Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial updates: Court is adjourned until Tuesday

Psychologist Dawn Hughes testified generically about an abuse victim’s passive and active self-defense mechanisms.

Passive self-defense is something “the least provocative as possible,” Hughes told the jury, listing as one example “curling up in a ball.”

Both Dawn Richard and Kerry Morgan previously testified about seeing Ventura drop into a fetal position during alleged beatings they told the court they witnessed Combs inflict on her.

Hughes also testified that there is a link between trauma and substance abuse. Ventura testified that she turned to drugs during "freak offs" to “numb” herself and consequently became addicted to opiates.

On cross-examination, the defense noted that Hughes did not directly examine Ventura or anyone else associated with the case.

“You can’t diagnose somebody without hearing what they have to say, correct?” Bach asked.

“Correct,” Hughes answered.

The defense also asked about the concept of malingering, which Hughes defined as fabricating psychological symptoms.

“People can fabricate emotional responses, correct?” Bach asked.

“They can,” Hughes responded.

The court then recessed for lunch until 12:45 p.m. ET, when cross-examination of Hughes will continue.

During the break, George Kaplan, a former employee of Sean Combs, was granted immunity from prosecution by Judge Arun Subramanian. Without such immunity, Kaplan had signaled his intention to invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

Kaplan is scheduled to testify after Dawn Hughes' testimony concludes.

Psychologist Dawn Hughes is now on the stand as an expert witness for the prosecution. She testified that it is “very common” for victims to remain in abusive relationships -- not because they are unconcerned about the abuse but because they feel trapped.

“No victim wants to be abused,” Hughes told the court. “They stay in the relationship because it’s not just about hitting. It’s about a lot of abusive behaviors that make a victim feel trapped.”

Combs' ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura testified at length last week about what she said was physical abuse that Combs allegedly inflicted on her.

Hughes also testified that abuse is often not the only defining characteristic of such a relationship. “There’s almost always love,” Hughes testified. “It creates an intense psychological bond that creates an attachment with their abuser.”

Hughes also testified generally about why victims of repeated violence and sexual assault remain in a relationship.

“It’s hard for us to break up with someone under the best of circumstances,” Hughes told the court. “When you have all this violence and abuse, you’re just trying to live day-to-day in this very micro way,” explaining that emotional resources become devoted to avoiding getting hit instead of focused on how to escape an abusive relationship.

Hughes told the court that trauma victims experience a “tremendous amount” of shame, humiliation and degradation.

“If you can’t talk about what’s happening in the relationship then you can’t get help. And who’s going to talk about all these humiliating, degrading things that are happening to you?” Hughes testified.

Hughes told the jury that even if victims are able to escape an abusive relationship, they often return to that relationship.

“They return for the love, they return for the companionship. They return for the good version of the partner that they love,” Hughes testified.

She also described the coping mechanisms of abuse victims.

“These are trying to talk to your partner, try to stop the violence," Hughes told the court. "Trying to placate and give compliance to make your partner ok. Sometimes it’s physically fighting back,” Hughes said.

“These are trying to talk to your partner, try to stop the violence. Trying to placate and give compliance to make your partner ok. Sometimes it’s physically fighting back,” Hughes said.

Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Gerard Gannon showed the jury a .45 caliber handgun after testifying that the gun was found in a red suitcase that was in the guesthouse on Sean Combs’ Miami Beach property.

The jury also was shown photos of the ammunition that Gannon testified was loaded into the handgun at the time it was found.

Additionally, the jury was presented with photos of other items that Gannon testified were seized from Combs' Miami Beach home during the March 2024 search. The items included various illicit drugs allegedly discovered inside of a wooden box, featuring a gold “Puffy” label, that was on a bathroom countertop. Puffy is one of Combs' several nicknames.

The jury also was shown two boxes that Gannon testified were discovered in a second-floor closet on the property and which contained bottles of baby oil, personal lubricant, and a green-and-yellow rubber duck.

The indictment against Combs described these items as “various freak-off supplies,” referring to the name of the alleged sexual encounters that have been a prominent focus of testimony so far.

On cross-examination, Gannon testified that federal agents searching Combs' Miami Beach property encountered six individuals there during the search, including a music producer and caretakers. Each was placed in handcuffs until the agents established who they were, Gannon told the court.

After Gannon showed the jury AR-15-style rifles with defaced serial numbers seized from the home, about which he previously testified, defense attorney Teny Geragos told the court that there are other methods law enforcement officials can use to trace firearms to individuals, including fingerprints and DNA testing. Neither Geragos nor Gannon mentioned during testimony whether it is illegal to possess a firearm with an obliterated or altered serial number.

The defense also introduced an exhibit under seal, described as a photograph depicting Combs and others. Gannon testified that he recognized the photo but he was not questioned about it.

Dr. Dawn Hughes, a psychologist, is the next witness scheduled to take the stand.

Before testimony resumed this morning, federal prosecutors signaled that Scott Mescudi, aka rapper Kid Cudi, will not testify today as they previously indicated. Prosecutors said they sent a note to Judge Arun Subramanian at 10:45 p.m. on Tuesday to inform him. The note was not included on the court docket.

Resuming his testimony, HSI Special Agent Gerard Gannon showed the court pictures of a Gucci bag allegedly seized from Combs that contained plastic bags that themselves contained different drugs, including MDMA. Orange tablets featuring the Tesla logo tested positive for MDMA, prosecutors said.