Prosecutors are calling an expert witness in the Diddy trial, a clinical and forensic psychologist who is telling the jury about why victims stay in abusive relationships, how they cope, the obstacles they face in leaving, and how their memories are affected by trauma.
Dawn Hughes took the stand Wednesday morning as the 11th witness called by the feds. Prosecutors are presenting her as an expert witness who specializes in trauma and traumatic stress.
Hughes told jurors it’s quite common for victims to remain in abusive relationships … explaining there’s all sorts of mechanisms that make victims feel trapped, and it’s not just reserved to physical violence.
She testified sexual abuse makes it hard for victims to leave relationships or seek help … because of the private nature of the abuse … she says they often feel shame, humiliation, degradation and don’t want to talk about it with others, much less think about it.
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Finances are another hurdle, Hughes said on the stand … telling jurors a victim who is financially dependent on their abuser will have a harder time leaving.
Hughes testified it sometimes takes multiple attempts for victims to finally leave an abusive relationship … and there’s a pattern of returning and reconciling. She said some victims feel they may come back to the good version of their partner, who they still love.
She told the jury “trauma bonds” may form between a victim and their abuser … and that can make a victim have a tough time leaving, because there’s love and kindness attached to the abuse.
Hughes testified victims will often develop coping mechanisms to deal with abuse and may numb themselves with drugs and alcohol. She said it’s common for victims to wait months, or even years, before telling anyone about the abuses they suffered.
She told the jury victims’ memories may be fragmented from trauma … and while they remember the gist or core of abuse, they may not recall every specific time or detail from when they were abused.
Diddy defense attorney Jonathan Bach then began cross-examining Hughes … and he asked her about malingering, and if people can fabricate emotional responses, and Hughes replied, “They can.”
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Bach is grilling Hughes … with Diddy’s defense painting her as a biased professional witness who has never testified in defense of a man accused of sex crimes.
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Cassie previously testified about physical abuse she suffered at Diddy’s hands … and she told the jury she felt trapped in the relationship and that they had a few breaks before finally calling it quits. Others have testified they saw Diddy abuse her and that Cassie told them she couldn’t leave because Diddy controlled her music career and paid for her home, car, and gave her an allowance. Prosecutors are using Hughes’ expert testimony to explain and contextualize some of Cassie’s testimony about how she behaved during her relationship with Diddy.
Diddy’s defense hasn’t shied away from the domestic violence stories, but they claim there was DV on both sides.
Worth noting … Hughes testified the government is paying her $600 an hour and she’s getting $6,000 for her day in court. She was previously hired by Amber Heard in the Johnny Depp trial and is expected to testify in the Harvey Weinstein retrial, also in New York.
Diddy’s defense asked Hughes if most of her income comes from court-related work and she estimated maybe half … noting she’d raised her rate to $600 “commensurate with others.”
