Cassie Ventura's lawyer is speaking out in the wake of her ex-boyfriend Sean "Diddy" Combs' split verdict, which resulted in an acquittal on three of the most serious charges he faced.
Combs, 55, was found guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and found not guilty of the sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges in federal court on Wednesday. Ventura was a key witness in the prosecution's case against Combs.
Hours after praising Ventura in a statement for her "courage to file her civiil complaint in November 2023" and the impact she's had "on the entertainment industry and the fight for justice," Douglas H. Wigdor, who represented Ventura, spoke with ABC News and said that Ventura is "at peace" with the verdict.
What is the RICO Act and why is Sean Combs charged with violating it?
"She is moving ahead with her beautiful family and her husband," he said.
Tune into ABC at 10/9c Wednesday for an ABC News special, “Verdict: The Diddy Trial,” on the Sean “Diddy” Combs trial, and streaming next day on Hulu and Disney+.
As for Ventura's impact on the case, Wigdor added, "I hope that people still see what Cassie did and think that she really made a difference."
"I think that the story's not over because there are all these other civil claims out there," he continued. "I mean, we'll recall the O.J. Simpson case. I mean, he was obviously found not guilty in his criminal trial, only then to be found liable in the civil case. And then for the rest of his life, he was trying to avoid judgments and leading a very untoward life of nobody accepting him anymore."
Wigdor also spoke to reporters outside of court on Wednesday. "She's in a good place," he said.
"She was pleased that he's been found guilty and held responsible to federal crimes, something that he's never been held responsible [for] in his entire life," Wigdor added.
"He still faces substantial jail time. Of course, we would have liked to have seen a conviction on the sex crimes and RICO, but we understand beyond reasonable doubt is a high standard, and we're just pleased that he still faces substantial jail time," he told reporters.
On Wednesday afternoon, Judge Arun Subramanian denied bail for Combs during a brief hearing following his conviction on two counts. He cited Combs' domestic violence as part of the justification for his continued detention and said it was due to a "propensity for violence."
"It is impossible for the defendant to demonstrate… that he poses no danger to the community," the judge noted.
There is a July remote conference to determine sentencing. A tentative date has been set for October.
Prior to the hearing, Wigdor also wrote a letter to Subramanian to "request that the Court deny Mr. Combs to be released pending his sentencing," adding that Ventura "believes that Mr. Combs is likely to pose a danger to the victims who testified in this case, including herself, as well as to the community."
Combs, 55, was found guilty on two of five counts in a split verdict reached by a jury in New York City on Wednesday.
The jury found Combs guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, in connection with ex-girlfriend Ventura and another ex-girlfriend who testified under the pseudonym "Jane."
Ventura took the witness stand in the first week of trial to testify on her decade-long relationship with Combs, which, according to her testimony, included bouts of violence and so-called "freak offs," frequent sex with male escorts at Combs' direction.
The singer claimed in her testimony that Combs, who had signed Ventura to Bad Boy Records, seized control of her personal and professional lives and demanded she orchestrate the drug-fueled sex parties.
Ventura filed a civil suit in November 2023, accusing Combs of sex trafficking and sexual assault, according to court documents. The lawsuit was settled the very next day for what Ventura testified was $20 million.
At the time, Combs and Ventura said they settled the suit "amicably."
What is the RICO Act and why is Sean Combs charged with violating it?An attorney for Combs at the time also issued a statement that said the decision to settle the lawsuit was not an admission of any wrongdoing.
In response to the split verdict, an attorney for prosecution witness Dawn Richard, a former member of pop group Danity Kane, called the decision a "disappointment," but noted they are separate from the civil claims Richard has filed against Combs.
"We will continue to aggressively fight our case until we obtain full and complete justice for Dawn," attorney Lisa Bloom said in a statement.
Richard had previously testified to personally witnessing Combs assaulting Ventura.
Richard in 2024 sued Combs for assault, copyright infringement and false imprisonment, alleging -- among other things -- that he groped her on numerous occasions and forced her to endure inhumane work conditions. Combs denied all of the allegations and his attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the case.
In response to the verdict on Wednesday, several stars who have worked with Combs in the past also shared their reaction on social media.
Rapper 50 Cent said in part on Instagram, "Diddy beat the Feds that boy a bad man! 👏👏👏"
Singer Aubrey O'Day, who was a member of Danity Kane, a group formed on Diddy's MTV realty show, "Making the Band," shared her reaction to the verdict on her Instagram Story.
"Oh my God," she said as coverage from the verdict played on television. "They have all verdicts in," she added before releasing a sigh.
In another video she shared on her story she said, "My god, not guilty on Cassie, not guilty on RICO, no way that Jane (Doe) is gonna be guilty."
She continues and says, "Oh, this makes me physically ill."
O'Day shared another post in the afternoon saying how she is "still unpacking the magnitude of it all" and how the "cultural weight" of the decision is "immeasurable."
"It is heartbreaking to witness how many lives have been impacted by their experiences with Sean Combs -- only for those stories to fall short in the eyes of a jury," she began.
She went on to say that her "heart is with Cassie."
O'Day continued, "Let's be clear: the courtroom operates by the law, but that DOES NOT mean it delivers justice. Nor is it the best place to develop the moral compass this world so urgently needs."
"The pattern of behavior Sean Combs has shown us over the decades is not a mystery. It's a warning," she said. "And now, that pattern risks being reframed -- and has now been legitimized by the system. This wasn't Bonnie and Clyde -- it was control, coercion, and abuse-- and we have to stop rewriting history to excuse the behavior, and start normalizing accountability -- no matter how powerful the person. That narrative is not just dishonest. It's dangerous."
Starting in May 2025, the music mogul spent seven weeks on trial for sex trafficking and racketeering. Combs was found not guilty of being the ringleader of an alleged enterprise that "abused, threatened and coerced women" into prolonged, drug-fueled sexual orgies with male prostitutes, which he called "freak-offs," and then threatened them into silence.
Combs has said that all of the sex was consensual and that while his relationships sometimes involved domestic violence, he wasn't engaged in trafficking.
