Kid Cudi to testify; Combs plane altercation with Cassie detailed

Earlier this morning, before the jury was seated, the attorneys had some humorous debate over whether Kid Cudi could testify about his dog’s behavioral changes after a 2011 break-in at his home.

Defense attorney Brian Steele told Judge Arun Subramanian that the government wanted Kid Cudi to testify that his dog was traumatized after being put behind a closed door in December 2011. Prosecutor Emily Johnson argued that observations about the dog are relevant to the break-in.

“He’s not going to testify to what the dog thought,” Subramanian said, eliciting laughter from those in the courtroom.

Kid Cudi can testify about the dog, the judge decided, but only in broad terms as Johnson noted that the dog is “no longer with us.”

Scott Mescudi, known by his stage name Kid Cudi, has taken the witness stand.

The rapper had a brief relationship with Combs’ former girlfriend, Cassie, in December 2011 that prompted a threat of violence and blackmail from Combs, she testified last week.

Kid Cudi is expected to confirm much of Cassie’s prior testimony in regard to Combs’ violent threats against him.

Combs’ former assistant doesn’t remember if he told Combs’ security about a violent incident involving Combs pelting decorative apples at a woman.

Kaplan testified that he had no recollection of telling anyone on the security team about the incident, which he described under direct examination. Defense attorney Marc Agnifilo also asked Kaplan whether he was ever personally threatened by Combs.

Though Kaplan said his job was threatened by Combs frequently, he never was subjected to threats of physical violence from his former employer.

The witness knows that late rapper Christopher Wallace, better known as Biggie Smalls or the Notorious B.I.G., was born on May 21 — because that date was a Combs company holiday.

The defense lawyer Agnifilo asked Kaplan if he would’ve been working yesterday if he were still employed by Combs.

Kaplan said no, because Combs gave everyone the day off from work to mark the 1972 date when Wallace was born. The 24-year-old Brooklyn rapper was gunned down in Los Angeles on March 9, 1997.

Though he didn’t always like how Combs acted, George Kaplan described his time working as the mogul’s personal assistant as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Kaplan told the court during cross-examination Combs that pushed him to depths he didn’t know he was capable of and that Kaplan’s friends described it as his Harvard University. He described his work setting up Combs’ meals, schedule, travel and planning a company “offsite” as part of his administrative duties.

It appears that Combs’ defense is trying to undermine the government’s case on Combs’ racketeering charge, which asserts that Combs used his business as a criminal enterprise.

Despite testifying that he resigned after witnessing distressing acts of violence, Kaplan still praised Combs and said he enjoyed working for him.

Kaplan called his work for Combs one of the most “incredible” times of his life and said the rapper was gracious in accepting the resignation.

The response was drawn out of cross-examination by defense lawyer Agnifilo, in hopes of painting a slightly less troubling picture of what it was like to be in Combs’ inner circle at that time.

George Kaplan left his job as Combs’ assistant in December 2015 because he was not comfortable with the physical behavior he witnessed over the months in his role, he said.

He said it was a challenging decision but that he knew it was the right thing to do. In addition to the plane incident he said he witnessed and attending to Cassie’s wounds at a different time, Kaplan told the court he saw Combs throwing decorative apples at another woman.

The alleged incident occurred in Miami between Combs and a woman named Gina. Kaplan testified that he saw an angry Combs throwing three of the apples at Gina as she tried to shield herself.

Kaplan said he heard a commotion later that night with screaming back and forth — after Kaplan said he gave Combs a medicine bag. Others have testified that Combs had a Louis Vuitton “med bag” full of illicit drugs.

The former assistant said he put in his resignation in September 2015 but that the reason he gave Combs was that his father was sick with cancer. Combs was very gracious at the time, he told the court, also testifying that he had to compartmentalize his experience working for Combs.

The witness said he once had to rush out of Combs’ home to buy health and beauty items to cover up nasty bruises on Ventura’s face.

Kaplan recalled the incident in Los Angeles in 2015 when he said he saw a visibly upset Cassie with bruising under her right eyebrow. That prompted Combs to order him to get over-the-counter lotions and other remedies to mask the discoloration, Kaplan told jurors.

The witness said he specifically remembered buying witch hazel.

George Kaplan, Combs’ former assistant, told the court today that he witnessed a physical altercation between Combs and Cassie in 2015 during a private plane ride to Las Vegas.

Kaplan testified that he was seated at a table on the plane and that he heard glass shattering behind him. He then saw Combs standing over Cassie with a whiskey glass, who was on her back with her legs out trying to create space.

He heard a scuffle as Cassie screamed, “Isn’t anybody seeing this?” before hearing more glass crashing, Kaplan testified. The former assistant said he was only 23 years old at the time, he told the court, and security did not intervene.

He said Combs came up to sit in the plane’s cabin but told Cassie to stay in the back, where the bedroom was located behind a partition.

Court is now in session, marking the ninth day of Combs’ trial.

George Kaplan, a former personal assistant working for Combs, has returned to the witness stand to continue his testimony.

Prosecutor Maurene Comey will be questioning him.

Grammy Award-winning rapper Kid Cudi is expected to testify today.

The 41-year-old, whose real name is Scott Mescudi, is expected to testify about his romantic relationship with Cassie Ventura over a decade ago, including an allegation that Combs blew up his car. 

Cudi’s testimony will be key for the prosecution as it tries to bolster its charges that Combs engaged in racketeering and sex trafficking.

Cudi first gained national attention in 2008 with the release of his mixtape “A Kid Named Cudi.” He is known for his hits “Pursuit of Happiness” and “Day N Nite.”

Cassie Ventura testified last week that Combs kicked her after finding out she was cheating on him with Cudi in 2011.

Ventura’s 2023 lawsuit alleges Combs told her at Paris Fashion Week in 2012 that he was going to blow up Cudi’s car after learning about the affair. Around that time, the lawsuit alleges, Cudi’s car exploded in his driveway.

A federal agent, a former executive assistant and a clinical and forensic psychologist testified at the trial yesterday.

Gerard Gannon, a federal special agent who planned the search of Combs’ Miami home last year, walked jurors through photos of items seized at the property. Among the items were cellphones stuffed inside a designer boot, a designer bag filled with drugs including ketamine and MDMA, dozens of bottles of lubricant, and a .45 caliber handgun in a red suitcase.

Dawn Hughes, a clinical and forensic psychologist, testified about the impact of abuse trauma. She told jurors that victims of domestic violence often stay with their abusers and sometimes delay disclosing what they have experienced. The prosecution called Hughes to attempt to rebut the defense’s suggestion that Ventura (and other women) could have left Combs.

George Kaplan, a former assistant to Combs who was granted immunity to testify, told jurors that the music mogul “threatened” his job monthly. He told jurors how he bought “supplies” for Combs’ hotel room, including candles, baby oil and lubricant.

Grammy-winning rapper Kid Cudi will be the biggest name yet to take the witness stand in Combs’ trial.

The 41-year-old’s name has been mentioned several times in testimony, as Cudi’s ties to Combs’ former girlfriend Cassie Ventura allegedly sent the defendant into violent tantrums.

Kid Cudi, whose real name is Scott Mescudi, is set to testify once Kaplan is finished. After Cudi finishes his testimony, makeup artist Mylah Morales, former Combs Enterprises CFO Tony Abrahams and John Croft are next on the witness list to take the stand.

The ninth day of testimony in Sean Combs’ federal trial is set to begin this morning. George Kaplan, the rapper’s onetime assistant, will continue to be questioned.

Kaplan on Wednesday delivered an insider’s view of Combs’ frantic celebrity life. According to Kaplan, Combs was a difficult boss who made exacting demands and regularly threatened to fire him.