NEW YORK (AP) — The R&B singer Cassie returns to the witness stand Wednesday after a day spent recounting grotesque and humiliating details of life with her ex-boyfriend,Sean "Diddy" Combs. Prosecutors allege Combsused his fame and fortuneto orchestrate an empire of exploitation, coercing women into abusive sex parties. His lawyers argue that, although he could be violent, he never veered into sex trafficking and racketeering. They contend all sexual acts were consensual. Here's the latest: A closer look at the jurors A jury of 12 New Yorkers, plus a half-dozen alternates, is hearing testimony at the trial. The group tilts male and middle-aged or older. Only three jurors are under 40. Five are over 60. Classical music listeners outnumber people who identified as hip-hop fans. Their identities are known to the judge and lawyers but won't be made public. The jurorsrevealed a little about themselvesas they were selected forthe trial. Here'swhat we knowabout the regular jurors: Eight men Four women ▶ Read moreabout the jury What to know about Cassie Cassiesued Combs in 2023alleging years of rape and abuse. The suit was settled within hours, but was followed by dozens of similar legal claims and touched off a criminal investigation. A singer, actor, dancer and model, Cassie's professional ambitions began in adolescence, when she signed to the top-tiertalent and modeling agency Wilhelmina.Her music career launched shortly thereafter, when she left her home state of Connecticut for New York, where she signed with manager Tony Mottola and first metCombs. Cassie met Combs in 2005 when she was 19 and he was 37. He signed her to his Bad Boy Records label and, within a few years, they started dating. ▶ Read moreabout Cassie Cassie is due back for a second day of testimony Cassie returns to the witness stand Wednesday after a day spent recounting grotesque and humiliating details of life with her ex-boyfriend. During herfirst day of testimony, Cassie described being pressured into degrading sexual encounters with paid sex workers. She also recounted being beaten numerous times by Combs when she did things that displeased him — like smiling at him the wrong way. "You make the wrong face and the next thing I knew I was getting hit in the face," she said. Cassie, whose legal name isCasandra Ventura, accused Combs of gaining her submission by threatening to publicly release videos of her with male sex workers. Combs' attorneys have acknowledged Combs could be violent but maintain that the sexual acts were consensual. They say nothing he did amounted to sex trafficking or racketeering — the charges that he faces. Lawyers for Combs have yet to cross-examine Cassie, a type of questioning that will give them an opportunity to challenge her credibility or poke holes in her accounts of what happened. ▶ Read moreabout Cassie's testimony
