Stefon Diggs’ assault trial opened Monday with testimony that quickly shifted the tone inside a Massachusetts courtroom. Jamila “Mila” Adams, his former personal chef, told jurors the two had a sexual relationship before he hired her in February 2025. That detail now sits at the center of a case already shaped by sharply different accounts. Diggs, who has pleaded not guilty to charges of felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery, listened as both sides began laying out narratives that leave little middle ground.
What did the accuser reveal about her relationship with Stefon Diggs?
Adams described a connection that evolved over time, adding complexity to how the jury may interpret both motive and credibility. “I would say it’s complicated. It started out as friends,” she testified. “We met, it became sexual, and we would meet up, hang out, and we decided I would come work for him around February 2025.”That account introduces more than just background. It frames the working relationship that followed, which Adams says later broke down over unpaid wages. She alleges that the dispute escalated into violence. According to her testimony, Stefon Diggs slapped her and then choked her with his elbow during an argument.The defense pushed back immediately. Attorney Andrew Kettlewell argued the incident described by prosecutors never occurred. “The assault that the Commonwealth described in their opening statement never happened,” he said. “It didn’t happen.”Kettlewell also pointed to tension unrelated to pay. He told jurors Adams had been upset about being excluded from a Miami trip, suggesting that frustration shaped her actions that day. “That morning, Ms. Adams was not happy,” he said. “Instead, she was quietly seething about being left off that trip to Miami.”
Why is the defense questioning the evidence presented in court?
The defense strategy leaned heavily on what they say is missing. During cross-examination, attorneys highlighted the absence of visible injuries in videos recorded after the alleged incident. One clip showed Adams socializing and dancing in the days that followed. Another, taken from a dashcam, captured her sitting in a car shortly after the alleged altercation without clear signs of harm.Adams maintained her account under oath, describing the moment in detail. “When I went up to push his hand, to block him, he took his arm and came around my neck, gripping with his elbow around my neck, and began to choke me — pressure on my neck with his elbow,” she said.At times, her testimony drew objections, with the judge reminding her to stay within the scope of each question. Those interruptions reflected how tightly both sides are managing the narrative.Beyond the courtroom, the case carries weight for Stefon Diggs’ career. He remains unsigned, and the league could still impose discipline regardless of the trial’s outcome. For now, the focus stays on the testimony, which has already turned a straightforward legal fight into a layered dispute over history, intent, and proof.
