In Sean "Diddy" Combs trial, Kid Cudi testifies about car fire, relationship with Cassie Ventura

Mescudi testified in the trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs about his brief relationship with Cassie Ventura in 2011, during a period he believed she was no longer involved with Combs.

Mescudi described a series of unsettling events that followed, including a distressed call from Ventura, a suspicious break-in at his home, and his Porsche being destroyed by a Molotov cocktail.

Though Combs later offered a general apology, Mescudi testified that he never received confirmation from police about Combs' involvement in the break-in or arson.

Under cross-examination, the defense highlighted Ventura's role in sharing Mescudi's address and questioned her honesty in her relationships with both men.

Click here for a recap of Thursday's testimony. 

Mescudi left the federal courthouse in Manhattan after testifying for about an hour and a half Thursday. 

Scott Mescudi, who performs under the name Kid Cudi, testified about his relationship with Cassie Ventura during Sean "Diddy" Combs' federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial in Manhattan on Thursday.   

George Kaplan, an executive assistant of Combs, concluded his testimony Thursday after taking the stand on Wednesday. On cross, he said working for Combs was the hardest he ever worked in his life.

Attorneys also asked Kaplan about Combs' baby oil purchases and love of apple sauce. He also testified Combs' relationship with Kim Porter, the mother of several of Combs' children, was different than other women.

Morales testified she witnessed injuries on Ventura's face once in 2010. 

She also spoke about a night at the Beverly Hills Hotel when she woke up to Ventura and Combs arguing. She said she heard yelling and screaming behind a closed bedroom door, then Combs stormed out and she found Ventura with a swollen lip, busted eye and knots on her head. 

Morales said she packed up her things and brought Ventura to her house nearby, where Ventura stayed with her for a few days. 

She said she also called a friend who is a doctor to check on Ventura's stomach and ribs, and the friend suggested they visit the emergency room. She added Ventura did not want to go, and they did not call the police. 

Morales testified that she was afraid of Combs and feared for her own life. 

Court returned from lunch break, and celebrity makeup artist Mylah Morales was called to the stand shortly before 1:15 p.m.

Morales said she started working with Ventura when she was 16 and then worked with her regularly after she signed with Bad Boy Records in 2007.

She said Ventura was like a little sister to her.

This courtroom sketch captures Mescudi on the stand being questioned by the prosecution. 

Mescudi's testimony wrapped up around 12:15 p.m., and court is now on lunch break. 

Prosecutors asked Mescudi why his relationship with Ventura ended. He said the drama was getting out of hand and that he wanted to give her some space. 

When asked what drama, he mentioned the house incident and said that he feared for both of their safety. When asked why, he said he knew Combs was allegedly violent.

He said Ventura had told him Combs would hit and kick her. 

On cross examination, Mescudi was asked about the investigation into the car fire. He said he reached out to police a couple times but never heard back about fingerprints or anything. 

He acknowledged there's nothing that puts Combs, or anyone affiliated with Combs, near his property at the time. 

He said his relationship with Ventura had ended, and he was confused — had no clue — that she had been dating Combs while they were together. 

He was asked more about their relationship, saying Combs asked him to make a song with her in 2010. He said he liked her a lot, she was smart, talented and fun to be with. 

He said Ventura told him about physical abuse from Combs but did not discuss any sexual abuse. 

The defense asked Mescudi if Combs made it clear that he was also confused Ventura had been dating both of them, saying the "person who played you is the same person who played Sean [Combs], true?" Mescudi responded, "true."

Mescudi said he reached out to Combs and told him they needed to talk. He said Combs arranged for them to meet at the SoHo House in Hollywood, a day after the car fire. 

He said when he got there, Combs looked like a "Marvel supervillain." He said Combs' demeanor was very calm, which he found weird and off putting. 

Mescudi said they discussed his relationship with Ventura, and that Combs said he should've known she was his girl. He said Ventura told him she and Combs had broken up, and that he took her word for it. 

He said Ventura eventually joined them in the meeting, and he was upset to find out she went back to Combs.

Mescudi said as he and Combs shook hands at the end, he asked Combs what are we going to do with my car? He said Combs responded saying I don't know what you're talking about. 

He was later asked what he thought of Combs' response: "That he was lying."

Mescudi also said he saw Combs a few years later, and Combs pulled him aside to apologize for what Mescudi called "all that bull****." He said he found peace after the apology, because it was the last thing he expected to hear.

Mescudi says in January 2012, he got a call from his dog watcher that his Porsche 911 Cabriolet was on fire in his driveway. 

He said he immediately went home and found the damage to his car, along with a burnt up bottle. He described a hole in the roof and other damage on the driver's side. 

He called the bottle a "Molotov cocktail," with something explosive inside that you light and causes it to ignite. 

He said law enforcement responded and he filed a report. The car was not able to be repaired. 

When asked in court what his reaction was to his car being set on fire, he responded, "Umm what the f***."

Mescudi said he and Ventura spent Christmas 2011 together at her family's house in Connecticut. He said they didn't hang out much after that, and their relationship ended. 

Mescudi said Combs texted him a couple times, because he said Combs was in the dark and wanted to talk.

He said Combs had messed with his dog and he didn't want to talk. He said his dog was "very jittery and kind of like on edge all the time" after the house incident. 

Mescudi said he called Combs on the drive to his house and that Combs said he just wanted to talk. 

When Mescudi arrived, he said he realized his security cameras were not working and some had been moved.

He said gifts he bought for his family were open on the kitchen counter, and his dog was locked in a bathroom. 

Mescudi said he got back in his car and called Combs again. He said he was angry and wanted to fight Combs, but "I just thought, like, I don't know who he has with him, what his intentions are."

Mescudi said he decided to call the police and report the break-in. 

Mescudi said he and Ventura were friends and dated briefly in 2011. He said Ventura had been romantically involved with Combs around the same time but they "had some problems and they weren't dating anymore."

Mescudi described getting a call from Ventura in December 2011 and "she sounded stressed, nervous, scared." He said Ventura told him Combs found out about their relationship, and that he was confused because he didn't think she was still dealing with Combs.

Mescudi testified Ventura told him she gave Combs his address and she was worried Combs would show up at his house. So he said he picked her up and took her to a hotel in Los Angeles where they could be "off the radar."

Mescudi said a member of Combs' staff, who he and Ventura hung out with, called them and said Combs had allegedly forced her into a car to go to Mescudi's house. 

He said she sounded "very scared, sounded like she was on the verge of tears."

Mescudi said he then got into his car and went to his house, without Ventura. 

Ventura testified Combs arranged for her to meet Mescudi in 2011 to work on music. 

She said she and Combs had broken up and she and Mescudi started dating shortly after. She said she used a burner phone to secretly communicate with Mescudi and that, during a "freak off," Combs looked through it and learned about the relationship. 

Ventura testified Combs lunged at her with a wine opener and kicked her in the back. 

She also alleged that while she and Combs were out of the country in 2012, Combs told her Mescudi's car would be blown up and Combs wanted Mescudi's friends there to see it. 

On Tuesday, Ventura's mother testified that her daughter told her Combs was so angry about the relationship with Mescudi that he planned to send someone to hurt them and release sexually explicit videos of her.

Ventura said Mescudi came to her mother's Connecticut home around Christmas 2011 and she broke up with him, fearing for their safety. 

The government called Scott Mescudi, who performs under the name Kid Cudi, to take the stand at 10:43 a.m.

As cross examination continued, Kaplan answered questions about Combs' baby oil purchases and love of apple sauce. 

He also said Combs' relationship with Kim Porter, the mother of several of his children, was different from the other women. 

Kaplan said Combs respected Porter and seemed to have extra patience with her. He said she seemed to make him really happy, and he treated her in a very special manner. 

Porter died suddenly in 2018, and Ventura testified about going to her funeral and seeing Combs for the last time. 

Kaplan said "I was heartbroken for him" when he learned of Porter's death. 

On cross examination, Kaplan described working for Combs as the hardest he's ever worked in his life. 

Asked whether that was a good or bad thing, Kaplan said he couldn't answer but that it's proven to be one of the most complicated things. 

He said Combs pushed him to depths he didn't know he had, and that he was proud of the work he put in. 

He also said Combs' energy was infectious and inspirational but that Combs' temper hurt his business.   

He said he still wishes Combs well on his birthday, Nov. 4.

Kaplan was later asked if he wanted to testify during the trial. He said he did not but he was subpoenaed and could not say no. He said he doesn't have anything against Combs and still has respect for him. 

Photographers snapped a few shots of Mescudi as he arrived at the courthouse Thursday in Lower Manhattan. 

He was seen wearing a leather jacket over a white shirt and blue jeans. He appeared to be smoking as someone held an umbrella to shield him from the rain. 

George Kaplan was back on the stand to start the day Thursday. He spoke Wednesday about working as Combs' executive assistant, in part setting up and cleaning up hotel rooms. 

On Thursday, Kaplan described an incident on Combs' jet to Las Vegas when he said he heard glass break and saw Combs standing over Ventura with a whiskey glass, and another incident at Combs' home in Los Angeles when he said he saw Ventura with injuries on her face. 

Asked why he left the job, Kaplan said he wasn't comfortable with the "physical behavior that had been going on."

He also described another incident when he said Combs threw something at a different girlfriend in Miami.

Asked why he didn't intervene, he said he was young and trying to make it in the entertainment industry. He said he liked Combs and they stayed in touch, adding working for Combs made his world so much bigger. 

The answer is no. It is taking place in federal court, where cameras and streaming are prohibited. 

The court allows sketch artists to be present, and CBS News New York's Alice Gainer is there providing live updates for this blog. 

The 41-year-old, whose legal name is Scott Mescudi, was born and raised in Cleveland. 

He is expected to tell the jury about his brief relationship 14 years ago with Combs' ex-girlfriend, Ventura.

According to court filings and testimony so far, their relationship grew out of the two working on music together, and sent Combs into a rage. Prosecutors allege Combs was so upset he arranged to have Mescudi's car blown up. 

Kanye West signed Mescudi to his G.O.O.D. Music label in 2008. Cudi left in 2013.

Mescudi's 2007 single, "Day 'n' Nite," later appeared on his blockbuster 2009 debut, "Man on the Moon: The End of the Day" as "Day 'n' Nite (Nightmare)." The album's hits included "Pursuit of Happiness (Nightmare)" and was one of the most influential rap records of the last two decades.

His latest album, "Insano," arrived last year. Soon after its release, "Insano (Nitro Mega)," a partner record that featured Wiz Khalifa, Pusha T, Steve Aoki and more, followed.

On May 9, Mescudi released his latest single, "Neverland." A short film of the same name will premiere at Tribeca Film Festival this June.

Also in May, Mescudi officially launched his new apparel label, WZRD.

Mescudi is also a celebrated actor, having appeared in a number of feature films and television programs. They include 2020s "Bill & Ted Face the Music," the 2021 Netflix original "Don't Look Up," the HBO series "How to Make It in America" and the glossy "House Party" remake in 2023.

Dr. Dawn Hughes, a psychologist who specializes in domestic violence and trauma, testified in court Wednesday. She's being paid by the government for her time as she appears in court. 

Hughes testified about PTSD and abusive relationships, as well as trauma bonds. One thing she told the jury was that the closer the relationship between a victim and abuser, the less likely the victim is to come forward about the abuse. 

Hughes also testified about how there can be late recall when abuse is involved, because victims of domestic abuse push the memories to the back of their minds. 

George Kaplan, an executive assistant of Combs, testified Wednesday. 

He said Combs would threaten his job at times. 

He told the jury he'd work 80-100 hour weeks, and that part of what he did was set up, and clean up, hotel rooms that Combs would use. He testified he'd often spot baby oil all over. 

He said he'd clean it in order to protect Combs' image, because sometimes people would try to sell embarrassing photos of celebrities. 

The jurors heard from a special agent, a psychologist and a former employee of Combs on Wednesday. Watch Alice Gainer's recap above and click here to read more. 

Prosecutors have been releasing photos of evidence they say they encountered during their raid of Combs' Miami home. The images include photos of baby oil and personal lubricant. 

Other images depict guns the government claims were found in the home. 

Additional photos show drugs the government says were found, as well as photos of high heels and sex toys it says were present. 

Testimony in the courtroom has been graphic, including vivid descriptions of "freak offs," as well as descriptions of alleged assaults by Combs on Ventura.