair again.
He just falls back He just uses gravity as if using his core strength is not even worth the effort He seems rather relaxed for Mia's testimony days.
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When Mia walks in, Kones is again looking straight ahead.
While Christian Combs' son is putting his armor on Janice Combs, his grandma, Mia is walking in dressed in a blazer.
And when she walks in, she does not look at anyone in the pews.
Which, I mean, a lot of the witnesses don't, but this one's like a little different.
She does not look at anyone in the pews at all because she's just staring at the ground.
Like, she's staring at her hands and as she's walking to the witness stand, you can see her playing with her thumbs like she's rubbing her two thumbs together and she walks straight forward. I think the only time she might even glance up just a little bit is to make sure that she doesn't run straight into the lectern.
Her shoulders are so scrunched up, it looks like she's kind of shrugging the entire time and her, on the stand, she has a very particular demeanor.
I think it's one that we haven't seen so far in this trial.
She is constantly looking down she rarely makes eye contact at least for the direct testimony it appears she has like a little puff ball in her hands like the type of puff ball that you might have at the end of a keychain and she's kind of fiddling with it in her lap she barely looks up and when she does look up at the prosecutor it's like a glance and then she quickly looks away so like I was saying a lot of the other witnesses like Cassie she would kind of almost look to the prosecutor for comfort, ease perhaps because I'm sure you know they're a more familiar with each other and she'll smile
and the prosecutor will smile back not me.
Like she will glance up and then she'll quickly look away as if the eye contact is making her very uncomfortable.
She seems skittish.
She also cocks her head a lot from side to side when she responds.
The best way to describe it is it almost appears like she is painting her nails and she's like of tilting her head whilst she's maintaining a conversation with the prosecutor.
Now, obviously, that's not what she's doing.
She's not doing any of that in her lap but that's just giving you a visual.
Her posture on the stand is a little slouched.
It's not crazy hunched over but it feels like she's kind of folding in and she has these face framing curtain bangs.
She just let's it hide her face.
And when she does talk, she speaks very quietly.
The members of the press, I would say like half of our pew at one point, they're all leaning forward just trying to listen.
Every time someone on the squeaky little folding chairs on the side, everybody's holding their breaths.
Like she is that quiet.
And she has this demeanor that she's very flighty.
I don't know how to describe it in a way that doesn't make it seem less serious, but it just feels like she could flee at any moment.
Like her head will flicker at like the slightest movement and word and then she'll very quickly go back to looking downwards when waiting for questions.
She'll glance at the ceiling, she'll glance at the jurors, she'll glance at the prosecutor, and then she'll quickly look down.
She just seems really intimidated, almost kind of reminiscent of a deer in headlights.
And again, I'm not trying to make this analogy so that I can diminish any of the severity of this entire case, but just so you get the visual.
When she starts her testimony, Combs has his head also cocked all the way to the left, and he's just staring at her, and she does not look back like ever.
Mia is a former assistant that worked with Sean Combs from 2009 to 2017.
Mia explains that while working for Combs, she was not only getting overworked, but he was just so violent.
What are some of the violent things that Mr. Combs has done to you?
He's thrown things at me.
He's thrown me against the wall.
He's thrown me into a pool.
He's thrown an ice bucket on my head.
He's slammed my arm into a door.
he has also sexually assaulted me.
Did Mr. Combs sexually assault you on one occasion or more than one occasion?
More than one. Combs shakes his head no ever so slightly.
At one point his elbows are slightly bent and it almost looks like he's gripping the chair.
And this is how Mia's testimony begins.
Mia starts off by explaining that the very first interview that she had to even get this job as the personal assistant, the head of human resources, Vashta, escorts her to Sean Combs's apartment.
He opens the door and he's just like in his underwear Vashta introduces Mia and then leaves Combs eventually does indeed put on clothes and Mia does indeed ends up getting the job and she's just so excited She says I was so excited and just I was so excited so nervous.
But and just really eager and excited I guess to which again he shakes his head.
No, but Mia explains her job duties on the stand She said protect him at all costs his privacy, etc stay attached to his blackberry 24 seven, stay within his eyesight unless he advises otherwise, always while on duty, listening, asking, hearing, prioritizing and translating situations.
She states that she has to make sure everything was good for Combs from the moment that he wakes up until the moment he falls asleep, anticipating his needs, whims, and moods.
She said, every single day was different.
He could ask you to do 17 ,000 things at one time that range from cracking his knuckles.
What? Yeah, like he wants you to crack his knuckles.
To writing his next movie, to doing his taxes.
He can also just have you standing next to him for 22 hours and not ask you for one thing.
Which side note, at this point, Combs is leaning all the way back in his chair.
His left hand is propped up and he's stroking his chin and he looks back at the clock multiple times and like all we can say is, I don't really think you have any other places to be so I don't really know why the time is so important to you.
and all of this would take all of Mia's day.
That's what she's explaining.
She would go five days without sleep sometimes because her job as a personal assistant.
She said it got so bad, she would finally get some sleep because quote, I had like a physical, and I guess like I had like a physical breakdown.
Like I remember just like my hearing went, like it felt like I was underwater and my equilibrium was off and I started like not seeing things but like blurred vision or like lights that weren't there and then out of nowhere like I didn't mean to but I burst into tears hysterical, and like, I couldn't stop crying.
Which again, this sounds reminiscent of the other three former workers, David James, George Kaplan, Capricorn, Clarke, they all testified they were so overworked.
Mia's only getting paid like $50 ,000.
Not sleeping for five days.
Mia says if she does not do her job well, quote, I guess there's various ways of punishment.
It was a lot of just getting cursed out, humiliated, berated, but also my intelligence insulted and my job threatened quite a bit.
Interestingly enough, Combs, at this exact moment, glances at the jurors and it looks like he does a very dramatic sigh.
That's what it looks like.
I mean, it could just be coincidental.
And then he looks back towards the front.
I don't know if he's just got seasonal allergies as well.
That could be entirely true.
Also, whilst Mia is just up there on the stand, Combs is looking over his shoulder and smiling at his three sons who are sitting behind him in the pews.
And it's kind of like a small, thin smile that could be interpreted to me as like a smirk and sure I don't think that there's ever a great time to smile at your kids during the midst of your own criminal trial but I just felt like the timing could have been like a wee bit better.
At a high level he treated me like sometimes he treated me like his best friend, his working partner sometimes he treated me like a worthless piece of crap.
At one point Combs even rolls his neck and cocks his head to the kind of like a very lazy he would humiliate me he would curse at me he would go on like really long extended rants about how incompetent and stupid I was yeah just threaten my job just would he do anything to you physically yeah he's throwing things at me once he threw like a bowl of spaghetti at me turkey meat a phone a computer the bowl of spaghetti incident happens around 3 a .m. Sean combs Mia and a bunch of other people had come back home from like a club appearance.
There's like 40 other people.
He tells Mia to go to IHOP right now, but she starts walking towards the room in his house that she's supposed to stay in.
And why were you going to your room?
Because we had been out since, like, eight in the morning, like go go go and I was next to him and barely got a break and I was on my period and I needed to change my tampon immediately.
But this is pissing off Combs.
He tells her, quote like, Yo girl, I didn't tell you, like, when I told you to go to IHOP, I meant like now.
I didn't tell you you could go to your f***ing room yet.
And I tried to say something and he just, like, it made him more like aggressive and louder and going on sort of a really humiliating rant in front of everyone.
And what did you try to say to him?
Well, after it went on for so long there was there was literally blood dripping down my leg and I finally just said, I just have to change my tampon, I have blood dripping down my leg.
And how did Mr. Combs react to that?
He He immediately, like, hit a bowl of spaghetti in his hand and he immediately, like, threw it at me aggressively and started cursing me out and telling me, like, I better get the fuck out of his house, and started...and then he chased me outside.
Did the bowl hit you?
No. Comb's just like a small shake of his head.
Mia explains another time they were on a movie set and they had just gotten there to the trailer.
The Wi -Fi's not working.
Mia says, so I ran to go find the production assistant and just let them know and see if they're fixing the situation and they were.
She goes back to the trailer.
I was trying to regurgitate, I was trying to tell him what the production assistant had told me that they're working on it but he didn't let me finish.
He cut me off started screaming at me, I shouldn't come back here until I figured out the Wi -Fi myself.
Something about, I don't care if you have to call Bill Gates.
And then chucked the computer at my head.
Did the computer hit you?
No. At this point one of Combs's besties in the pews shakes his head no. It's kind of like a dramatic no that I couldn't really interpret it as anything else it's like this.
And it could be him shaking off an intrusive thought about something completely unrelated or it could be him upset and thinking no this can't be true, that's not the Sean I know.
or it could be like, why are you complaining it didn't even hit you, I don't know which it could be nothing.
He could be talking to himself.
And how did you feel when Mr. Combs threw things at you?
Terrified and so humiliated and so confused, she ends up sobbing a little, and kind of her voice starts breaking down.
Like what did I do so wrong that something is wrong with me that I would make him so upset?
Mia also states that one time he slammed the door on her arm.
She says quote and at first I thought it was an accident, but then he did it multiple times more.
so yeah. And how heavy was the door?
It was like a commercial building so it was pretty heavy.
Yeah at first I thought there's no way this isn't gonna be broken but I just had bruises.
As Mia is telling the story there will be times where she starts looking downwards and her voice just gets smaller and smaller.
She kind of starts trailing off like she's getting lost in her own thoughts or perhaps mumbling a little bit which and my perception could be wrong but at point, Combs looks at Marc Agnifalo.
And the look to me looks like, I can't even hear her.
Like, what is she saying?
What what is she saying?
Mmm. There's a lot of parallels in Mia's testimony that we've been hearing from others like hotel nights.
Mia too testifies that she had to set up hotel rooms and she had to take care of, quote, all these lotions and potions like baby oil, astroglide and condoms and a mixture of cheap and expensive candles.
And when Combs was done with the hotel room, she would have to go and clean it up, and she called it nightmare.
What do you mean when you say a nightmare?
Just they were really destroyed, really messy.
I saw a lot of candle wax everywhere that was just impossible to get out.
There would be lots of wet towels everywhere.
I've seen broken glass, water all over the floor, sometimes blood, oil all over you know furniture and walls and things like that.
You mentioned blood.
What, if anything, did Mr. Combs tell you about the source of the blood?
That it was period blood.
Mia states that she also took drugs a few times with Mr. Combs.
She states that One time they were all at Burning Man, which is like a festival.
Mia says he had put all the black out shades up and like put the disco lights on and pulled out three plates and there was white powder on each plate and it was presented as some sort of game.
He said one was Molly, one was cocaine, and one was ketamine and people were taking turns going up, I guess, playing the game, the guessing game.
She said she tried to nicely tell him no, I don't want any, but quote, his tone started to change, like I was going to mess up the whole vibe and he was monitoring because I And I tried to fake it, I tried to fake snort it, and he got up close to my face and was upset that I tried to, I guess, fake it.
And how did Mr. Combs react to that?
He was humiliating me and then going, he's just gonna separate, basically monitor and separate the amount that I needed to take.
What did you do? I did, but then when I got away from him for a minute, I tried to blow a lot of it out of my nose because I was so scared of the ketamine watching what it did to others.
Mia's asked, when you were working with Mr. Combs and you were around Mr. Combs and Cassie, what, if any, kinds of violence did you yourself see?" Which, side note, Mio was close with Cassie when she was working for Combs, and even to this day, she's close friends with Cassie.
She responds, "'I've seen him attack her, I've seen him throw her on the ground, I've seen him crack, like, her head open.
I've seen him chase her,' things like that." She says one time she heard scraping, just like, thuds, coming from the second floor outside.
She sees she looks outside the window, sees Cassie hiding behind a bush.
Quote, she looked at me with the most terrified look in her eye and was kind of like waving her hands like don't look essentially like she doesn't want anyone to know she's hiding here.
At this point Christian Combs leans to the right so that he seemingly can get an unobstructed view of Mia and it just feels like the entire family is very engaged and absorbed at least in the beginning portion and they are staring right at which makes sense you do want to look at the people who are talking but it it could probably also make things feel a lot more intimidating.
In one part of Mia's testimony she's explaining how they were all in Turks & Caicos once Cassie Kim's screaming into her room saying that Combs is gonna kill her she's screaming for her life they end up fleeing out of the resort running away to which Mia has these very specific memories of.
I just remember we were running like so fast on the beach and I remember being shocked at the fact that we could still be attacked by mosquitoes as we were running.
Which to this story, Komes is shaking his head no and lets out what I feel is an animatedly large sigh.
He rolls his neck back and then he just looks around.
But Mia continues that Komes starts chasing after them after them on the beach. He's running back and forth on the beach. They end up wading into the water on these paddle boards, and then all of a sudden a storm approaches and they start freaking out.
Mia said, I was thinking I was trying to weigh if it was scarier to face mother nature or to go back to puff What did you end up doing?
We eventually went back to puff.
It just took a long time Eventually the direct testimony leads to the more serious allegations of SA Over what period of time did the sexual assaults occur over?
I'm not sure of the years But they were sporadic Mia says Cassie was never there when it happened and Mia never told her about any of it Where were you the first time you remember Mr. Combs essaying you?
At the Plaza Hotel in New York for his 40th birthday.
Mia says it was Combs' 40th birthday.
She's working while he's hosting his party at this massive hotel.
She had just gotten the job a few months ago and now she's running upstairs to the penthouse, running back to the main party in the hotel downstairs.
She says she's supposed to stay with an eyesight and ear shot, so she's presumably very busy that night.
At some point she says Combs is like, let's talk in the kitchen of the penthouse.
He has everybody leave, and she says once they were alone, quote, he was saying that he noticed what a good job I was doing and that I didn't have to be nervous or scared to come to him because at the time I was just going through Malcolm, the other assistant to ask questions, or I wasn't really going directly to Puff.
And he was saying that he had noticed and I was doing a great job and sort of like we're gonna be working closer together so we should, things like that.
And then he poured us shots of vodka to cheers for his birthday.
She says that she just remembers these two shots hitting her really hard, which was confusing to her because, I mean, she wondered, did I not eat enough?
Like what's going on?
Afterwards, quote, he was just talking and I just remember my back.
I was like standing against the wall, I just remember he was talking and all of a sudden his face got closer.
I remember my eyes couldn't focus on his face because it was so close and I didn't really know what was happening.
He put his arm next to my head up against the wall and leaned in to kiss me and put his other hand up the side of my dress.
She did not consent to kissing him and she did not want to kiss him.
She says my next memory is I just remember being on a chair like in the main room in the penthouse and like coming to the chair and the sun was coming up.
She was clothed and she doesn't really know what happened.
As she is sharing this part of the testimony Combs is like full businessman posture.
He's leaned back, his right elbow is on the armrest. He's got his thumb on his cheek and his index finger like curved over his mouth.
She says he was my boss.
He was a very powerful person.
He was to me, like he's younger than my dad, but I looked at him like an older like adult.
He was the boss or the king like very powerful person.
Mia starts putting her hand on her chest at this point, and it looks to me to be a self -soothing action.
I mean, she might have heart burn, but it feels like, sometimes when I get anxious, I rub my chest up and down.
That's what it reminded me of.
I thought it would never happen again.
I thought, oh my gosh, he's so drunk and I will never tell anybody.
It was probably a huge accident and I was sort of like confidentiality and I just kind of, I didn't want, I felt that he would have never remembered that and that it was a huge accident, and I was never going to have...
I was just gonna act like nothing happened.
The more damning part of the testimony, Mia recounts a time where she's staying at the Beverly Grove home, the mansion in LA.
Not this one, that was raided, but a previous one.
The room I was staying in was upstairs, and it had bunk beds, so I was asleep on the bottom bunk bed.
She's not allowed to lock doors though.
Earlier in the testimony she stated, because Puff said like, this is my house, no one locks my doors.
that's so like my room was essentially not really you know.
That was just a place I was staying and it was still his house.
So the door is unlocked she wakes up feeling quote the weight of a person on top of me and during this part of the testimony Combs is like very subtly shaking his head no he's grabbing Post -It's he's furiously writing.
Meanwhile Mia's friends a few of them they're in the road right in front of us a few of them are dabbing their eyes Some of them are just like letting tears fall.
Some of them are staring down Combs' family on the other side of the courtroom, yeah.
Who was on top of you?
Puff. Mia says she just remembers and when she describes the assaults, it's in like almost in slow motion.
I think she has a hard time articulating what's happening.
And so she does ramble a bit.
But she does trail off a bit, and sometimes she just has a hard time even just getting the words out.
And so when she's responding, she will say the next step of the assault.
But it takes a very long time in the courtroom, so it's almost like everybody is sitting there, and we know where this is going, and we can see how hard it's affecting her on the stand to articulate it.
She'll say things like, I remember, I remember it was sort of like him telling you that somehow be quiet and using this just happened so fast. Using like one hand to get, I guess, his hands or whatever off.
So like she'll trail off.
She further states that Sean Combs put his – he assaulted her, but she uses the more step -by -step terms, the more medical terms. How did you react when that happened?
I just froze. I didn't react.
She is very incredible on the stand.
She's breathing like heaving breaths into the mic.
She said that she felt terrified, confused, ashamed, and scared.
She didn't want this and the assault was… It was very quick, but it felt like forever.
How did it end? I don't remember, but I knew that he didn't like leaving the job unfinished.
He wouldn't leave a job unfinished?
Yeah, whenever he was done or satisfied or got what he want.
Basically saying like he's not the type to never leave a job unfinished.
Is that when it would end?
Yes. It's a very devastating moment in the courtroom and at this point it just feels like It feels like the air is heavy Many of the jurors have even paused on taking notes They're just listening to Mia Mia is asked about another incident in combs's closet and she says I wasn't paying attention It was going so fast But the next thing I look up and he was like standing right in front of me in front of my face he had his private parts out and he like grabbed my head and put it in there and And she shakes her head as she's telling what happened, kind of like she's trying not to think about it or visualize it
or shake away the memory.
She's just shaking her head and then she's looking down, she's wiping tears from her face.
A few members of the jury, they do look over at Combs perhaps to see his reaction, perhaps just to get a look in that general area.
So Mr. Combs took his penis out, is that right?
Yes. So that's just an idea of like how graphic the testimony does indeed get.
Mia states she was forced to perform oral actions on him.
How did you react when that happened?
I just froze and I didn't do anything I just let it happen.
It made her feel quote like trash and scared and ashamed and defeated and like an idiot.
Mia other than what we have described so far were there any other times in which Mr. Combs sexually assaulted you?
Yes. Sitting here today, do you remember the details of those assaults?
No. What generally do you remember?
I just remember like a feeling like a specific horrible dark feeling in my stomach that I would get surrounding certain places but I don't remember.
Can you describe an example of a memory you kind of have with that dark feeling?
I remember one time we were flying on a private jet and everybody was asleep.
Our team was asleep and in the back between the main area and the bathroom there was a separate place where there was a bed that he would get to sleep and it was normal if you had to go to the bathroom you just walked through there and it was like yeah everyone was asleep I went to the bathroom and I remember when I opened the door that he was standing right there and basically trying to push me back inside which I don't remember what happened.
Do you remember getting pushed back into the bathroom?
Yeah I remember trying to like kind of squiggle out of there like no no no no no I would always in order to get out of things if I ever could I would make it about other people that could potentially hear or see whatever.
I remember being like no no it didn't work.
I just remember feeling like helpless and like I have lost some layer of protection and just so unsafe and just terrified.
Mia was there ever a time in which you initiated sexual contact with Mr. Combs?
No, no. Were you able to predict when the essays would happen?
Never never. That they were so random, they were sporadic, it would go so oddly spaced out, where I would never think that it would happen again, and the way that our dynamic was, I was constantly there.
Like there were no boundaries, so it wasn't weird for me to be in his room at all hours of the night or waking him up or talking to him while he's on the toilet, and it never happened in situations like that, or like during a party, it just, no. After an assault what was your expectation about whether Mr. Combs would ever engage in sexual contact with you again.
I always thought like that was the last time and the the next time I would, if there ever was a next time, I would somehow be more prepared.
You have now described several times in which he has sexually assaulted you.
Just to be very clear, during any of these incidents did you want to engage in sexual acts with Mr. Combs?
No. Did you actually tell him no?
No, I only tried to squiggle out of them if I could.
But otherwise, no. Why didn't you tell him no?
Because I couldn't tell him no, I couldn't tell him no about a sandwich. I couldn't tell him no about anything.
There was no way I could tell him no because then he would know that I thought what he was doing was wrong.
And then I would be a target.
Combs lightly shakes his head no, then rests his right cheek on his right knuckle, which is not something I see quite frequently.
Meanwhile, the jurors, a lot of their bodies are physically pointed towards Mia at this point.
What were you afraid would happen if you told Mr. Combs no with regard to sex?
That he would fire me and ruin my future somehow twist the story into making me look like a threat?
Why were you afraid of those things?
Because I knew his power and I knew his control over me and I didn't want to lose everything that I worked so hard for, like for this world that that was the only thing that I had anymore.
Mia says that Combs would threaten her with the essay incidents.
He threatened that he was going to tell everybody and he was going to telecast as though I had something to do with it.
As if you had something to do with it?
Yes. How did that make you feel when he threatened to tell everyone.
Desperate and terrified and like the worst, scariest situation, I would've done, like, anything to not have it happen.
Like, it was my fault.
Mia, when Mr. Combs was essaying you, did you tell anyone about it?
No. Why not? I was going to die with this.
I didn't want anyone to know, ever.
She says the first time she told anyone about the essay was within the past year and a half.
Without getting into any discussions that you had with your lawyer, why are you talking about the essays today because I have to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth and also I now have a moral obligation because when you're scared into silence these things continue to happen to others.
Objection! Miss Meuser, again another question.
Do you want to be talking about the essays today, Mia?
Absolutely not. Why not, Mia?
Because it is the most traumatizing, it's the worst thing and the most shameful thing that has ever happened to me.
The first day of direct examination ends around the time of the conversation of the essays, which could potentially be intentional so the jurors can go home and that's the last thing that they remember and they sit with the weight of this testimony all night long until they're back in court again the next day.
Regardless, as the jurors are dismissed for the day, this was kind of strange or at least I perceived it as strange.
Combs jumps up out of his chair before the judge is even fully dismissing them because the judge has says like, don't talk to anyone about the case if you see get on TV, turn it off, don't go on social media, don't look up anything about this case, like he has these jury instructions.
As he's talking, the jurors are still in their seats, Combs like jumps up, and he's standing, and he starts stretching his chest in the air, which was just such an odd series of movements, it was just so odd.
Once the jurors are out of the room, he's the first to sit back down, and everyone in the courtroom is still standing because usually we're all waiting for Father Erwin to be like, please be seated.
So then he glances around, notices everybody's still standing up so then he hops back up and it's just like a really weird series of movements I Don't know if that indicates nervousness.
I don't know because like I think nervousness is not indication of guilt.
It's just Would you not be nervous if you were a defendant does it indicate he's excited for the cross not excited But he's very confident for the cross.
Like I don't know what it indicates Maybe he's very confident for the cross which Brian Steele will be doing the cross examination we were so shocked by that.
Everyone wholeheartedly thought one of the female attorneys would have done the cross -examination but no. Brian Steele and I will say to his credit normally Brian Steele is a very charismatic attorney.
There's really no other way to put it.
Does that mean that everything he says is agreeable or that he makes solid points or that we should like whoever he defends or even like him?
No but there are certain people where the charisma and regardless, it's hard not to feel some of their likability when you spend eight hours looking at them.
So it's another thing if I'm not in the courtroom, I could just be like, oh, well, I wouldn't defend someone like this.
Or you could have all these different opinions about these defense attorneys.
But when you're forced to stare at them for eight hours a week, it's hard to not at least see some of their likability.
Even when he talks to the judge, he's overly formal.
I describes not seeing eye to eye with the prosecutor.
He tells the judge, the honorable prosecutor and I have a disagreement.
I mean, this man is just lays it on thick.
He's also kind of a gramps, which works in his favor.
He calls the VMAs, the VMAs.
During a sidebar, the judge is asking him, you understand the objection, Mr. Steele?
Not 100%, but I'm sure I will, your honor.
Like what does that even mean?
But it's just like when you're in that courtroom And I wonder if it has the same effect on the jurors.
It's very difficult to hate the defense team.
For example, we've run into Xavier Donaldson all the time near the bathrooms, and like, I don't think he's seen our videos because that would be very awkward if he has, but he is very kind, very courteous.
Honestly, charismatic.
Like, he is always smiling, and I will say that some people did have very strong opinions about the defense team after this cross -examination, though.
After Brian Steele?
Yes, because Brian Steele starts his cross by asking because of Sean Combs, you suffer a great deal Yes, and then after confirming Mia's story and trauma through a series of questions such as because that's the trauma that you've carried Since meeting with working with Sean Combs, right?
And he made you you told the jury in front of this honorable court do things that are unthinkable Is that fair to say and that includes?
And sleeping in a room without a lock, right?
Coming into that room and violating you in the most unthinkable manner, true?
And then pretty much immediately afterwards Brian Steele starts admitting a ton of exhibits, mainly social media posts from Mia's personal accounts, one from January 30th, 2013.
It's a picture of Mia with Ciroc bottles and the caption is, what we do when you're not around, at I am Diddy hashtag Ciroc.
Which I think the point of this is just to ease us into the exhibits because the next one is a picture of Cassie and Mia with bracelets.
Then another one from October 2nd, 2013.
It's Mia and Combs at a coffee shop.
The caption reads, Just the number one guy on the Forbes list getting me a vanilla latte.
No big deal. Regular people shit.
At I -am -diddy hashtag Starbucks.
On your personal account you post a picture of Mr. Combs?
Yes. The person who terrorizes you?
Fair. Yes. Then the cross -examination questioning pace picks up the jurors.
A lot of them just look like they're at the US Opens, it's like a tennis match just bouncing back and forth between Brian Steele and Mia.
Look at the next one which is in Evidence 1705.
Now this date is November 4th, 2013 right?
Yes. And November 4th, 2013 is a memorable date in your life.
True? In his life or my life?
I guess both. It's his birthday.
Brian Steele has Mia read what she posted.
Last Naan B. Day shout -out to my mentor at I Am Diddy.
Thank you for always letting me give birth to my dreams. The accompanying picture is of Mia in a hospital gown and Combs is delivering a fake baby from Mia's hospital gown.
It's for a video shoot but Brian Steele asks, and you have here that you posted on your personal account you're a rapist delivering the baby, right?
Which I think the R -word throws her off.
I mean I don't know, I just know that it kind of threw me off.
It came out of nowhere.
A juror looks up through their lashes at Combs whilst taking notes which I guess if I were a juror I would want to see everyone's reactions as well.
Mia kind of starts stuttering.
This was a comedy video shoot, so that I didn't write, and this was...
But the phrasing, could you ask me the question again?
I'm sorry. You chose to post this to your personal account, right?
And it's the image of Mr. Combs being a doctor and delivering a child, your child.
True. The character, yes, it's a funny video that I was proud that Andy Sandberg directed.
so I was proud that I was in a funny video.
A few of the jurors have their eyebrows crinkled together, like kind of like scrunched up faces, almost like they're wincing, but not as dramatically.
It's kind of like, kind of a little bit like this.
And what's interesting is, when you're watching the jurors, you really don't know what they're thinking in the sense of, they could be reacting to Brian Steele's line of questioning and his usage of the R word. They could be wincing at the photograph, the exhibit, They could be wincing at Mia's response to it.
It's just hard to say and maybe each juror has a different reaction for that wince.
But she's asked, and you wrote, thank you for always letting me give birth to my dreams, right?
Yes. Then another social media post. There's like 90 trillion of them in this cross -examination.
One particular photo is of the two of them wearing costumes in what looks like a trailer.
It clearly looks like they're doing something for work.
And Combs is posing whilst kind of holding his private parts through his pants.
I feel like that's a pose that you might see on Instagram from a lot of guys I don't know but like I imagine that would be something and Brian Steele has her read the caption Happy anniversary to your birthday last year since this year you've changed your birthday date on some real Puff Daddy shit Thank you for constantly inspiring me and giving me an extended family for life.
You are forever one of my greatest friends Thank you also for being funny because you're fucking funny, like really really really funny I love you at I am Diddy and And you post this image of you and what I'll call a tutu, is that correct?
Correct. You're next to Mr. Combs, right?
Yes, right. The person who terrorizes you, right?
Yes. And he's holding, it looks like, and please correct me, his private parts in his hands.
If that's what you see, I guess so.
And this is what image you picked out, right Mia?
Yeah. And you put this on your page, right?
Yes. You're friends get to see it who are on social media with you, right?
Yes. Your family gets to see it who are on social media with you, right?
My family? Some of my family, yeah.
And you were proud of Mr. Sean Combs.
That's why you wrote this, right?
No, I wrote this because Instagram was a place to show how great your life was.
Even if it's not true.
And because I had his fans following me as well as his official Didi fan site.
And I also didn't want my family and friends to know the misery I was in so of course you posted great times the highs were highs and the lows were low and he also saw my Instagram.
You chose to write thank you for constantly inspiring me and giving me an extended family for life exclamation point.
You are forever one of my greatest friends that's what you wrote to the man who traumatized you, right?
Yes, and it's just non -stop photos and captions.
Brian Steele asks, in any of these postings so far or any of your Postings do you ever ever say anything that you can bring forth here that mr. combs violated you never You were in fear of Sean Combs every day.
Is that true on The days that he would he was calling me his best friend and treating me like that I wasn't in fear of him you weren't in fear of the man who took your innocence Which like I think some people had some issue with that wording.
Yeah. Oh, I wasn't in fear Yeah, I was in fear any time Puff was not happy, yes, because I wanted to make sure he was, because then I knew I was safe.
Then more social media posts, mainly pictures of Mia posting on Sean Combs' birthday.
And after each exhibit is shown, not each, but very often Brian Steele would ask her something along the lines or some variation of, that's again November 4th, 2015, right?
The anniversary, six years later, of you starting with Mr. Combs, And he supposedly sexually assaulted you god forbid, right?
It wasn't the anniversary of when I started but again, I didn't recognize that date as a celebration Can I ask you a question if I interrupted you go ahead?
No When you say that you did not recognize mr Combs his birthday of november 4th of every year as significant that he supposedly drugged you and sexually assaulted you How did you not put that together?
Because she had said that the assault took place on her his 40th birthday How is that not a significant date in your mind?
Please explain that to the ladies and gentlemen of this jury.
It was Puff's birthday, this is what the date was and I tried to forget that night and shoved it down, I never wanted to think about it again, I know it was Puff's birthday.
Then another post, Bryan Steel has her read out loud.
Puff Daddy, noun, a larger than life cultural phenomenon, known for his world changing legacies and inability to tolerate bitch -assness.
Also C, legend, king, swag, rapper, actor, entrepreneur, cheesecake lover, bad boy for life, my friend, heart emoji, 46 years ago an extra -terrestrial was born.
Happy birthday puff daddy, thank you for showing me the path to Pluto and beyond.
I love you heart heart heart.
When you wrote that on your personal social media account you just put aside the fact that you tell this jury that you have been sexually abused by Mr. Combs.
Absolutely you just put aside the fact that you saw Mr. Combs abused supposedly abused your best friend Miss Ventura?
Yes. You put aside the fact that Mr. Combs made you go sleepless for five days where you got physically ill?
Yes. You put aside the fact that Mr. Combs made you not use the bathroom while on your time of the month where you bled out?
Yes. You put aside the fact that Mr. Combs comes into your bedroom, gets on top of you, and does the unthinkable according to you?
Yes. You put aside the fact that you live in terror because of Mr. Combs?
Yes. And November 2016 the jurors will remember it's the day that you remember as Mr. Combs's birthday nothing else attached right.
Now that you bring it up I remember it but I was always it was Puffs birthday to me and Puff's birthday to you also included you being sexually assaulted right.
It was not. I didn't associate the two until you brought that up today.
Read what you wrote.
So he brings up another post and he's like read what you wrote.
Happy birthday Puff Daddy thank you for the And a birthday dinner and a movie night.
You're the coolest alien rockstar Unicorn Pizza Slice and we fucking love you.
Emojis. Did you feel that way when you were writing this?
Did I feel like happy birthday path?
Thanks for the birthday dinner?
Yeah, I mean, during this post. How about you are the coolest alien rockstar and unicorn and pizza slice and we F -ing love with multiple Vs you with two exclamation points.
I did do a little bit of, I did believe that he was the coolest alien rockstar unicorn is just trying to compliment him in a unique way So the whole time he's arguing here are your social media just praising loving showing all of these things about Diddy Which to me?
He sounds very very Expected that's what I would expect she for her to post for ten years working under Diddy.
I Don't think this means anything whatsoever so he's arguing otherwise like why would you even say that on social media now what does the jurors and and everyone in the courtroom feeling looking at this is he making sense to everyone I have no clue what they're feeling of course I can only see what I can observe with my eyes right it's interesting because a lot of people in the courtroom not the jurors but people from the public the gallery I have seen some of their online posts and I think a of people have sympathy for Mia, but they also think that Brian Steele did what he needed to do in this cross.
And I can see how they feel that way because when I look at the jurors it does kind of, to me, feel like maybe Brian Steele is making some points with them.
Did I feel like I'm sitting there in the pews like, oh he's making so many points?
No. So you're saying some people does agree with his logic?
Again, not in the jurors.
I don't know because I can't like really tell you how the jurors think.
I know that some people in the public agree with his logic.
Some people in the court room, some people in the overflow rooms, they agree with his logic.
They think he ate this cross.
They think this is one of the biggest defense wins, like they needed this win.
But I'm saying like, even thus far, like this whole social media thing, they're like, oh yeah, that's correct.
Why would you ever say that?
Yeah, that is so weird That's but that so far.
I mean, that's what I would expect her to post on social media Especially ten years working under someone like him.
Like what else do you expect her to post?
Yeah, and I also another thing I don't think any of these captions are particularly intimate or emotional It's like you're my greatest inspiration and mentor in life.
It's like you're just throwing out empty words it's not like remember that one time and I feel like you like it's not yeah i'm not understanding the logic here like it doesn't mean anything to me but okay one thing I will say that when you are sitting in that courtroom there is something about stimulation because you are sitting there for eight hours a day and you are listening to people talk and I think this is about oh my goodness It's probably what?
Like 20 hours condensed into this one video.
But when you're sitting there for 20 hours, different witnesses have different cadences, different modes of speaking, different attorneys have either very high paced, very high stakes crosses, or they're like going in circles and you're just like what's happening right now?
And even though you know the subject matter is so tense, it almost becomes monotonous because you're like I don't even know what they're talking about Like, why are they asking about this?
Like, I'm so confused.
Like, you can see a lot of people are falling asleep a lot of the days.
So clearly, something is happening inside that courtroom.
Now, anytime you get visual stimulation exhibits, I think the value of it goes up more.
I think seeing the pictures feels like we're seeing something we shouldn't be seeing.
Even though when you look at it, you're like, there's nothing to see.
But when you see them pop up and they're like, defense exhibit.
You're like, ooh, I'm seeing something, like an expose.
That's almost the feeling, because we're so under simulated, visually – visually speaking.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. So it's really interesting how there is that aspect.
Yeah, I see. And I mean, The Defense does do a good job at just doing like photo dumps.
That's what they're doing here.
They're just dumping photos.
And even during the rereading of the coolest alien rockstar unicorn, I don't know if fits the way that it's read but I did see some people in the room kind of grimace or look kind of like yikes.
And I don't know if it's yikes because they think this caption is damning.
I don't know if it's yikes because it's like oh kind of cringe unicorn coolest alien.
But there is this very fascinating part where Brian Steele has her read the caption to another post. Twenty one stop growing up you're making me feel old.
I love you my little brother so proud of all you've become and you're about to be.
Happy Birthday at Prince JDC.
Tell the jury who Justin is.
Justin is one of Puff's sons.
The jurors see a picture of Justin and Mia, and then a few of them, a lot of them, look over at Justin in the pews as well.
And Justin comes, I don't know if he was prepped, which would make sense, I would be prepped too.
But his body language is facing towards the jurors, which doesn't seem to be a natural sitting position.
And side note, later Brian Steele will do it again, where he will just have Mia list off random people in this massive group photo that nobody knows or not celebrities nobody cares and it's like I don't know who any of these people are and then I feel like I see the point of the photo and there's Mama Combs and it feels like everyone in the courtroom is turning to see Mama Combs Christian Combs, Justin Combs and everyone again it's like what do I know about the evidentiary value of something like this but it just felt like a way for Brian Steele to say to the I've got my family over there.
Got it. That was the vibe because I didn't know what I was getting out of that.
I think the reason that a lot of netizens are talking about the jurors' reactions to me as testimony is mainly because it just felt like a lot of them were having some obvious, observable reactions.
What those reactions actually mean nobody will ever know.
Like I can tell you a juror shook their head at this time of questioning, what do we know that they're shaking their head at?
It could be something unrelated to the case.
It could be at the defendant.
It could be at the witness.
It could be at the attorneys.
It could be at the US Marshalls.
Brian Steele shows another text message thread, December 15, 2019 Sending you and the family love and prayers today with our heart emoji.
Just reaching out to Mr. Combs, right?
Kim's birthday. And then another text from December 31, 2019, then another from May 14, 2020.
Later, Mia explains some context to another message where Mia is telling Combs that she's gonna look for some footage to send him.
She says that Combs made her carry around a little flip camera This is before he hired full -time videographers and she would record a lot of things and he was making a documentary recently So she was gonna send them stuff.
Brian Steele asks her a bunch of questions before asking So my question is do you have any recording of Mr. Combs berating you?
Objection? Overruled No, I would not have been allowed to film that.
I was filming whatever you wanted me to film But did you ever just put on your iPhone recorder to capture Mr. Combs in a moment of rage like you described to the jury?
Absolutely not. Do you have any text message that you sent to a friend or family member of what was going on according to you that Mr. Combs was somehow berating you, being violent to you, humiliating you.
Do you have anything like that?
Objection? Overruled.
I would, like I said before, I never told anybody outside and I never would have, no that would have been a huge break of trust, loyalty, and confidentiality.
But Brian Steele is saying, it's just weird that there's no messages showing her talking about the abuse.
Which she says she would never.
He says, all of these messages are positive, would you agree with me?
Yeah? At this point, Combs turns to Marc Agnifalo, whispers something and then smiles.
Showing almost a loving relationship from you to Mr. Combs, true?
Brian Steele has her read another message -can you read to the jurors what you wrote to Mr. Combs?
Life is fucking insane and supposedly it all happens -just go a little slower.
Okay, thank you. Life is fucking insane and supposedly it all happens for a reason.
in order to elevate us in our human experience, but it's rough.
I've been tapping into spirituality a lot lately and it really makes shit make sense.
I've also been thinking about you so much and feeling your pain and just so you know I love you with all my heart and I'm still here for you forever.
We have so many hilarious ass memories and stories, omggg.
I will send you the videos and even random notes I have in my phone titled like quote funny shit puff said.
Do you have any random notes in your phone talking about being brutalized by Mr. Combs?
Objection, sustained.
Do you have any notes like you did here, like you memorialized here in this text message that Mr. Combs was violent towards you?
I don't know. I don't think so.
I would never have. I don't think so.
I mean Puff used to make me follow him around and write down all the funny stuff he would say that day.
That's why I have stuff like that.
Mia, didn't you have time away from Mr. Combs where you could write a note to yourself.
Today, he sexually assaulted me, God forbid?
No. Objection overruled.
I did not. Did you ask me if I had time away to write that?
Of course, that's my question.
No, I did not and I would not have. There are other mannerisms that a lot of people have pointed out that might have made some people feel less engaged with Mia's testimony.
On one occasion, Brian Steele plays a video for Mia to refresh her recollection.
She wears headphones, we only get to see her watching the video, this is the birthday video, and she kinda has a soft smile.
And then she looks confused, squints, and then she smiles as she's watching it.
Which a lot of people think there's no way that I could be smiling if I was watching myself giving a happy birthday video to my abuser.
Especially in hindsight once I know what he's done.
Okay. I don't, I think the conversation around Mia is multifaceted.
I think there's clearly a conversation about why victims might not be collecting evidence as they're being traumatized I think as well as there's another conversation of why victims might still show affection towards someone that's abused them I mean, there's so much conversation to be had there But there's also conversation to be had on the fact that I think a lot of people are nitpicking me as mannerisms and demeanor In the courtroom, I think it's interesting that because she's quiet and timid for the most of the testimony Then if she shows herself not being timid and quiet, it comes off as
fake yeah I think it just reminds me that society still wants a perfect victim I also think it's a reminder that society likes to group specifically I think a lot of women into different categories so if you're a weak and timid woman you should always be a weak and timid moment if you show strength if you show courage then maybe you were faking being weak and timid yeah maybe you were manipulating people into thinking you were soft so that you could have this moment where you win like it's always like you need to have a very rigorous like this is your personality and this is it like it's a very
strong category that I think a lot of women are put in to I think that's a good conversation to have and it's just interesting that a lot of people only feel sympathy for victims if they are the type of victim that we want to see on the stand now that's not to say I don't think that we should ever just like go on a criminal federal case and say hey whatever they're saying on the understand is the truth.
I think that it's okay to think into the process of, is this a believable story?
Does this make any sense?
Does this make factual sense?
I think that's a good thing to do.
However, just nitpicking on her demeanor is bizarre to me.
One thing I kept tallying and just felt like maybe the jurors were not as engaged with in certain parts of Mia's testimony, it has a lot to do with the word, psychology and therapy.
Sometimes Brian Steele would ask me a question and she would reference psychology or her therapist, which appeared to me visually through my notes, that many multiple of those times a juror or two would physically look away from Mia or would do a downturned frown like one would even smirk.
Again, it could be a coincidence.
It could be something else.
It could be that maybe they don't like this particular method of answering questions.
Brian Steele asks why Mia kept promoting combs on her personal social media accounts.
He asks, well, why would you promote the person who has stolen your happiness and life?
Which I hear someone from the public side go, mm, which I thought was kind of insane.
Mia responds, the, well, those are the only people I was around, so that was my life.
Promoting was part of it, you know?
You had to support the things that Puff supported and it was also very, I'm not a psychiatrist or a psychologist, but was a very confusing like cycling of ups and downs and violence and things that I guess I'll leave up to the experts to go into.
It felt like any time Mia said she's not a psychologist, a lot of people didn't particularly seem engaged or receptive to that response is the feeling I got.
I could also be feeling things that don't make sense.
But in another part of the cross, Brian Steele asks her, how do you have a good moment with Sean Combs when you're terrified of him?
Because it's easy because the dynamics would shift. So when things were good, you felt really safe and you forgot you almost forgot about those things how do you forget about being woken up with a man on top of you getting his way with you because it's too horrible to think about so you don't and you don't have time to either and you just want it to go away you were in constant fear right constant fear I said when he was abusive I was in horrific fear I was in fear of being in trouble I was in fear of upsetting him I was in fear of any moments that were not the best friend good moments how are you
best friends with a person who has treated you the way that you said to the jury.
I mean, I guess we can ask my therapist. It was a very psychological, he was vulnerable with me quite a bit, so I feel responsible for helping him.
And then I would feel bad for him and then, I don't know.
I mean, I can describe it, but I'm not a psychiatrist or a therapist, I don't think I'm allowed to.
Now, I will give some context, previously in the direct testimony, Mia says that she hasn't been able to work because of quote, I suffer from complex, like severe PTSD.
Okay, this is my theory as well.
I don't know, maybe this is like a conspiracy I have. It appears that money and lifestyle have a strong impact on the jurors.
It seems like even when Mia stated that she can't work because of complex, severe PTSD, but then when you kind of see how she is dressed, it's more of like the LA Hollywood, and then you see how the jurors are dressed and then you kind of see like small like like pursed lips when she states things like this.
I can't tell if they feel bad for her or if it's kind of like they feel like it's a cop -out.
Not saying that it is, but I do think it's like a very complex socioeconomic...
I mean like even just looking at social media, you see these sentiments are like yeah oh you chose this for the money for example right?
Yes. So the jury pools could be a reflection of the world, right?
There's bound to be a percentage of people feel a certain way about money and suing or working with Didi and this and that.
So it does make a lot of sense, totally, right?
And I think it also plays into how society still wants the perfect victim.
So if she's not working, I think society wants a perfect victim who is not put together at all, who does not look well tailored in their attire to court.
I don't know. that was just like a speculation I had that has nothing to do with anyone's innocence or guilt, just like a pure food for thought.
But she said that she suffers from complex severe PTSD.
And Brian Steele objects, and there's a brief sidebar where Steele argues that's a diagnosis from a doctor.
We are not examining the doctor at all.
I would like it to not be coming through this witness.
I have no idea if she has PTSD or not.
This is a diagnosis from a doctor.
I don't know if it's truthful or not or if it's being used for the truth of the matter to which the judge does tell the prosecutor, Ms. Miser, I think you can avoid the objection by making sure that the witness understands to not be referring to any diagnosis just based on her feelings and experience why she is unable to have a job.
You can ask it that way.
So maybe that's why she keeps saying I'm not a therapist, I'm not a doctor.
Like maybe the prosecutors told her in her direct because she can talk to the prosecutors while it's direct.
Once the cross starts, she cannot talk to the prosecutors.
So maybe they told her in the direct, like, hey, maybe when we ask you these questions, don't put diagnosis on it and maybe that's why in the cross she kept saying I'm not a therapist, I'm not a psychiatrist I don't know I'm just speculating but it was very frequent and I don't think a lot of people received it well it kind of gave like cop -out answer vibes but I can see maybe why So like every time they ask something like a little bit like challenging she just goes okay but I don't know I'm not a doctor Certain times but there's other times where I think she explains it in a way that makes Yeah,
so maybe it's like she was told not to say.
I don't know. I see.
Now, later Mia explains that she can't work because quote, I would have to leave because I would be triggered by really normal situations with an overwhelming sense of fear, being in trouble, like overreacting to normal just overwhelmed me.
So she said misinterpreting simple emails or if someone said, where are you like freaking out and thinking and trying to explain where I was and why I was there, and it could be someone I just wanted to see if they wanted to get coffee, if someone called my name, if someone said my name from across the room, all those feelings of getting in trouble would come flooding back.
I just triple guess myself in everything I did.
Then later in the direct, Brian Steele asks about why she wrote such sweet things to him, when quote, the man who you say has ruined your life.
This is what you write to him?
At the time, as low as he would make me, he would also make me feel the opposite as well.
Again, I can tell you what my therapist said, but I'm not a professional to explain that.
How is it possible that you are even around Mr. Combs after the way you say he treats you and your best friend and your other loved ones?
It's called like psychological abuse.
Again, it wasn't horrible all the time.
If it was, it would have been easy getting punished after reacting to his violence where then I'm confused and begging for to make it all better so that I could ignore what happened like nobody around no one around us ever reacted.
Everyone acted like it was normal.
Adults that I thought were authority figures in the office say all upheld his behavior and punishment towards me.
I didn't have like, yeah, it was a fun recipe.
At this point, we noted that Combs appeared to have rested his right cheek into his right index finger leaning on the side of the chair.
Meanwhile, Brian Steele is just gearing up, he's locked in, he has his arms crossed.
What could be more horrible than how you described this supposed conduct that you endured at the hands of Mr. Combs?
objection, it's argumentative.
How did you find any goodness with mr. Combs after what you described to the ladies and gentlemen of this jury?
easily because no one in my life had ever said the mean things that he had said to me no one in my life had treated me like that and the second that it went back to good I was elated I was searching for that sort of approval because I was confused what I had done wrong again I'm not a psych major I I didn't know what was happening It's very but I think there's a lot of textbooks out there that will explain it very easily.
It's an abusive relationship the cycle of violence But you're not dating mr. Combs A relationship doesn't mean it has to be romantic a relationship could it means anything ma 'am?
Why do you blame yourself when you're trying to use a bathroom on an airplane and mr Combs comes and confronts you and you say no no no no no and then don't have a memory.
What did you do wrong?
So because she was saying that she kept blaming herself for the essays.
And I think the question was, at least the feeling that a lot of us had was, I'm sure every essay victim could explain why they felt like they were in the wrong.
Like that is pretty much a pillar of essay trauma.
Which she states, again, I think that could be explained with any sexual assault victim and the shame that they carry.
I'm not sure in hindsight everything but when you're in it, I don't know how to explain it.
I was young and manipulated and just eager to survive.
Again, I'm unraveling a lot of this now in therapy.
Nobody told me. Nobody was there to say these things were happening, were wrong.
There were no streaming documentaries.
There was nobody standing up.
There was nobody around us, ever, even flinched at his behavior.
So I don't know how to explain that.
I was always in trouble, and I was just trying to find ways not to be in trouble.
Then, things were great.
Things were so great because, so if I'm just looking objectively at the situation that I have no involvement with, of course.
but when you're my logic brain and my trauma brain and my trauma brain wins all the time and okay the feeling that I get is that I feel like she really is just unpacking it recently in therapy like the words and how she describes it it's like it still sounds like she's trying to understand and these sounds like these sound to me like things perhaps maybe her therapist is telling her to try and get her to understand yeah but it feels like she hasn't fully grasped it it it doesn't feel like she's fully, maybe emotionally absorbed a lot of it to be able to sit there and confidently tell people like,
okay, so this is what I know it to be.
Instead, it's just like, I don't even really know how to feel about it, but like my therapist is telling me this is normal.
And so, I'm just trying to tell you what my therapist is telling me.
That's the feeling I get.
She's saying my trauma brain wins all the time.
Everybody, I mean, eventually it becomes normalized and you're just trying to get back to the good.
I mean, you make excuses for people.
I'm a people pleaser.
I'm an empath. I'm a rule follower.
I just wanted to do my best and make everybody happy all the time.
So I tend to take a lot more than normal people.
I don't know how to explain that.
I don't know if I should apologize for that.
I forgive people all the time for things like that.
Very soon after this line of questioning there is a brief sidebar where we noted Combs turns around and appears to make eye contact with Justin Combs' son and they're both nodding at each other.
Brian still gets back to the lectern and gets back to the line of questioning.
Mia, you're not a weak person, are you?
I'm not sure, it depends.
In another part she's asked about reading text messages where she says, again it's a pretty long psychological explanation.
She goes on to explain the context of the message, but I think those statements I could see hypothetically why some people might speculate of it rubbing the drawers the wrong way.
because I think just sporadically and maybe the delivery in which she said you can again you can ask my therapist I guess it could come off yeah that she is not trying to answer the question and just throughout the days of Mia's testimony I personally felt and again I don't know any of these jurors I don't know what they're thinking I'm not a mind reader but it just appeared to me visually that a lot of the jurors were becoming less and less engaged as the testimony went on.
Even during the cross, one of the jurors in the front was picking up their nails.
Do I know what they're thinking?
Maybe that's how they focus is to fidget with their nails, but the body language to me I observed was not engaged and not really resonating with Mia's testimony, even compared to the other testimonies we've had thus far.
There would be moments throughout Mia's testimony where a juror is smirking.
I everybody knows who this juror is, because in the hallways people would talk about like, Oh this jury was smirking and everyone's like, oh, I know exactly which jury you're talking about Others are staring at their nails here and there others are glancing around the room a bit more It feels which mind you the witness it's really close to the jurors and this is why I think maybe they're less engaged or less Resonating with me as testimony.
The witness is close to the jurors than we are Can you explain like how far they are because well, you told me it's like crazy close Um, like how you're sitting you're sitting like what two feet from me?
Okay, let's say we're six feet apart And that's really freaking close, I can see everything on your face So it's the judge, it's the witness and then the jurors They're really close, I think they're honestly closer than we might be It's a pretty cramped space, I haven't been able to walk up there obviously So I can't tell you exactly, but from my perspective, it looks very close It looks like, they see her whole face, they see everything They can see every minute facial expression And so a few times during sidebars, the jurors are just kind of leaning over and chit -chatting the energy feels so light
during sidebars, and this is the sidebars during Mia's cross -examination are intense.
Brian Steele keeps asking questions that get sustained and there are very intense questions of like, this is the man who terrorized you.
Why are you, like they're very, some call it aggressive.
So these are high, tense moments.
Sidebar happens, white noise comes on, and the jurors are kind of chit chatting.
Some of them, okay, there's like a few that are chit chatting not a lot some of them are just kind of sitting like they seem very the demeanor comes off casual hmm I don't know what that means while Mia sitting like right there a couple feet away yes do I know what they're thinking no I'm just thinking if I were in the jersey and someone's story is resonating with me and they're telling me some of the most traumatic things in their lives I don't know if during a break I would just be like smiling at the person next to me, whilst she's sitting right there.
One of the researchers wrote during a sidebar, a few of the jurors seem to be chatting, giggling, yawning, and, at one point, one of the jurors even uses their notebook to cover their mouth from the pews to talk to the other juror, which I thought was weird. Then on the other side of the courtroom, a few others don't look as engaged as well, which, again, what do I know?
But at points Combs is glancing at the jurors other times.
He looks like he's dozing off My researcher and I were passing notes and this is speculation Sean Combs statue because he might be dead asleep question mark question mark At one point even starts rubbing his eyes mid testimony with his thumb and his index finger like very vigorously His son Justin is in the back.
He looks like he's in REM sleep at one point It appears that his grandmother looks at him and gives him a look because he looks like he's dozing off Christian King Combes, he's not dozing off, but he looks like he's fighting every inner demon to not fall asleep.
But it looks like all of his brain power is to stay awake.
Sometimes Combes would just scratch his head like a bored kid in class.
This is diddy. Or he will be very still.
My researcher writes, Combes is sitting there like a 14th century royal king getting his royal portrait painting.
Just so still, not moving.
There was another time though, where Combes turns around, and it appeared that one of his family friends is just fully asleep.
And I don't know if he was doing this towards the family friend or whoever.
This is just the motion that I saw.
He looks back at the pews at his family and friends and then he very dramatically forehead palms and then turns back to the front.
And then later the family friend wakes up or appears to be more awake than before.
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I'm just going to be transparent.
Some of the jurors also looked tired.
Some of them looked, in my opinion, again these are just opinions, I don't know if they're tired, they looked slightly annoyed.
Let me tell you, there would be times when Mia would respond to a question and would say a very specific phrase and a few jurors looked like they wanted to roll their eyes.
just one specific juror.
Kind of, just like, a lot of them would, okay, like one of them, would side -eye and look away every time Mia would say it, just like.
Wow. And their lips would kinda press.
Some people would, some of the jurors, well, one juror in particular would be taking notes and anytime she said this phrase, their lips would kinda press and their neck would go back a little, and like, mm.
I don't know what that means.
I guess it could be anything, right?
Mia starts off the testimony, when asked about what it's like working for Combs.
And she says it was chaotic.
It could be toxic. It could be exciting.
The highs were really high and the lows were really low.
Then not too long after she says about Cassie's relationship with Combs, it was a cycle of highs and lows.
Then later she's asked again by the prosecutor, you testified about how the highs were really high and the lows are really low when you worked for Mr. Combs.
Is that right? Yes.
And at the end of the day yesterday, you spoke about different times in which Mr. Cohn sexually assaulted you is that right?
Yes. Were those times some of the lowest lows?
They were the lowest lows yes.
And like I think at this point it's not that repetitive but then it just becomes more and more and like this phrase just ends up coming up.
I don't even think it came up that many times but I think it's so distinct and specific that every time it did come up it felt like at least one or two jurors had some sort of observable reaction of like a crinkle in their brow or like one always did the neck back and like small pursing of lips like I think the defense caught on and perhaps Because she frequently used this or maybe they caught on that maybe some of their guesses also or that jurors don't like it Based off their body language cues, but during the cross brian steel even asks mia And you're telling the jury you use the term the highs
were highs the lows were lows.
Do you remember saying that multiple times The highs were super high and the lows were super low, correct.
Similar reactions. But my question I would like you to answer, if you don't mind, is how could any high cover up the lows that you talked about being threatened with your life?
Objection, that's overruled.
One of the jurors adjusts forward in their seat to listen to Mia's response.
Oh, because I felt safe and I felt like everything was great again.
When you were with your family or friends outside of Mr. Combs's presence and outside of your work environment, why wasn't that time to explain the horror that you're describing to the jury?
Like, why aren't you telling them?
Because it's way more complex than that.
Again, the highs were super high, the lows were super low.
The dynamic shifted all the time.
I mean, there's so many reasons.
In reference to another picture she posted where Muhammad Ali had passed away, Brian still asks her, this is the type of things that you were doing at times in your job, true?
The highs were high and the lows were low.
Yeah. Then another one, November 4, 2014.
And this is also Mr. Combs' 45th birthday.
Does that sound right?
I guess so, yes. And tell the jurors what you wrote.
Happy birthday Puff Daddy, I was very close to posting an open mouth sleeping pic to return the favor of my birthday post, but you signed my paychecks.
Thank you for being the good kind of crazy and continuing to inspire me everyday and thank you for all the quote unquote people write books about this shit moments, I know there are many more to come and thank you for being a friend and bringing friends into my life that I can call a family forever.
I love you at I Am Diddy with all of my heart.
Welcome to the seventh element.
hashtag happy birthday Puff Daddy, hashtag can't stop one stop, hashtag broke people's sleep, hashtag happy birthday Diddy, hashtag I'm so hot I'm throwing panties at myself, hashtag revolt, hashtag Puff Daddy.
It's sean combs and you are sean combs himself in the pictures, right?
Because it's like a collage of pictures.
Correct? And you had Mr. Combs shirtless in two of the pictures.
true? yes he's always shirtless.
next to you in for the pictures right?
of course and at this point you have taken in so much trauma from him.
that's what you told the jurors right?
I've taken in so much trauma from him?
sure yes I have but again it was when the highs were high and the lows were low you just fought so hard to stay in like the highs.
Brian Steele argues, you remember telling them that the sexual assault occurred so often more times than you can count.
I I don't remember phrasing it that way.
I remember saying that there were more, I don't remember all the times I did, but I don't remember how many.
Well, by this time on November 4th of 2014, it is five years, and you've been sexually assaulted multiple times, right?
I don't know, but I'm guessing so, yeah.
And this stays with you to this day.
This has ruined you, right?
What has ruined this part?
Your testimony, if I'm correct and correct me, is that Sean Combs' conduct towards you, sexual abuse towards you has made you broken right?
Sexual abuse was part of the ways that he ruined me?
Yes, there were many other ways as well.
Well in addition there are other ways.
But in 1718 on the fifth anniversary of the initial sexual abuse you are saying to Sean Combs on your social media account for everyone to see.
Thank you for being the good kinda crazy and continuing to inspire me everyday, right?
Of course, because I want my friends and everyone else to think I want to highlight the highs.
I don't think people wrote bad stuff about their life on Instagram back then.
Then later, she rephrases it, saying that on social media, she never posted the bad stuff.
Quote, so these are all the high points.
You know, back then, you at least didn't post the low points.
She's later shown a scrapbook that she put together for one of Combs' birthdays with all the archival articles about him.
And there's a few notable moments where it felt like a few jurors had the same thin -lipped press, like, when taking notes during Mia's response, and it's when Brian Steele shows her the scrapbook she made and asks her.
And this is something that you did.
Yeah, so nice of me.
One more time? Yes, I was very, uh, mm, mm hmm.
I'm sorry, I heard you say it's very, and then I couldn't hear you.
Sorry, yes, I did. I was saying, it was so nice of me, but I didn't mean to say that.
And I saw like a thin -lipped press.
Then he shows a handwritten card from Mia De Combes for his birthday.
And I guess arguing that she wasn't just posting about it on social media as part of her job.
This would be 45th birthday.
So this woulda been November 4th, 2014th.
Is that fair to say?
Yes. If you can go slow and read that to the jury, what you wrote to Mr. Combs, Puff, sometimes life goes by, I'm going to interrupt you and I apologize.
Can you read it slower?
Sure. Sometimes life goes by at catastrophic speeds where you never get to live.
I think, I don't know why.
It just looked like...
It just looked like some people in the courtroom had very distinct facial expressions to this.
Like, I guess it goes to the...
maybe she had a more timid demeanor and it sounded maybe a little more like passive -aggressive?
Almost. Mm. But I don't know if that has anything to do discredit her story.
Yeah. Because it's just like so if you're timid you can't ever get mad because like Brian Steele was going in on her for two days.
Yeah. And asking, I mean, some people thought a lot of out -of -pocket questions and so she can't even have a moment where she's like, okay, you know what?
I'm gonna be passive aggressive.
So it's, I don't know.
I mean, a lot of people are interpreting it differently.
Yeah. Another time she's asked about this very lengthy birthday card that she writes him where it's talking about how much he loves him and Mia says that it was prior to all of this he had come to her and said that he feels jaded with life.
He's already kind of done everything and she just felt he, she just thought it was a depressing conversation.
So she wanted to make him this birthday gift, scrapbook and write a beautiful birthday card to make him feel better because he felt like he was in a vulnerable place and she wanted to help and she says quote that it's just my empathic nature and previously when she said empath someone behind me kind of sighed i don't know if it's like a society thing i feel like we have an adverse reaction to the word empath like when people call themselves empaths i feel like people don't like that really yeah because i don't they're usually not empaths has been the sentiment online, when you have to keep telling
people, I'm an empath, I'm an empath.
So I don't know if it's that, but it just felt like every time she said, it's my empathic nature or I'm an empath, one juror had again, the thin lipped press while taking notes of like, yeah, got it.
That's a very loving card, would you agree with that?
Yes, I'm a very loving person.
To the person who is sexually abused you?
Yes. Much of Brian Steele's cross -examination is on the fact that Mia does not have proof for the jurors about the abuse that she suffered at the hands of Sean Combs.
Now that's his point, something very, very important to note, the witness has no burden to bring forth evidence of what they're testifying to.
That is not their responsibility or burden in a criminal trial.
The burden of proof solely lies on the government.
It is not Mia's responsibility to show proof that these things happened.
So technically, the defense constantly asking her for proof in some way, shape, or form is, according to prosecutor Smizer, quote, totally improper in front of the jury to be suggesting that the witness in this instance should be bringing forth evidence to support her claims. The judge agrees, however Brian Steele can question her on if she has proof.
He can't ask her to bring it to the court and prove it, but he can just be like, hey, do you have something in your possession?
You do have something in your possession?
Okay, great. Like, that's I think what is being implied.
Brian Steele continues his line of questioning, asking about the running away, debating of mother nature or Sean Combs is scary or that incident when they're on the paddle boards?
Remember Cassie and Mia in Turks and Caicos?
Yeah, in Turks. Are you aware of any texts message or email or other recording that that incident happened?
I don't think so. Any photographs?
No, we were on paddle boards.
Mia was that just made up by you?
No. How is it that all of these events have no photographs or text message or email from you, can you explain that please?
Objection? Sustained.
In one text message from 2020 Combs text me up.
Glad you're well love, please send me all the footage cause we're working on our doc and know that I only remember the good times.
Love you, want you to know that.
Yes. Now, did you respond to him?
You know it's 2020, the Me Too movement has been strong for approximately two and a half years and you should remember what you did to me?
You didn't say that?
Objection. Mr. Seal can you rephrase the question?
when Mr. Combs wrote to you, I only remember the good times.
Why didn't you respond, well I only remember the bad times?
Sorry, why didn't I say that?
Because I would've never responded that way.
Because it's not true.
Is that true, Mia? Wait, what?
That's Brian? Yeah.
He's like whispering?
Like because none of this is true.
Huh. Is that true, Mia?
objection, over -world.
I'm sorry, what was the question?
Your testimony and statements that it was, you were the victim at the hands of Mr. Combs' brutality and sexual assaults is not true, is it?
I've never lied in this courtroom and I never will lie in this courtroom, everything I've said is true.
So can you read what you wrote to Mr. Combs in response to his writing to you?
Send me all the footage and we're working on our documentary, I Only Remember the Good Times, Love You, want you to know that.
Love you too And the only things I remember are the good times that can you just go slower.
Oh, sorry Love you, too And the only things to remember are the good times and those are the only memories I have haha Like fucking hysterical ones i'll send you everything i've got I remember even before you had videographers with us I carried around the little Ayvid thing I found those too completely forgot about them so many magical hilarious things like drinking 1942 on the parrot k beach and champagne under the eiffel tower at 4am in the dark and singing with jimmy at Interscope and mcjagger trying to take me home But I ran away in Ibiza caves where I got a seven inch scar in Hawaii 5 .0 when you
punched that dick fuck for talking shit to me and launching revolt and that random underground baccarat game where J Lo wouldn't pay out and I stayed only and you won 650 grand and that little prick ran away from me and Lio grabbed my pink bedazzled blackberry and you said that, that Titanic motherfucker doesn't know shit he won 10K I won 650K.
Side note, Bryan Steele starts shaking his head As she's reading like Like a dad that is very disappointed Haha, gosh, there are trillions of stories that are amazing.
Of course. I'll send it to you and also what documentary without me I will say I reflect back and I know I did really fucking great with can't stop won't stop I was just bamboozled By Heather because I didn't realize how shitty people could be and I believed everyone was good But you taught me so much and I appreciate that when you said in this message to Mr. Combs.
It's in the fifth line up from the bottom starting at the center.
I was bamboozled by Heather because I didn't know, I didn't realize how S -H -I -T -T -Y people could be.
Yeah, Bryan Steele doesn't curse in court.
And I believed everyone was good, you see that?
Yes. You're kidding, so he doesn't, like when he, he just spelled it out?
Yeah, yeah. Always?
Always. Any curse words?
Yeah, the only one - That is fascinating.
is Raspberry Heir, Jason Driscoll.
Yeah, he recently was talking to the judge in open court and he was reading a message and he just said fucking, and everybody was staring at him because I don't think they were expecting that.
So usually they just skip over the curse word?
It really depends on the attorney.
Oh. Some people will just say it because it's in there.
That is so interesting, like because they're talking about some of the most crazy vulgar - Yeah.
Yeah. Like, like, yeah.
Well, I don't know if vulgar is the right word, but I see what you mean.
Yes, yes. Like some, some, you know.
Like some of the more - Not vulgar.
Dark things of humanity.
And then it's like, oh, but we can't curse.
It is interesting. Huh?
Why didn't you say and Mr. Combs, you bamboozled me as well, because I was still brainwashed.
Who brainwashed you Mia?
Puff? How did he brainwash you into thinking that it's okay to be woken up from your slumber with a man's private part being inserted into your person without permission.
Objection sustained.
How did he bamboozle you to believe it was okay when you were orienting different items in a closet?
Objection your honor, that's sustained.
How did he be - why didn't you write how he was one of the people that caused you to believe that not everyone was good?
Because I was brainwashed?
That's your And my answer, objection, sustained.
What does brainwash mean?
Objection, that's overruled.
Brainwashed meant I was in an environment where the highs were really high and the lows were really low.
Which created a huge confusion in me trusting my instincts.
I was punished whenever Puff would be violent or I would react, therefore again confusing me and making me believe I had done something wrong.
I mean again, I just, I was constantly seeking his approval, he was my authority figure.
the only authority figure.
One juror at this point seemingly still not really paying attention, I mean they could be, I don't wanna say that they're not, but just, they're like hardcore looking at their nails.
Maybe that's how they focus.
In the direct though, Mia says that she never went to the police because quote, "'I believed Puff's authority was above the police.'" She also states, this was also a time period, this is years and years before social media, Me Too, or any sort of example where someone had stood up successfully to someone in power such as him, also like I was taught to believe that this all fell under the confidentiality or loyalty of Puff's business.
Well, now in the cross, Bryan Steel is asking, you told the jurors yesterday that part of the reason that you never said anything about the essay, you remember, you gave several reasons.
Yes, you explained that the Me Too movement, it was way before that.
You stated that social media wasn't kicked in, right?
Not in the capacity is now.
They're like, there was no TikTok, there was nobody talking about sexual abuse.
There was no, at this time, Instagram was all about highlighting the highs of your life, not the lows of your life, and just showing people the great times that you were having, that's what I meant.
Social media is not like it is today.
Well, by 2017, the Me Too movement was viral.
Not until about a few months after the initial person was brought to the forefront of the Me Too movement was months after I left. That was October 15th of 2017.
Does that sound correct?
Correct. That's when the Me Too movement went viral, right?
I don't know when the movement went viral, but I know the catalyst for it was somewhere around that time.
Then he brings about her messages to Sean Combs.
Brian Steele says, you were aware of the Me Too movement for years by August 29th, 2020, right?
One that he was not affected by?
Correct. Well, what does that mean?
He was not affected by it.
By August 29th of 2020, you were already aware for years of the Me Too movement, right?
Correct. And you told the ladies and gentlemen of the jury one of the reasons you did not outcry earlier was because there was no Me Too movement around when you worked for Mr. Combs, right?
I was saying back then there was no Me Too movement, that there was no social media, there was no mental health awareness, sorry, social media as though it is today.
Every adult that I've reached out to within the organization or the people that witnessed what happened to me, nobody acted like what was happening to me was wrong.
And threats about that he was gonna tell Cassie about what happened made me internalize blame and shame.
So your testimony before this story is that Mr. Combs told you, threatened you, is your word, that hey, I have a mind to tell Miss Ventura that I sexually assaulted you.
Objection, overruled.
That was not his wording, he threatened to tell Cassie everything.
I can't hear you. The words you used were not the words he used, he threatened to tell Cassie everything which made me feel like I had done something wrong.
I don't know how to explain what that does to a person.
Are you finished? Yes.
Why didn't you respond by saying, great, let's tell everyone what happened that you violated me?
Objection, sustained.
Why didn't you respond by saying, Absolutely, tell Miss Ventura and everyone else.
That would be great.
Objection, sustained.
Let's move on. By 2020, August 29th, you knew, according to you, what you said earlier on direct examination that you have a moral obligation to speak up.
Do you remember saying that to the jury?
Objection, that's overruled.
I now have a moral obligation, yes.
Why didn't this moral obligation happen in 2017?
You said, why did it?
Why didn't it? Why didn't it?
Yes, why didn't you have the moral obligation to say this is my experience with Mr. Combs?
Because I was terrified and I was brainwashed.
Why in 2018 didn't you have the moral obligation to come forward and make these allegations against Mr. Combs that he has sexually abused you?
Objection! It's overruled.
The same reason? Why in 2019?
Same question. That's sustained, next question.
When did the moral obligation come to your mind that you need to say this information that you're putting forth that Mr. Combs violated you in a sexual manner and other ways?
When I started witnessing him being held accountable for his actions and being told what happened to me was wrong, when it began, I guess when it all came out in the media and he was being held responsible.
That's when you said, Me too.
No. That's not the first moment I did.
It's been a long process again.
I'm still untangling things.
I'm in therapy. There's a lot of support I've been given that I didn't have or know what to do with before.
Then Brian Steele brings up another text message where Mia, I guess, Sean Combs was visiting Mia's hometown, but she was leaving because her grandma was in hospice care so she wasn't going to see him, and she sends a very lengthy message of like, you're doing great things, miss you, disappointed I can't see you.
And you were disappointed that you won't be able to see him in person, right?
Well that's what I'm saying, but yes.
Well, isn't it true?
No. Why isn't that true?
Because I did not want to, I was just saying that.
I can't hear you, I did not want to, I was just saying that.
Mia, yes? Who made you write this text message to Mr. Combs?
What? Objection, it's overruled.
Nobody. Why would you lie in this text message that I wanted to see you but you really didn't wanna see Mr. Combs because I didn't want to see, I don't know, it provided me with like, safety, I guess.
I didn't wanna let him know.
I'd never said something direct and mean to him before in my life, I wasn't gonna start.
Why write this at all if you didn't wanna see Mr. Combs?
Because he was gonna be in my hometown, which, again, doesn't get that sort of, I believe that I would've almost been like expected to be there, that's all.
When did Mr. Combs ever expect you to be anywhere after you left his employment in March of 2017?
Objection, that's sustained.
Would you agree to me that all of these messages that the jurors have heard, that you have authored, everything is positive and loving from you to Mr. Combs?
Would you agree with that?
Yes, of course. You just keep on this communication with this man who you are terrorized, excuse my language.
Objection. Why don't we get a fresh question?
Brian Steele brings up another text message.
It's dated November 4th, 2023.
He asks her to read it out loud.
It says, Happy birth, yay, puff daddy, with a black heart emoji.
However, Mia does, she states she does not recall sending this message, but Brian Steele is doubling down stating, Just a few days later, November of 2023, Cassie Ventura's lawsuit is public.
And do you remember in the lawsuit that Ms. Ventura alleged sexual abuse at the hands of Mr. Combs?
Yes. And by the 16th day of November of 2023, you were aware of the MeToo movement.
True? True. And by November 16, 2023, social media had billions of users.
True? True. And by November 16, you were no longer working with Mr. Combs in any type of everyday or even casual relationship where you would see him.
True? Correct. And there is strength in numbers for people who have been truly victimized with sexual assault.
Objection, sustained.
Did you tell your sister, Miss Ventura, like best friend's sister, after reading the lawsuit and her claims of sexual assault?
Me too? That's sustained?
You've got to rephrase the question.
Did you call Miss Ventura after reading her allegations against Mr. Combs of being sexually abused?
Are you done? Are you just asking me?
Did I call her after her article?
Correct. Did I call her?
Or communicate with her?
Yes. She called me afterwards.
Did you advise Miss Ventura in November of 2023 that you allege Mr. Combs has supposedly done to you?
Did I tell her then?
That's my question.
Absolutely not. Why?
Just because you find something doesn't mean you just immediately snap out of it.
I was still deeply ashamed and I wanted to die with this.
I'd never wanted to tell anybody ever.
December, 2023. Did you learn that the United States attorney's office and federal agents were looking into an investigation concerning Mr. Combs, which included sexual assault?
I'm not sure when I learned about the investigation, but I did learn about the investigation.
Until you get a lawyer in 2024, You never ever claimed to anyone that Mr. Combs was sexually violent to you.
Is that true? Unless it was to my privilege therapist you're correct.
When you say privilege therapist could you waive that privilege?
The judge interrupts, let's move on next question.
But he will come back around and ask once more.
Alright let me ask you, do you recall being given the opportunity to have your therapist's notes permitted to be seen by the parties?
Objection, that's sustained.
There's a brief sidebar where the judge asks.
Alright now, since this is the third or fourth time we're addressing this therapist issue which wasn't previously raised to the court.
What's the issue? Let's figure it out." Brian Steele says, the government met with and asked the lawyers for Mia whether Mia would sign a release and waive confidentiality for her therapist's notes.
And the 3500 says that they would not do so, okay?
But how can you possibly ask this witness about those discussions?
It's her agent, it's her lawyer.
And I believe that constant statements and testimony of this witnessing, you have to ask my therapist and my therapist told me, and this is all explained in my therapy and my therapist explained to me, I think that opens the door.
the judge turns to prosecutor Smiser.
Let me clear up the record, Your Honor.
First of all, the government never asked for Mia's therapist notes.
There was one text message exchange when we searched Mia's phone.
We didn't realize it was with her therapist. We were going to use that in trial and then her lawyers and Mia asserted privilege over that.
That was the end of that conversation.
So I just wanted to make that clear.
The judge states, the objection is sustained.
Brian still goes back out there.
With regards to you being here today, you're still represented by counsel, true?
True. And isn't it true that you sought a lawyer because you wanted to sue Mr. Combs for money?
No. And that you joined the me too money grab against Sean Combs, is that true?
What? Objection sustained.
There is a person in the gallery at this exact moment and you hear mm, I don't know what that mm means.
I don't know if it's mm, I can't believe he asked that or if it's like mm, good point, I have no clue.
It was not from one of the jurors.
Brian Steele points out that when Mia first hired a lawyer, and you asked for, you told the jury, or your lawyer asked for $10 million, right?
I think, I believe, my lawyer started that as a negotiation, the start of the negotiation.
So I know, it just felt, I felt like the entire courtroom did perk up to the mention of $10 million because Bana, balcony incident, remember Bana, the best friend?
She's also, it's a $10 million lawsuit against, I think there was a $10 million demand against Sean Combs.
So I think a lot of people perk up with these Seven figure numbers.
Mm -hmm. Tell me there's eight figures.
Oh my goodness. Yeah.
Okay. Yeah eight figures I mean, they're all like eight figure numbers.
Yes, and during that time you had to articulate through your lawyer Why you were owed this money, right?
Yes, you never mentioned at the mediation anything about sexual assaults Is that true in the mediation itself or any part of it?
I'm sorry. Well, the answer is no I just don't know if I'm talking about something privileged.
I'm not a lawyer I wanna make sure, is it true that you never mentioned as part of this seeking of $10 million that you were sexually assaulted?
True. Now, by the time that this mediation ended, you were aware of the Me Too movement.
No. Did this mediation end October 2017?
So she went into mediation after she was let go from her position.
And there was a demand of $10 million, she ends up settling for $400 ,000, and her lawyer takes half.
She only gets $200 ,000.
Which is a lot of money, But, you know, there's a lot of emphasis on this $10 million.
And now Brian Steele keeps trying to introduce the attorney that she's hired.
And there's a lot of questions about, a lot of objected questions about this attorney.
At the sidebar, we read the transcripts, and it reveals that Brian Steele is telling the judge that she hired a lawyer that just received an $83 million verdict.
Brian Steele argues to the judge during the sidebar.
it goes to this witness's motive, interest, and bias, and that she will be receiving money.
Back in open court, he tries again because the judge is, like, with this line of questioning, it's just not gonna work.
Isn't it true that June 18th of 2024, a meeting with the government and the agents was the first time that you ever mentioned anything about sexual abuse at the hands of Sean Combs?
I have no idea when I first mentioned it.
I didn't see, I have no idea when I first, except it was after I had representation.
Which, side note, I do think this is a personal thing, but, when you come forward about abuse, it is not an indicator of whether the abuse happened or not.
I think that a lot of people don't come forward for a very long time even when it seems like there are opportunities presented where they could potentially say something.
But Brian Steele continues, You want money from Mr. Combs based upon your testimony!
True, don't you?" No, no. You testified that you would give up all the money if there was no sexual abuse.
Do you remember that conversation that you had with the prosecutor?
Yes. Have you had any discussions?
I'm not asking for any type of attorney client matters Did you have any discussions with anybody that you believe that you will be making money by testifying against Mr Combs in the manner you testified today?
No That's not even a thing Brian Steele during the cross just also casually asks Mia if she told Cassie quote Told her that the money has to come to her just like men get that money, right?
Wait what? Yeah, saying like she needs to leave Sean Combs.
This is like back when they were dating And he's just saying you told Cassie that the money has to come to her just like men get that money, right?
I think it's just a show.
They're trying to prove that they're like obsessed with money or like money opportunists I don't know.
I don't remember what you're saying.
Isn't it true that mr Combs never had unwanted non -consensual forcible sexual contact with you?
Isn't that true? I'm sorry.
You started with isn't that untrue and then you said isn't that true?
What I said in this courtroom is the truth I have not lied to anyone at all Isn't it true that although?
unforgivable for any person to put their hands on a woman, especially a man, isn't it true that it did not happen as many times as you just said to this jury?
Everything I've said in this courtroom is true.
Then why would you?
If you're being sexually assaulted and your sister is being brutalized physically, why are you making a scrapbook for Mr. Combs?
It's a lot more complicated than the way you phrased it.
It's called, it's abuse on all levels, and I'm sorry, go ahead.
Oh no, I was just going to say I guess you could talk to any sexual victim advocate or any abuse victim advocate and they could explain it to you much better than I could what if you're not a victim of sexual assault then what objection sustained now side note I did notice one of the jurors making a facial expression that one could liken to be a smirk during this part and maybe their smirk is not a smirk maybe that's like how their face works or maybe they're smirking because Brian Steele is so ridiculous but I don't know in my personal opinion, it felt like a lot of people in the other parts
of the courtroom, not the jurors, felt like Brian Steele, quote, ate.
And maybe that juror also felt that.
The cross was brutal.
It just felt, it was a lot, to the point where midday lead prosecutor Comey says to the judge, outside of the jurors' presence, at this point, we have now sat through hours of a humiliating cross examination for this witness, and I just wanted it to be put on the record because, I don't know that the transcript will really do it justice.
Mr. Steele has yelled at this witness.
Mr. Steele has been sarcastic with this witness.
Mr. Steele has been argumentative with this witness by injecting his own views about her testimony, calling it her position, saying things like, God forbid, after repeating things that she has said on the stand, saying things that suggest to this jury that she is lying, that he believes that she is lying through his questioning, making statements instead of questions, and meanwhile, throughout that whole tone and approach to this cross, this witness is having to pick apart social media posts after social media posts, after social media posts, which individually have no probative value.
And I understand that individually, Your Honor has found that one by one, looking at these in isolation, there is very minimal prejudice.
In particular, the concern is that given the tone of the questions, the number of exhibits that have nothing to do with her credibility and that are only cumulative, we don't think it's appropriate to allow this line of cross -examination with this victim who has carried herself with remarkable dignity and grace throughout the cross.
I just wanted to note that in addition to the prejudice of adding to the trauma of this victim having to testify at this trial, there is a broader prejudice that eyes are on this trial and victims in other cases are going to see how victims in this case are treated and they are going to see what level of privacy, respect and dignity they would get if they decided to testify.
And so our concern is that if this victim is not protected from further harassment that But it will deter other victims in other cases from saying, yes, I will testify and I will tell the truth.
So I just wanted to make that on the record, Your Honor.
And it is with that background that we will be continuing to object to additional cumulative exhibits and additional argumentative questioning.
I mean, look, I understand that you're making your record. I have not heard any yelling from Mr. Steele.
And I have not heard anything that was sarcastic in the questions.
To the extent that there were improper questions the court has sustained numerous objections.
My understanding when Mr. Steele says God forbid is that he's talking about things that the witness has said that are extreme in nature and so he's saying God forbid as an apology to him having to repeat that and recollect that with the witness.
That's my understanding of what he's saying.
I didn't take that to be an effort in any way to intimidate or harass the witness.
Now that being said you raise the issue of the questions that are argumentative.
Is Mr. Steele here?
Yes. Here's the issue.
So what we have is that you're repeatedly asking these questions that are where the tone – I agree with Ms. Comey – may be, you know, on the line, but the form is improper, so I sustained the objection.
Then you keep asking these questions.
And at a certain point, I'm going to think that you're doing that just to get the question out there so the jury can hear it.
If I start to think that, I'll ask you to just move on.
And you're not going to be able to ask questions on the topic you're raising.
Do you understand? Sure.
Yes. At one point, Bryan Steele is asking a question, the question is sustained, he just keeps asking it, to which the judge tells him, hold on, when it's sustained, that means you move on to the next question.
It doesn't mean you keep asking the same question.
And usually he's not this firm in front of the jurors.
You know, like usually even when he sustains questions it's like a soft sustain.
It's like, rephrase the question.
Or like, let's get a fresh question.
So, he doesn't say that's sustained.
You know, he'll be like, let's get a fresh question.
Got it. We need to rephrase that.
Yeah, yeah. It's like giving them a chance, right?
Yeah. But, this is like, you can't keep asking the same question.
Wow, okay. It happens again to the point where the judge calls for a sidebar.
I'm getting the sense that they are being asked not so much to elicit any answer, but merely to have you, Mr. Steele, testify for the jury.
So, that's going to end right now, or I will end this cross -examination.
There are ways to ask these questions that you are asking in a proper way that does not violate the rules.
You can do it that way, and I know you know how, but you're not doing it that way.
Instead, you're re -asking the same question so that the jury hears your questions and then there's an objection, which I sustain and then you try to keep re -asking the same question in the same improper way.
So what's going on?" I would not do that, and I did not do that.
My questions go to the fact that Mia does not outcry at all.
She then hires a lawyer 45 days after a gigantic verdict was reached by the lawyer.
this is the debate about the $83 million settlement that was reached by the attorney and then she hires the attorney.
And he's just like, yeah, you're gonna move on.
Otherwise I'm gonna end your cross.
And I will say, Father Arun is watching Brian steal like a hawk the entire time.
And like when you sit, okay, so sometimes the press pews, especially when you're in the first row, you're kind of sitting right behind the prosecutor or the attorney that's at the lectern.
And you get like a clear shot of Judge Arun.
And like sometimes you're looking up after taking notes and you can just tell when he's angry.
And then you almost get scared because you're like, did I do something wrong?
Cause he's been giving a lot of people in the gallery warnings of not saying things like, well, he didn't say it like that but just no reactions in the gallery.
And so it's like you get very stressed and he's the way he's looking at Brian Steele.
Making sure every single question from that point on, is like a valid question, is very intense, like just staring daggers into him.
So, in Father Arun, we trust. And just the whole thing was depressing, yeah.
During the redirect, prosecutor Smeiser takes the stand again.
Mia, do you remember being asked on cross examination about Instagram posts that you made?
Yes. Did you post on social media as part of your job?
Yes. And when you were posting on Instagram, did you post about the good times or the bad times?
The good times. Why didn't you post about the bad times?
That's not what social media was for, for a myriad of reasons.
Yeah, that was, like, the highlight reel was Instagram.
Is that why you didn't post about Mr. Combs slamming Cassie's head into the corner of the bed frame?
Objection, that's overruled.
Yes. And is that why you didn't post about Mr. Combs throwing a computer at your head?
Objection, that's overruled.
Yes. Is that why you didn't post about Mr. Combs sexually assaulting you?
Objection, that's overruled.
Yes. Mia, do you remember being asked about a scrapbook that you gave Mr. Combs for one of his birthdays?
Yes. And do you remember testifying that you thought the scrapbook would make him happy?
Yes. Why did you try to keep the person who abused you happy?
Because when he was happy, I was safe.
Mia, do you remember Mr. Steele referring to Mr. Combs's birthday as the anniversary of the initial sexual abuse?
Yes. Why do you not remember it that way?
Because I never wanted to think about that ever again.
What were you worried would happen if you disclosed that Mr. Combs sexually assaulted you?
that I wouldn't be believed and I would be wiped out, I would be abused, fired, and somehow made to look like I was a crazy person making everything up?
Okay Mia, sometime after meeting with the government, did you engage in a pro bono lawyer?
Free? Yes. Are you paying for that lawyer?
No. Was your lawyer engaged for the purpose of representation in this criminal case?
Yes. Mia, can you explain how you feel about public speaking?
Objection? Overruled?
Terrified? Have you ever been able to talk about Mr. Combs sexually assaulting you without looking down?
No. Why is that? Objection.
That's overruled. Because it's the worst thing I've ever had to talk about in my life.
Are you getting any money for being here today?
No. Are you getting any fame for being here today?
No. Do you want to be here talking about this today?
Objection. Overruled.
Absolutely not. This is just one final question for you, Mia.
Yeah, why are you testifying here today?
I can't look at my niece and my goddaughter in the eyes and ever advise them in the future if they happen to be in this situation.
Objection, your honor, move to strike.
That's overruled. Ms. Smizer, anything else?
No further questions, your honor.
Wow, and what was the reaction from that or the energy, I guess?
Okay, so honestly Smizer did a really good job with the redirect, she kind of felt like a mini -Comey.
Because I know Comey's the lead, and I'm not saying that to say that she's not as good as Comey, but Comey's the lead prosecutor, and it seems like she's kind of guiding a lot of them.
Everything was so clean cut.
It helped, but when I looked at the jurors, the same ones just still didn't look that engaged in my opinion.
Yeah, okay. Yeah. So that is the testimony of Mia.
There was no read cross, but I will say there are a lot of voices out there.
There are voices discrediting Mia.
There's also a lot of voices and conversations about what her testimony means.
One reads, interesting, a bunch of people think Mia is discredited.
I guess they've never been in a similar situation of power, coercive control, physically and emotionally threatened.
Another netizen comments, this is how abuse works.
It's not what most people presume.
if you haven't experienced serious abuse, then you probably can't understand.
Another comment reads, my mother abused me relentlessly for 57 years and still the last thing I said to her was, I love you.
Trauma bonding was real.
It's deep and it's real.
For me personally, I didn't feel like, oh, like did Bryan got ya?
Like the defense got something out of this.
Yeah, like there's a moment of, oh yeah, like I see that was not true or that was a lie.
Maybe it's because like he's just been reading positive posts about Diddy for like ten hours straight.
It feels like nothing was surprising to me at all, everything makes sense.
I feel like personally, I believe what Mia is saying and the Brian's questions sounds a little bit like shallow.
I'm like, okay, well, duh.
This is why I can't I totally see why.
I think it's how long these things take.
So I think it's weird that I can kind of see both sides of sometimes I'll see people in the courtroom and then they will talk about the entire cross -examination later, and it's a very like specific feeling that you only get when you're in the courtroom for all the days there because it's Ten hours of positive posts.
It's you know, it's a lot of energy and I feel like when someone has a certain Energy, you kind of absorb that energy.
You're like, oh this person said hmm during that part I'm like, wait, am I supposed to feel a certain way about it?
Like that's why they tell you not to make noises or faces in the gallery.
You kind of get impacted.
And so it's interesting because when I talk to the people that are in the courtroom, they have a very specific feeling about this cross -examination.
But then when I go online and I see people doing snippets of the transcript and I see the comments, it's a completely different reaction.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
And then it's like, I can see why these people feel this way, I can see why these people feel this way.
Yeah, because even when you told me, when you came home and told me about the energy in the courtroom, and I was expecting something more, I guess, because you were saying, Oh my God, this is like tough and this and that, and I'm like, oh my God, what happened?
But now listening to this and I'm like, well, I think I get what Mia was saying, like, I think I understand.
And it's like always weird because when I'm in the courtroom, I'm like, Oh my gosh, I don't know how the prosecutors are going to come back from this, like, the jurors to me they don't look engaged, they don't look like they're resonating with me.
A story like, this is not good.
And then everyone around in the hallways, they're like, this is not good for the government.
And then I come home and then I'm like, honey, this is not good for the government.
And then I go through the transcript and I'm like, wait, okay, this is like, when I go through the transcript, I'm like, this isn't making sense.
That's what's interesting.
Maybe these are, let's say this is what happened.
This is the facts. And the defense attorney, they're doing their best to kind of spin it or take it at an angle or with their strategy, the way they ask questions to lead the juror to feel a certain way about them, right?
Yes. And that's not just the defense that's gonna be doing it.
When the defense starts their case, the prosecutors will do it.
That's the whole point of all cross -examinations.
So we're not saying like the defense is doing it because it's not true, you get it.
So it's like, at the end of the day, you just want to influence this group of people to feel certain way.
And maybe you can say that they ate, I guess, or they did a good job in this cross because they did influence some juror to feel a certain way about it.
Even though the facts is I get it, but the feeling is, like, for certain people.
Yes, like even the Don Richard testimony and cross -examination by Nicole Westmoreland, when it was happening in the courtroom, it felt like a big blow to the government.
It was like, oh this is so bad for the government.
Everyone's walking out of there like, yikes, I don't know how the government's going to deal with this type of blowback from the cross.
And then you go through the transcript, and then I'm talking to people about it, I'm reading y 'all's comments, and everyone's like, no, but like it makes sense.
It's like not, like what's the difference between putting it down throwing it or like it hitting her like he threw the frying pan like it's not that big of a deal but when you're in that courtroom why does it feel like oh my God and like I think that's the whole point of cross -examinations it's like an art they make you feel like oh my God yeah and then the the even with the jurors i'm sure their feeling also develops from when it happens they may be like oops and then a day later they'll be like you know what yeah I can see I get it you know like like us we're processing this information so I
guess we really don't know no how all of them are going to feel no at the end not at all and I think that's like kind of crazy yeah to be able to see them every day and still not have any clue how they feel about this case yeah is so weird yeah yeah yeah so what are your thoughts let me in the comments.
Stay safe and I will see you in the next one.
Of course your friends...
well, you get the point.
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