Rapper Kid Cudi claims his car was burned weeks after Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs entered his house

Rapper Kid Cudi testified Thursday that Sean “Diddy” Combs broke into his Hollywood Hills home in 2011 after finding out he was dating Combs’ ex-girlfriend, R\&B singer Cassie. Cudi said he was sure Combs was behind the firebombing of his car weeks later.

At Combs’ federal sex trafficking trial in Manhattan, Cudi said that when he and Cassie were dating briefly, he took her to a West Hollywood hotel to keep her away from an angry Combs. While there, he received a call from Combs’ assistant, Capricorn Clark, who said Combs and an associate were inside Cudi’s house and that she was forced to go with them.

Cudi, whose real name is Scott Mescudi, said he called Combs while driving home to ask why he was in his house. Combs calmly replied, “I want to talk to you.”

But when Cudi arrived, Combs was gone. Instead, he found Christmas presents he had bought for his family had been opened, and his dog was locked in a bathroom. Not knowing what was happening, Cudi called the police.

A few weeks later, Cudi said his Porsche 911 convertible was set on fire while parked in his driveway. He was at a friend’s house when his dog-sitter told him about the fire. Photos shown to the jurors displayed the car’s red leather seats burned and a hole cut in the fabric roof. Cudi said a Molotov cocktail was found on the passenger seat.

Cassie, whose full name is Casandra Ventura, testified last week that Combs threatened to blow up Cudi’s car and hurt him after finding out she was dating the rapper.

Cudi said he had no conflicts with anyone else at the time.

“I knew he had something to do with it,” Cudi said, which led Combs’ lawyers to object. The jurors were told to ignore that statement.

Cudi told the court he met Combs the next day at a Los Angeles hotel to try to resolve the situation.

“After the fire, I said this is getting out of hand. I need to talk to him,” Cudi said.

At the end of their meeting, as they shook hands, Cudi asked, “What are we going to do about my car?” Combs gave him “a very cold stare” and replied, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Cudi believed Combs was lying but let the matter go. There were no more problems at his house. Years later, they met again at a hotel, where Combs apologized “for everything,” Cudi testified.

During the testimony, Combs seemed quiet. He looked at the witness stand but did not react to Cudi. Cudi avoided looking at Combs when leaving. Dressed in jeans and a black leather jacket, Cudi arrived at court smoking a cigarette under an umbrella in the rain. He didn’t speak to reporters.

Combs, 55, denies the charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. He says he never used threats or his music influence to harm women or force Cassie or others into drug-fueled sexual acts called freak-offs.

During cross-examination, Combs’ lawyer Brian Steel portrayed Cassie as the problem in her relationships with both men, suggesting she was deceptive and living a “double life.”

Cudi said that when he began dating Cassie in late 2011, she made him believe she and Combs had broken up.

But Cassie had testified earlier that she was still seeing Combs and secretly contacted Cudi using a “burner” phone.

“Ms. Ventura was living two different lives, is that true?” Steel asked.

“Yes,” Cudi answered.

Cudi said he loved Cassie and was hurt when she decided to return to Combs.

Last week, Cassie said Combs physically abused her during much of their relationship from 2007 to 2018.

George Kaplan, Combs’ former personal assistant, testified Thursday that in 2015 he saw Combs be violent with Cassie on a private jet. Kaplan said no one helped as she screamed, “Isn’t anybody seeing this?” He said he didn’t act out of fear of losing his job but quit after this and another time when he saw Cassie with a bruised eye.

Makeup artist Mylah Morales, who has worked with Rihanna and Jennifer Lopez, said Combs burst into Cassie’s hotel room during the 2010 Grammy Awards weekend.

She heard yelling and screaming, then saw Cassie with a swollen eye, busted lip, and knots on her head.

A manager at the fancy L’Ermitage Beverly Hills hotel said Combs often stayed there under fake names like Frank White and Frank Black. Cassie said he used these names when checking in for freak-offs involving baby oil and hot wax.

The manager, Frédéric Zemmour, said Combs’ guest notes warned that he “ALWAYS spills candle wax on everything and uses excessive amounts of oil.” Staff were told to clean the room deeply after his stays.

The trial will continue on Tuesday.