
Combs' one-time personal assistant returns to witness stand Tuesday
Sean Combs' one-time personal assistant, David James, returns Tuesday to the witness stand where he became emotional recalling his job interview with the vice president of human resources at Bad Boy Records.
"We were sitting at her desk and there was a picture of Mr. Combs on the wall," James began before choking up at the memory. "She pointed at the wall and she said, 'This is Mr. Combs' kingdom. We're all here to serve in it.'"
His service lasted two years, from 2007-2009, and in that time, James witnessed Combs allegedly attack his personal chef, a woman named Jourdan, who is expected to testify later this week. James also testified that Ventura once told him she could not leave Combs because he controlled too much of her life.
"She was, like, 'I can't, I can't get out,' you know. 'Mr. Combs oversees so much of my life,'" James testified.
James is expected to testify about a time when Combs and others went to confront Suge Knight at Mel's Diner. Ventura had previously testified about it as part of her description of the culture of fear that Combs and his employees allegedly created.
"Sean and I were having a 'freak off' at one of his homes in LA. And, um, I just remember we were kind of, like, just chilling at this point. And D-Roc came in and he said that Suge was down at Mel's Diner, which was just right down the hill. And they quickly packed up and drove down there," Ventura recalled. "I was crying. I was screaming, like, please don't do anything stupid."
Combs is seated at the defense table in a darker colored crew neck sweater. His attorneys are trying to convince the jury jealousy and drugs caused him to be violent. Federal prosecutors argue his violence was meant to coerce Ventura into sex performances with male escorts. One of those escorts, who Ventura said she knew as "The Punisher," is expected to testify Tuesday, along with Ventura's mother.
She is expected to testify about sex tapes that her daughter described as "blackmail materials" and about injuries on her daughter's body that the jury has already seen in photographs.








