Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial updates: Court is adjourned until Tuesday

George Kaplan, 34, who spent two years working for Combs Enterprises and 15 months as one of his personal assistants, testified that Combs threatened his job "maybe monthly."

Kaplan testified about setting up hotel rooms for Combs in Los Angeles, New York and Miami, sometimes with only a "matter of hours" notice.

"There was a hotel bag," Kaplan told the court. The bag contained clothes, a speaker, candles, liquor, baby oil, and Astroglide.

On subsequent occasions, Kaplan testified, "I just tried to recreate the bag."

According to Kaplan's testimony, Combs "would have guests" in the hotel rooms, often a "female partner" and when his stay was over Kaplan testified that he would see "lots of empty bottles" and baby oil "on the table, on the floor, on the bed." On one occasion, Kaplan testified about seeing a crystalized powder on the bathroom sink.

He testified it was his job to clean up the rooms.

"I tidied them," he told the court. "I made it as close as I could to the way it was found when he came in." Asked why he cleaned up after his boss instead of asking hotel staff to do it Kaplan replied, "I think that it was implied in the role as you continued to work closely with Mr. Combs that you protected him."

Prosecutor Maureen Comey asked, "How was cleaning up these hotel rooms related to your job of protecting Mr. Combs?" Kaplan replied, "I would see often that hotels would sell videos and images and try and embarrass celebrities and other figures and that was something I wanted to avoid."

On two occasions, Kaplan alleged Combs asked him to procure drugs.

Once, in Miami, "He gave me a number to call and some cash to pick up what he wanted." Kaplan testified, "The guy came and I paid him for drugs." He testified it was a bag of MDMA that he gave to Combs.

According to Kaplan's testimony, the second time was in Los Angeles at the Bel-Air Hotel.

"It was a very similar exchange. Call this number, meet this person, bring this back to me," Kaplan testified. "I arranged to meet the person in Hollywood." The exchange went down the same way as the Miami exchange, according to Kaplan's testimony. "I gave him money. He gave me a bag. I didn't know what the bag was," Kaplan testified. "I gave it to Mr. Combs."

Court is over for the day, but Kaplan will continue his testimony Thursday, followed by rapper Kid Cudi, who had a brief relationship with Cassie Ventura, prosecutors said.

In cross-examination, the defense aimed to question the background of psychologist Dawn Hughes.

"Isn't it a fact that you have never come into court, taken the witness stand in defense of a man accused of a sex crime?" Bach asked.

"That's correct, I don't evaluate offenders," Hughes responded.

On re-direct examination, Hughes said she has testified for both the prosecution and defense in criminal cases.

Hughes had been retained in a case by Combs' attorney Brian Steel, though on re-cross examination, Hughes said she was not called to testify in that case.

Hughes' testimony has concluded. The next witness is George Kaplan, a former employee of Sean Combs.

Psychologist Dawn Hughes testified generically about an abuse victim’s passive and active self-defense mechanisms.

Passive self-defense is something “the least provocative as possible,” Hughes told the jury, listing as one example “curling up in a ball.”

Both Dawn Richard and Kerry Morgan previously testified about seeing Ventura drop into a fetal position during alleged beatings they told the court they witnessed Combs inflict on her.

Hughes also testified that there is a link between trauma and substance abuse. Ventura testified that she turned to drugs during "freak offs" to “numb” herself and consequently became addicted to opiates.

On cross-examination, the defense noted that Hughes did not directly examine Ventura or anyone else associated with the case.

“You can’t diagnose somebody without hearing what they have to say, correct?” Bach asked.

“Correct,” Hughes answered.

The defense also asked about the concept of malingering, which Hughes defined as fabricating psychological symptoms.

“People can fabricate emotional responses, correct?” Bach asked.

“They can,” Hughes responded.

The court then recessed for lunch until 12:45 p.m. ET, when cross-examination of Hughes will continue.

During the break, George Kaplan, a former employee of Sean Combs, was granted immunity from prosecution by Judge Arun Subramanian. Without such immunity, Kaplan had signaled his intention to invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

Kaplan is scheduled to testify after Dawn Hughes' testimony concludes.

Psychologist Dawn Hughes is now on the stand as an expert witness for the prosecution. She testified that it is “very common” for victims to remain in abusive relationships -- not because they are unconcerned about the abuse but because they feel trapped.

“No victim wants to be abused,” Hughes told the court. “They stay in the relationship because it’s not just about hitting. It’s about a lot of abusive behaviors that make a victim feel trapped.”

Combs' ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura testified at length last week about what she said was physical abuse that Combs allegedly inflicted on her.

Hughes also testified that abuse is often not the only defining characteristic of such a relationship. “There’s almost always love,” Hughes testified. “It creates an intense psychological bond that creates an attachment with their abuser.”

Hughes also testified generally about why victims of repeated violence and sexual assault remain in a relationship.

“It’s hard for us to break up with someone under the best of circumstances,” Hughes told the court. “When you have all this violence and abuse, you’re just trying to live day-to-day in this very micro way,” explaining that emotional resources become devoted to avoiding getting hit instead of focused on how to escape an abusive relationship.

Hughes told the court that trauma victims experience a “tremendous amount” of shame, humiliation and degradation.

“If you can’t talk about what’s happening in the relationship then you can’t get help. And who’s going to talk about all these humiliating, degrading things that are happening to you?” Hughes testified.

Hughes told the jury that even if victims are able to escape an abusive relationship, they often return to that relationship.

“They return for the love, they return for the companionship. They return for the good version of the partner that they love,” Hughes testified.

She also described the coping mechanisms of abuse victims.

“These are trying to talk to your partner, try to stop the violence," Hughes told the court. "Trying to placate and give compliance to make your partner ok. Sometimes it’s physically fighting back,” Hughes said.

“These are trying to talk to your partner, try to stop the violence. Trying to placate and give compliance to make your partner ok. Sometimes it’s physically fighting back,” Hughes said.