(In open court)
BY MS. JOHNSON:
MS. JOHNSON: Ms. Ventura, you mentioned you were friends with Bona is that right?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Yes.
MS. JOHNSON: Are you still friends with Bona?
CASANDRA VENTURA: I am.
MS. JOHNSON: Do you still speak to her?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Yes.
MS. JOHNSON: OK. You can take this exhibit down now Ms. Gavin. Can you please put up for identification only Government Exhibit 2A-503.
MS. JOHNSON: Ms. Ventura, do you recognize who's depicted in Government Exhibit 2A- 503?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Yes. That's Kerry Morgan.
MS. JOHNSON: Who is Kerry Morgan?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Kerry Morgan was my best friend of about 17 years.
MS. JOHNSON: Is this a fair and accurate photo of Kerry Morgan?
MS. JOHNSON: The government offers Government Exhibit 2A-503.
MS. ESTEVAO: No objection.
THE COURT: It will be admitted.
(Government's Exhibit 2A-503 received in evidence)
BY MS. JOHNSON:
MS. JOHNSON: Ms. Ventura, you said that Kerry Morgan was your best friend of about 17 years. Are you still friends with Kerry?
MS. JOHNSON: Why not?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Um, we -- in 2018, she got into an altercation with Sean, and it just ended our friendship.
MS. JOHNSON: What, if anything, did you see about Kerry's altercation with Sean?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Um, he came out of the bathroom after Sean just came in the house. I was living on Harold Way at the time, which was in Hollywood. And he came in, saw that we were gonna do drugs, and he hit Kerry in the head with a hanger.
MS. JOHNSON: Are you aware if Kerry had injuries?
CASANDRA VENTURA: I'm not. She told me she did, but...
MS. ESTEVAO: Objection.
THE COURT: Sustained. The jury should disregard the witness's last answer.
BY MS. JOHNSON:
MS. JOHNSON: When is the last time you spoke to Kerry?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Um, the summer of 2018.
MS. JOHNSON: Moving on to a different topic. Before we get there, did you see the hanger that Sean used to hit Kerry?
CASANDRA VENTURA: I did.
MS. JOHNSON: What kind of hanger was it?
CASANDRA VENTURA: It was wooden and in my living room. Just a wooden hanger.
MS. JOHNSON: Moving on --
MS. JOHNSON: I'm sorry. Ms. Gavin, you can take down 2A-503. Thank you.
MS. JOHNSON: Ms. Ventura, you have testified about occasions when Sean provided drugs to you while you dated him, is that right?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Yes.
MS. JOHNSON: Were there times when you used drugs on your own without Sean?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Yes.
MS. JOHNSON: Did you also see Sean use drugs during your relationship?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Yes.
MS. JOHNSON: What drugs did you see him use?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Um, all of the drugs I spoke about today. MDMA, ectasy, cocaine, marijuana, ketamine, GHB.
MS. JOHNSON: For these drugs, how did Sean obtain these drugs, if you know?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Through friends and drug dealers.
MS. JOHNSON: How do you know that Sean obtained drugs through drug dealers?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Because it was, just, we just knew. I just knew. He talked about it.
MS. JOHNSON: Do you recall the names of any of the drug dealers?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Um, one, yeah.
MS. JOHNSON: What's his name?
CASANDRA VENTURA: One Stop.
MS. JOHNSON: Where did you see Sean store drugs?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Um, in his med bag, his medicine bag, safe, nightstand.
MS. JOHNSON: Can you describe the medicine bag?
CASANDRA VENTURA: It was a smaller, like, Louis Vuitton toiletry bag, brown, with a zipper.
MS. JOHNSON: You testified that you sometimes got drugs on your own?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Um-hmm.
MS. JOHNSON: How did you do that?
CASANDRA VENTURA: I also got them through friends and occasionally drug dealers.
MS. JOHNSON: Which drugs did you buy on your own?
CASANDRA VENTURA: On my own, um, definitely opiates and benzos.
MS. JOHNSON: What do you mean by benzos?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Like, Xanax or Valium.
MS. JOHNSON: And what kind of drugs are Xanax or Valium, how do they make you feel?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Anxiety. They are to calm you down.
MS. JOHNSON: How often did you buy opiates or anxiety drugs from drug dealers?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Um, I was taking them every day for a period, so, often.
MS. JOHNSON: When did you first take opiates?
CASANDRA VENTURA: I first took opiates, very first took opiates when I got my wisdom teeth removed when I was 19, and then Sean had them and I took them with him.
MS. JOHNSON: What kind of opiates did you take?
CASANDRA VENTURA: I took mostly a pill called narco.
MS. JOHNSON: Any others?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Percocet, oxycodone, Vicodin.
MS. JOHNSON: What do Percocet pills look like?
CASANDRA VENTURA: I believe they are white or yellow, like, oblong-shaped pills.
MS. JOHNSON: You just said that Sean had them referring to opiates, so you took them with him. Do you remember that?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Yeah, in the very early stages of our relationship.
MS. JOHNSON: So would that be approximately 2007, 2008?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Yeah.
MS. JOHNSON: And during that time, where, if you know, did Sean store the opiates when you first started taking them?
CASANDRA VENTURA: He had them in his med bag. And eventually, I was taking them pretty often, so he put them inside of a Vitamin C bottle and kept them on the sink in the bathroom in the New York apartment.
MS. JOHNSON: And what, if anything, did he say about your access to that Vitamin C bottle?
CASANDRA VENTURA: At that point, he said if I wanted any, that that's where they were.
MS. JOHNSON: And how frequently did you use opiates after you started taking them around 2007 or 2008 when you were using them with Sean?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Daily.
MS. JOHNSON: How did you feel if you stopped taking opiates?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Very sick. Like, flu sick.
MS. JOHNSON: Were there times during your relationship with Sean where you sought professional help for taking opiates?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Yes.
MS. JOHNSON: Approximately how many times?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Um, like, five or six.
MS. JOHNSON: You mentioned that you took these opiates together with Sean, is that right?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Yep.
MS. JOHNSON: So what, if any, opiates did you see Sean take?
CASANDRA VENTURA: I saw him take narco and Percocets and things. We would sometimes take them to come down from the freak-off high.
MS. JOHNSON: And what, if any -- strike that. How, if you know, did Sean obtain opiates in the early part of your relationship?
CASANDRA VENTURA: In the early part, he had a contact with a couple of doctors that would write scripts.
MS. JOHNSON: Can you explain, at a high level, how Sean would get scripts from doctors?
CASANDRA VENTURA: He would ask. If he had a good relationship with the doctor, he would just ask and they would provide.
MS. JOHNSON: When you say scripts, are you referring to prescriptions?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Yes.
MS. JOHNSON: Whose name, if you know, would those prescriptions be in?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Anybody's name. An assistant, my own name. Um, yeah. Whoever's name hadn't been used a lot.
MS. JOHNSON: When you say hadn't been used a lot, can you explain what you mean by that?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Um, when you're getting a controlled substance and you're doing it frequently, you can only get a certain amount after a certain point. Um, so, yeah.
MS. JOHNSON: When you say assistants, whose assistants names would be used?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Sean's.
MS. JOHNSON: During your relationship with Sean, the entirety of the relationship, all approximately ten years I'm talking about, how would you describe your dependency on opiates?
CASANDRA VENTURA: I heavily depended on opiates.
MS. JOHNSON: Do you use any illegal drugs today?
CASANDRA VENTURA: I do not.
MS. JOHNSON: When did you last use any illegal drugs?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Illegal drugs, in 2022.
MS. JOHNSON: How did you stop using drugs?
CASANDRA VENTURA: I went to rehab. I sought professional help.
MS. JOHNSON: Turning to a slightly different topic. I would like to direct your attention to your brother's birthday party in Connecticut in, I think, around 2013.
CASANDRA VENTURA: Um-hmm.
MS. JOHNSON: Do you remember that party?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Yes, I think it was his 30th. Yeah.
MS. JOHNSON: What happened at that party?
CASANDRA VENTURA: That party, at the end of the party, everybody was kind of leaving and scattering and going to other places, other bars. And the party was at a family friend's bar. And my mother told me that somebody was taking a picture of me, and I was intoxicated and, um, I got into a fight with the girl outside of the bar.
MS. JOHNSON: What did you do?
CASANDRA VENTURA: I pulled her out of the car, asked her if she was taking pictures, and I was punching her in the head.
MS. JOHNSON: You testified earlier that your relationship with Sean ended around 2018. Do you recall that testimony?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Yes.
MS. JOHNSON: Can you describe your physical health in the approximate year leading up to your end of your relationship with Sean?
CASANDRA VENTURA: My physical health? I was definitely going through a period of, like, these episodes that I later figured out were, like, PTSD episodes. I would black out.
MS. ESTEVAO: Objection.
THE COURT: Overruled.
MS. JOHNSON: You can continue, Ms. Ventura. You were saying you had PTSD episodes?
CASANDRA VENTURA: I had PTSD episodes. I know Sean was concerned that I was having seizures. Um, sleep walking quite a bit. My body was -- in my mind, my body was telling me that I needed to just chill out.
MS. JOHNSON: You said Sean was concerned you were having seizures. Did you have a seizure?
CASANDRA VENTURA: I did not.
MS. JOHNSON: Ms. Gavin, can you please pull up for identification Government Exhibit 3Q-107.
MS. JOHNSON: Ms. Ventura, do you recognize this photo?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Yes.
MS. JOHNSON: What's depicted in it?
CASANDRA VENTURA: That's the inside of my doorway at Harold Way, the last place I lived before breaking up with Sean.
MS. JOHNSON: In approximately what year was this photo taken?
CASANDRA VENTURA: 2018.
MS. JOHNSON: Did you take this photo?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Yeah.
MS. JOHNSON: Is this a fair and accurate photo of your front door at Harold Way around 2018?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Yes.
MS. JOHNSON: Government offers Government Exhibit 3Q-107.
MS. ESTEVAO: Subject to our earlier objection.
MS. JOHNSON: I don't believe there's an objection you've made on this photograph.
(Counsel confer)
MS. ESTEVAO: Withdrawn. No objection.
THE COURT: It will be admitted.
(Government's Exhibit 3Q-107 received in evidence)
MS. JOHNSON: Ms. Gavin, can you please publish to the jury.
MS. JOHNSON: Ms. Ventura, who placed the knife in the door in this photograph?
CASANDRA VENTURA: I believe I did.
MS. JOHNSON: Why did you put a knife in your door handle?
CASANDRA VENTURA: I was getting a lot of unannounced visits from Sean where he was angry, and trying to kill two birds with one stone, to lock it and have a weapon.
MS. JOHNSON: Prior to 2018 --
MS. JOHNSON: You can take that down now, Ms. Gavin.
MS. JOHNSON: Prior to 2018, were there times when you and Sean took breaks from your relationship?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Yep.
MS. JOHNSON: Can you describe how your relationship ultimately ended in around 2018?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Um, around 2018, I had spent several years, like, learning about a girl that he was dating for, basically, the whole, like, last half of our relationship. And I, as an excuse for myself, I don't even know. I said, if I catch you with her again, then I'm done. And that's what happened. They were seen out, and I was in Connecticut, so I was out.
MS. JOHNSON: Directing your attention to approximately August of 2018, did there come a time when you saw Sean?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Yes.
MS. JOHNSON: What was the occasion?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Um, we were having kind of a closure conversation, at least in my mind we were. We went out to dinner at a restaurant, like, on the way to Malibu. I think, at that time, he was trying to convince me to come to Burning Man with him. That's something we did together over the years.
MS. JOHNSON: And from your perspective, what was the status of your relationship at the time you had dinner with Sean in Malibu?
CASANDRA VENTURA: We were not together.
MS. JOHNSON: Were you seeing anyone else at the time?
CASANDRA VENTURA: I was.
MS. JOHNSON: Who were you seeing?
CASANDRA VENTURA: My now husband, Alex.
MS. JOHNSON: Can you describe how Sean was acting at the dinner?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Um, he was just being really nice. Um, playful, laughing. Um, kind of romantic vibes, sort of. But we just were normal, laughing.
MS. JOHNSON: How did the dinner end?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Um, it ended with him bringing me home and, yeah, that was it.
MS. JOHNSON: And can you remind the jury which residence you lived in around this time?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Harold Way, where you saw the door with the knife.
MS. JOHNSON: When you arrived at your home at Harold Way, what happened?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Um, I went inside, went in the living room. He came in, pretty usual, nothing weird, um, and then -- and then he raped me in my living room.
MS. JOHNSON: Where in your living room did the rape happen?
CASANDRA VENTURA: On the floor.
MS. JOHNSON: How did you physically react when Sean raped you?
CASANDRA VENTURA: I just remember crying and saying no. But it was very fast, so ...
MS. JOHNSON: What, if anything, did you observe about Sean's physical appearance?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Just, like, eyes black, I kind of said that before. Just wasn't himself. The laughing and, like, all the things that were happening before that were not there. And it was just, like, somebody taking something from you, just, like, without ...
MS. JOHNSON: You said that you cried?
CASANDRA VENTURA: I did.
MS. JOHNSON: What did Sean do when you cried?
CASANDRA VENTURA: He continued. I don't even know if he noticed, honestly.
MS. JOHNSON: You also said that you said no. What did Sean do when you said no?
CASANDRA VENTURA: He continued and finished.
MS. JOHNSON: When you say finished, what do you mean?
CASANDRA VENTURA: He ejaculated.
MS. JOHNSON: Where did he ejaculate?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Inside of me.
MS. JOHNSON: What happened after you ejaculated?
CASANDRA VENTURA: He got up and he left.
MS. JOHNSON: After the rape in your living room, were you intimate with Sean again?
CASANDRA VENTURA: I was, one more time, but by choice.
MS. JOHNSON: What happened on that occasion?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Um, it was a friend of ours' birthday dinner that we went to and had a really nice night, like, that we've never really had before. Everything went smooth and happy. Um, so I ended up at his house.
MS. JOHNSON: And when you say his house, are you referring to Sean's house?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Yep.
MS. JOHNSON: Can you explain to the jury why you agreed to see Sean again after the rape?
CASANDRA VENTURA: We've been together for over ten years. Like, you don't just turn feelings off that way. We were very connected at that point still. I still had good vision of who he was as a person. Like, I didn't hate him.
MS. JOHNSON: After your breakup, who, if anyone, did you stay in touch with from the individuals who were Sean's friends?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Um, I kind of scattered, like, stayed in touch with everybody, like, just not every day. It wasn't the same thing. I backed away quite a bit from everyone, but I still talked to assistants and security and would check in on birthdays and things like that.
MS. JOHNSON: Who is Brittany Hall?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Brittany Hall is -- was a friend. Her dad is one of -- was one of Sean's stylists.
MS. JOHNSON: Are you still in touch with Brittany Hall?
CASANDRA VENTURA: I am not.
MS. JOHNSON: Why not?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Brittany and I were actually working together for a short time before I went to rehab in 2023, and she was, like, the only person I really stayed in touch with out of the group, stayed in touch with after having kids and everything. We stayed pretty close. And then she started helping manage me and working with me. So when I went to rehab, she started a job as a host on Revolt TV, which is Sean's television company. And at that point, I just felt like it was a conflict of interest for us to be working together. Yeah.
MS. JOHNSON: OK. Since your breakup with Sean, what sorts of communications have you had with him since approximately 2018?
CASANDRA VENTURA: A few check-ins. Um, I know he was trying to get in touch with me through other people. Um...
MS. ESTEVAO: Objection.
THE COURT: Sustained. The jury should disregard the last sentence of the witness's answer. Ms. Johnson.
BY MS. JOHNSON:
MS. JOHNSON: Focusing on your communications with Sean directly, how frequently did you speak to Sean after you broke up as compared to when you were dating?
CASANDRA VENTURA: I mean, night and day. There was a few messages over a few years.
MS. JOHNSON: OK. And what were the topic areas primarily of those messages?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Just checking in. Sending love. Nothing crazy.
MS. JOHNSON: Ms. Gavin, can you pull up for identification Government Exhibit A-401-G.
MS. JOHNSON: Ms. Ventura --
MS. JOHNSON: Actually, can you also pull up page two if possible.
MS. JOHNSON: Ms. Ventura, do you recognize this document?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Yes, it's a text.
MS. JOHNSON: Who is the text between?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Me and Sean.
MS. JOHNSON: And approximately when is this message, this message thread from?
CASANDRA VENTURA: It says March 1, 2019.
MS. JOHNSON: Is it a true and accurate message thread between you and Sean?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Yes.
MS. JOHNSON: The government offers Government Exhibit A-401-G.
MS. ESTEVAO: No objection.
THE COURT: It will be admitted.
(Government's Exhibit A-401-G received in evidence)
MS. JOHNSON: Ms. Ventura --
MS. JOHNSON: Sorry, Ms. Gavin. Can you blow up that green message on the bottom of the screen.
BY MS. JOHNSON:
MS. JOHNSON: Who sent this message?
CASANDRA VENTURA: From Sean to me.
MS. JOHNSON: Who is it sent to?
CASANDRA VENTURA: To me.
MS. JOHNSON: Can you please read it?
CASANDRA VENTURA: I'll pull up and handle it face to face. No threat. Facts. And you will not be threatening me. You have too many iPads full of skeletons. If I was you, I would get me my money. Cause we both have better things to do with our lives. I really don't won't no problems. I got it from here. I tried.
MS. JOHNSON: When the message says, iPads full of skeletons, what is your understanding of what Sean was referring to?
CASANDRA VENTURA: The videos on the broken devices that I had.
MS. JOHNSON: And when he says, If I was you, I would get me my money. Do you have an understanding of what he was referring to?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Yes.
MS. JOHNSON: What is that understanding?
CASANDRA VENTURA: He wanted to be reimbursed. My husband was my personal trainer and he was paid, so he wanted money, his money back.
MS. JOHNSON: Who wanted his money back?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Sean.
MS. JOHNSON: From paying whom?
CASANDRA VENTURA: My husband.
MS. JOHNSON: Ms. Gavin, can you take that down and please move to page three. Can you please blow up the blue messages in the middle of page three.
MS. JOHNSON: Can you read those messages, Ms. Ventura?
CASANDRA VENTURA: It says, Do you want me to tell the truth? It's way deeper than iPads.
MS. JOHNSON: What did you mean when you said, Do you want me to tell the truth, it's way deeper than iPads?
CASANDRA VENTURA: There is much more than just freak-offs. There was abuse. There was many things that happened over our relationship.
MS. JOHNSON: What were some of those things that happened over your relationship that you're referring to?
MS. ESTEVAO: Objection. Cumulative at this point.
THE COURT: It's overruled.
CASANDRA VENTURA: Can you repeat?
MS. JOHNSON: Sure. You just told me you're referring to abuse and more than freak-offs. I asked what sort of things you were referring to beyond abuse?
CASANDRA VENTURA: The whole dynamic of the relationship.
MS. JOHNSON: You can take that down now. Ms. Gavin, can you please pull up what's in evidence as Government Exhibit B-513. Can you please turn to page two and three. Ms. Gavin, can you please blow up the message on page two.
BY MS. JOHNSON:
MS. JOHNSON: Ms. Ventura, who sent this message?
CASANDRA VENTURA: It's from me to Sean.
MS. JOHNSON: What's the date?
CASANDRA VENTURA: January 7, 2017.
MS. JOHNSON: What did you tell him?
CASANDRA VENTURA: I told you I feel like this is all I'm used for and that's that.
MS. JOHNSON: What were you referring to when you said, I feel like this is all I'm used for?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Freak-off.
MS. JOHNSON: And, Ms. Gavin, can you please go to the other page and blow up the first two messages. A. Continue?
MS. JOHNSON: Yes. Can you continue reading, please?
CASANDRA VENTURA: I didn't leave you. I saved you from beating me up. And losing another week of my life to recover.
MS. JOHNSON: What are you referring to when you say losing another week of my life to recover?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Exactly that. Not being able to do anything that I wanted to do. Work, normal. Because I had to recover from abuse.
MS. JOHNSON: You can take that down now, Ms. Gavin.
MS. JOHNSON: Ms. Ventura, I would like to direct your attention to the time period of February and March 2023. Where were you at that time?
CASANDRA VENTURA: February, as of February 11, I went to rehab and trauma therapy.
MS. JOHNSON: What led to you going to rehab and trauma therapy in February of 2023?
CASANDRA VENTURA: I was spinning out and I didn't -- I didn't want to be alive anymore at that point.
MS. JOHNSON: Was there any particular event that led to you going to rehab?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Um, I was actually shooting a music video with another artist and I just kept having, like, these horrible flashbacks. Um, and after the video shoot, I went home and it was, like, late, super, super late and my kids were asleep. My husband was there. And I just remember telling him, like, you can do this without me. Like, you don't need me here anymore. Um, I'm sorry.
MS. JOHNSON: It's OK. There is a tissue if you need it.
CASANDRA VENTURA: Yeah. I couldn't take the pain that I was in anymore and so I just tried to walk out the front door into traffic, and my husband would not let me.
MS. JOHNSON: During rehab and after rehab, what, if any, writing did you do?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Just, kind of, letting everything out, putting everything on paper for the first time so that I could really understand what I had been through over many years. Um, luckily I found out, when I got to what was rehab, at that point I was coming off of Valium because my anxiety was so bad, that it was more trauma therapy than anything.
MS. JOHNSON: And with respect to your writing, what kind of form did it take?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Um, it took the form of a book with chapters that I started.
MS. JOHNSON: Who, if anyone, helped you with that book?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Um, my mom helped me just get it in, like, a Word document.
MS. JOHNSON: What did you want to do with the book?
CASANDRA VENTURA: I really wanted Sean to read the information. I wanted him to understand what I had to learn to understand over that period, um...
MS. JOHNSON: Why did you want Sean to read the book?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Because I didn't think he understood. I don't think, after all those years of begging for, like, sorries, and just for him to actually recognize the pain, the pain that he put me through. Like, I just wanted him to understand.
MS. JOHNSON: What kind of pain did Sean put you through?
CASANDRA VENTURA: I think bigger, more than anything, it was his own personal shame in having to carry the things that were shameful to him.
MS. JOHNSON: What were those things?
CASANDRA VENTURA: The sexual part, the freak-offs, like, I took on a lot of responsibility with that, that I never should have.
MS. JOHNSON: What do you mean you took on responsibility that you never should have?
CASANDRA VENTURA: He brought the concept to me when I was 22, and I would do absolutely anything for him and I did. And it never stopped our whole relationship. And it was expected of me and it made me feel horrible about myself, and I couldn't -- I couldn't get it out. I couldn't face him with it. I was always so numb because that is what I chose to do to get through it.
MS. JOHNSON: How did you go about getting Sean book chapters?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Um, I reached out to lawyers. I had a lawyer. I reached out to his lawyers.
MS. JOHNSON: How did you know the attorney that you used?
CASANDRA VENTURA: I met him in 2021, and he was working on other stuff with me, like, modeling contracts and things like that.
MS. JOHNSON: Aside from conversations you had with your attorney, which I don't want to ask you about, was there any other way you went about trying to contact Sean regarding the book chapters?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Yeah. I reached directly out to Kristina, to K.K.
MS. JOHNSON: What did -- what did you ask K.K.?
CASANDRA VENTURA: I asked if he had read it and/or just knew about it at all. And, um, she said that, basically, it hadn't been taken seriously. Like, I don't think anybody believed that that was actually me, so ...
MS. JOHNSON: What do you mean you don't think anyone believed that was you?
CASANDRA VENTURA: She said it wasn't taken seriously. Like, they didn't think that I would do something like that.
MS. JOHNSON: So other than wanting Sean to read your book, what else, if anything, did you want from Sean?
CASANDRA VENTURA: I wanted to be compensated for the time, the pain, and like the many, many years of trying to have to fix my life.
MS. JOHNSON: And without telling me about anything you talked about with your lawyer, what, if any, price did you have for the rights to your book?
CASANDRA VENTURA: 30 million.
MS. JOHNSON: Can you explain to the jury how you came up with that figure?
CASANDRA VENTURA: I really didn't do any research. I just picked a number that I felt like would alert him.
MS. JOHNSON: Alert who?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Sean.
MS. JOHNSON: Are you aware if Sean read any of your book chapters in 2023?
CASANDRA VENTURA: I'm not.
MS. JOHNSON: Did you receive any money for your book writes?
MS. JOHNSON: Did there come a time when you filed a civil lawsuit against Sean?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Yes.
MS. JOHNSON: Approximately when did you do that?
CASANDRA VENTURA: That was in November of 2023.
MS. JOHNSON: And who did you file the lawsuit against?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Sean.
MS. JOHNSON: Were his companies also named in that lawsuit?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Yes.
MS. JOHNSON: Is your lawsuit against Sean still pending?
MS. JOHNSON: What is the status of your lawsuit with Sean?
CASANDRA VENTURA: I agreed to settle 24 hours after.
MS. JOHNSON: And how much did your lawsuit settle for?
CASANDRA VENTURA: 20 million.
MS. JOHNSON: Do you have any other pending lawsuits against Sean?
CASANDRA VENTURA: I do not.
MS. JOHNSON: Do you have any other pending lawsuits against anyone else relating to your relationship with Sean?
CASANDRA VENTURA: I do not.
MS. JOHNSON: Without telling me about any discussions with your lawyers, why are you testifying at this trial?
CASANDRA VENTURA: I can't carry this anymore. I can't carry the shame, the guilt. Um, the way we -- well, I was guided to treat people like they were disposable. It's -- what's right is right and what's wrong is wrong. And I'm here to do the right thing.
MS. JOHNSON: When you say you treated people like they were disposable, who are those people?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Escorts, everybody. Anybody.
MS. JOHNSON: Just circling back on the things you said about your settlement, you said it was 24 hours later. 24 hours after what was your lawsuit settled?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Um, after I turned down what he said.
MS. JOHNSON: Was your lawsuit settled 24 hours after you filed the complaint?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Yes.
MS. JOHNSON: OK. And who paid you $20 million?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Sean and his companies.
MS. JOHNSON: Ms. Ventura, over the past two days you've testified about multiple freak-offs that you've had with Sean. Do you recall that testimony?
CASANDRA VENTURA: Yeah.
MS. JOHNSON: Approximately how many freak-offs in total did you have with Sean?
CASANDRA VENTURA: It's impossible to know. Hundreds.
MS. JOHNSON: After you broke up with Sean in approximately 2018, did you ever participate in a freak-off again?
MS. JOHNSON: Your Honor, may I have one moment?
THE COURT: You may.
(Counsel confer)
MS. JOHNSON: No further questions at this time, but before we start cross-examination, your Honor, could we have a brief sidebar?
THE COURT: You may.
(Continued on next page)
(At the sidebar)
MS. COMEY: Your Honor, we wanted to just flag that we think there may be Rule 412 issues coming up with cross. I don't know if counsel is going to avoid those issues until we have the break.
MS. ESTEVAO: I don't know what those issues are.
MS. COMEY: The issues are there were text messages that I believe that defense counsel was thinking about introducing over cross-examination that we learned through conferral that relate to allegations that Ms. Ventura had sex with other people, people other than the defendant, and that would obviously implicate the Rule 412. So, as long as defense counsel does not go into those before the end of the day, I think we don't need to have this discussion.
MS. ESTEVAO: As the government is aware, a large part of the defense is the infidelity on both sides and the fact that Mr. Combs understood that Ms. Ventura was having other relationships with other men. Under my understanding of our conferrals was that, that was not a 412 issue.
MS. COMEY: Yeah. So as long as it's that there were other romantic relationships, without talking about other sex acts, not saying anything about having sex or any sexual contact with other people, that's fine. If the question is going to be were you in romantic relationships with other people and did Mr. Combs know about that? Fine. We would not object. That does not implicate Rule 412. But if there is going to be questions about sex acts that this witness engaged in with people other than the defendant and other than escorts in front of the defendant, we have a 412 objection.
THE COURT: Well, a more basic question. Is your preference to proceed at this time, or to come back in the morning and begin your cross-examination?
MR. AGNIFILO: In the morning.
MS. ESTEVAO: We can come back and start tomorrow morning.
MS. JOHNSON: Your Honor, we would really stronger prefer to start today, make sure this witness off the stand, given the timing issues we have.
THE COURT: All right.
MS. COMEY: I imagine we have plenty of issues, your Honor, the defense could question this witness about.
THE COURT: We'll take it up as we go. I don't think we have an agreement here. I haven't seen the documents, so I can't rule on it right now. You can offer it and we can deal with it.
MR. AGNIFILO: One of the reasons that it would be better to start tomorrow, we only have access to our client until six o'clock and we need to talk to him. We need to talk to him. This is a very important cross. I think losing 45 minutes of in-court testimony, I mean, it's 45 minutes. It's not nothing, but 45 minutes with him, our time is very limited because he's incarcerated. So we would cherish having an additional 45 minutes to speak to him an get prepared for a very long cross.
MS. COMEY: Your Honor, I'm happy to ask the marshals to keep him here later. This witness is very, very pregnant. We are afraid she could have the baby over the weekend. We want her off the stand before the weekend and we believe 45 minutes could make a difference.
THE COURT: Aren't we -- isn't that going to happen either way? Let's proceed. We'll make allowances for you to have access to Mr. Combs later than usual. We'll handle it that way.
MR. AGNIFILO: OK.
THE COURT: We'll take it as it goes.
(Continued on next page)
(In open court)
CASANDRA VENTURA: Would it be possible to have a break?
THE COURT: Yes.
CASANDRA VENTURA: OK. No worries.
THE COURT: All right. We're going to take a very brief ten-minute break and we'll be back. Thank you, members of the jury. We'll be back at 4:25. All rise.
(Continued on next page)
(Jury not present)
THE COURT: See you back here in a few.
CASANDRA VENTURA: Thank you. I appreciate it.
(Witness temporarily excused)
THE COURT: Please be seated. Well, I think Ms. Ventura may have solved the issue, she needed a break, which I was happy to give her. By the time we get back and have the jury back, it's going to be 4:30. There is going to be 30 minutes left. Given there are unresolved issues that need to be addressed concerning cross-examination, doesn't it make the best sense to start in the morning?
MS. JOHNSON: Your Honor, we reiterate our concerns about not starting the cross today, given the timing issues we have with this witness. The government tried to be as efficient as possible in our direct, which was approximately, definitely, under two days, I would say a day and a half total, and we really need to get this witness's cross done.
THE COURT: I understand that. Ms. Estevao, in the same non-binding way I have inquired as to other people about the length of things, do you have a general ballpark sense of the length of your cross examination?
MS. ESTEVAO: We expect that she will be done at the end of the week, on the end of the day on Friday.
THE COURT: With cross-examination?
MS. ESTEVAO: No. We'll be done with cross-examination before then. We expect to take the full day tomorrow and likely into Friday.
THE COURT: Here's what we're going to do. I think it makes sense for us to adjourn until tomorrow, but I will make up the time. I think we can -- we have lunch provided for the jurors. We don't need to take 45 minutes. I'm hoping we can avoid some kind of lunch discussion that it causes us to extend that. I'm also happy to ask the jurors to be here a little bit earlier so that we can start, instead of starting at 10:00 o'clock, which is when we've been starting, we can start at 9:30 on the dot. So what we'll do is, we'll have the attorneys come in tomorrow at 8:30, and then we will start at 9:30. We'll take a 30-minute lunch break. We should be able to make up the half hour so that we can really make sure that we're doing things in an efficient way. We'll proceed on that basis. So, given that, let's have the jury back. We can have them in the box, and then we'll let them know what's happening and that they can be retired until tomorrow. And I don't think Ms. Ventura needs to come back. Let's get our jury.
MS. COMEY: Your Honor said the witness can be excused?
THE COURT: The witness can be excused.
MS. COMEY: Thank you.
(Witness excused)
(Continued on next page)
(Jury present)
THE COURT: Members of the jury, thank you for your patience and all your hard work today. I hate to bring you all the way out here to tell you we're going to adjourn a little earlier today and come back tomorrow. And I will just ask you to do what you've been doing, which is to get here on time. Tomorrow we're going to try our very best to start exactly at 9:30 so that we can make efficient use of your time. As I've told you on every other day, do not talk to each ear about the case, please do not look up anything about the case. Don't talk to anybody about anything having to do with this case. And if there are any issues in the meantime, you can certainly let our courtroom deputy know. With that, have a great evening, and we'll see you back here tomorrow. All rise.
(Continued on next page)
(Jury not present)