Diddy Trial: Wednesday Was A Shorter Day For The Jury

The jury in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal racketeering and sex-trafficking trial heard from three witnesses before being dismissed early for the day. 

Dawn Hughes, a board-certified clinical and forensic psychologist, testified as a “blind expert,” educating the jury on domestic violence, sexual assault, and traumatic stress. Earlier, she explained that victims often remain in abusive relationships, may delay reporting abuse for months or years, and can develop trauma bonds that make leaving difficult.

 
Defense attorney Jonathan Bach challenged Hughes’ credibility, portraying her as a biased professional witness. He questioned her about training she provided to victim advocates, funded by a Department of Justice grant under the Violence Against Women Act. 

Hughes confirmed she has never testified in defense of a man accused of a sex crime, stating, “I don’t evaluate offenders.” Bach highlighted six meetings Hughes had with prosecutors, some during the trial, though Hughes and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mitzi Steiner maintained that case specifics were not discussed. Steiner noted that Hughes had worked with one of Combs’ defense attorneys, Brian Steel, in another case, though Hughes clarified she did not testify as a witness in that matter.

The jury also heard testimony from George Kaplan, Combs’ former executive assistant, initially invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination but was compelled to testify after Judge Arun Subramanian indicated he would sign an immunity order.

 
Kaplan described working 80–100 hours weekly, once from morning until 7 a.m. the next day, earning roughly $125,000 annually. He communicated with Combs daily via texts, calls, and emails, handling requests for items like clothing, food, drugs, liquor, iPads, or speakers. Kaplan testified that Combs threatened his job nearly monthly, once confronting him aggressively for a store mix-up.

 
When traveling to cities like New York, Miami, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., or Orlando, Kaplan either joined Combs on his private jet or flew commercially to prepare Combs’ hotel room. He was given a bag containing clothes, a speaker, candles, liquor, baby oil, and lubricant, and later purchased similar items using a corporate card. 

Kaplan understood part of his role was protecting Combs’ image. He testified that Combs often had guests or a female partner in his hotel rooms. After Combs left, Kaplan cleaned up, finding sports drink bottles, liquor bottles, baby oil, and, on one occasion, a “brown crystallized powder” on a countertop.

His direct examination will continue on Thursday.