Ex-girlfriend ‘Jane’ returns for cross examination

The witness said she fell in love with Combs but didn’t understand what conditions would come with that relationship.

“He introduced me to this lifestyle, under a lot of emotional pressure,” “Jane” said. “I was so hooked from the beginning on the love and affection, I fell in love with him, and I didn’t understand the terms of the relationship.”

She came to understand that having “freak off” sex with strange men might have been part of the deal.

“It was along the lines of love and pressure to do these things he desired and wanted to fulfill my duties as a girlfriend,” she added.

Combs’ offers of love and affection were the only reason “Jane” said she would enjoy “hotel nights,” which is the phrase she’s used for the nights Combs would watch her with sex workers.

She told the court that she felt trusted by Combs in those vulnerable moments, saying she “was breaking all of my own boundaries” to make him feel loved even as it became hard for her.

Jane said she wanted Combs to be satisfied.

Asked if she loves Combs currently, “Jane” told the court that she does.

Under cross-examination, Jane confirmed that she wanted to be close to her partner. Jane testified that she liked to take care of him after hotel nights and called out “Dateline” as one of his favorite shows.

Jane told the court that she felt as if her partner was trusting her in a vulnerable moment. She was made to believe it was special and didn’t want to judge him.

Defense attorney Teny Geragos pushed “Jane” on her lack of interest in cooperating with the government when agents first raided Combs’ residences in March last year.

Jane testified under cross-examination that when Homeland Security Investigation agents arrived at her home, she wanted nothing to do with them. She had a choice to speak to them, and she chose to get an attorney, paid for by Combs, she told the court.

After Combs’ arrest, Jane confirmed she met with a grand jury after the government granted her immunity.

Key government witness “Jane” took the witness stand for cross-examination.

Combs’ attorney, Teny Geragos, is set to lead the defense’s questioning of Jane, who is wearing a brown suit blazer.

Combs is wearing a light colored long-sleeve shirt with black pants.

The defense’s motion for a mistrial has been denied.

That request for a mistrial centered on the testimony of Bryana Bongolan, a friend of Cassie Ventura, who testified that Combs dangled her over a 17th-story apartment balcony in Los Angeles in 2016.

The defense claimed Bongolan and Ventura lied about the balcony incident, alleging that the testimony was perjured. The defense said that Combs was on the East Coast at the time of the alleged incident, staying at the Trump Hotel in New York. 

While the defense was able to attack Bongolan’s testimony, the judge ruled that this was not fodder for a mistrial. The judge said the defense did not object to her testimony, and they were allowed a vigorous cross-examination.

Judge Arun Subramanian said “the government screwed up,” but that wasn’t grounds for a mistrial. He noted Combs’ defense attorney, Nicole Westmoreland, “had a real Perry Mason moment,” meaning a dramatic revelation in a courtroom.

Ventura mentioned the balcony incident, without naming Bongolan, in her 2023 lawsuit against Combs. She also testified about it while on the witness stand last month.

Court is now in session, marking Day 20 of Combs’ trial.

“Jane” told the court that when she read Cassie Ventura’s lawsuit against Combs, “I reacted like I can’t believe I am reading my own story.”

She said she fainted after learning about the November 2023 lawsuit. She also said she confronted Combs in a text around that time, saying, “I feel like I’m reading my own sexual trauma.”

In a recorded phone call days after the lawsuit was filed, Combs pleaded for her support. 

“I just needed to tell you I need your friendship, you know you ain’t gotta worry about anything else, baby, please pray for me,” Combs told Jane. “I will be praying for you; I need your friendship.”

“Jane” testified that she had suicidal ideations at the end of 2023 and told Combs that she’d kill herself. In text messages, she told him she believed he’d “use” and “break” her, and she wrote to him that he was done with her and she wanted to die. 

When prosecutor Maureen Comey asked why she sent the texts, Jane cried so hard it was difficult to understand her answer. 

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.

On the stand yesterday, the witness’s voice cracked as she told jurors about a night in 2023 when, she said, she was instructed to meet Combs at the Trump International Hotel & Tower New York and directed to have sex with a male escort.

“Jane” wiped away tears as she recalled telling Combs she didn’t want to have sex with other men anymore. Jane also sobbed as she recounted her reaction to Ventura’s allegations against Combs.

One of Combs’ former girlfriends, known only by the pseudonym “Jane,” is expected to return to court today for cross-examination. Jane is one of four alleged victims at the center of the prosecution’s racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking case against Combs.

Her testimony is part of the government’s effort to show that Combs orchestrated a sprawling criminal enterprise to “fulfill his sexual desires.”