Combs' defense wants jury selection to start May 5 and May 6
In a legal filing submitted last night, Combs' lawyers proposed that jury selection start on May 5 and May 6 with two written questionnaire days.
"We propose that the Jury Clerk summon 300 jurors on May 5, 2025 to complete written questionnaires administered and supervised by the Jury Clerk on site at the courthouse," the lawyers wrote in the filing. "We propose that the Jury Clerk summon an additional 300 jurors on May 6th, 2025, to similarly complete the written questionnaires."
"The parties would then collect and review the completed questionnaires, and lodge for-cause challenges between May 6 and May 8, 2025, with agreed-on challenges reported to the Court on May 9, 2025," the lawyers added.
CNN denies altering footage of 2016 hotel incident
In May, CNN aired hotel security camera footage showing Combs assaulting his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in 2016. Combs subsequently issued an apology, writing in an Instagram post: "My behavior on that video is inexcusable."
Combs' lawyers, in a legal filing submitted last night, alleged the footage aired by the news network had been "substantially altered in significant respects," and therefore does not "fairly and accurately depict the events in question."
CNN pushed back on that claim today.
"CNN never altered the video and did not destroy the original copy of the footage, which was retained by the source," a spokesperson for the news organization said in a statement. "CNN aired the story about the video several months before Combs was arrested."
Doug Wigdor, Ventura's attorney, said it was "not surprising that Combs would make a disingenuous argument to exclude the disturbing video from being shown to the jury in the upcoming trial."
"I am confident that the video fairly and accurately represents what happened, will be admitted into evidence, and that Combs will be held accountable for his depravity," Wigdor added.
Combs' lawyer steps down ahead of sex trafficking case
An attorney representing Combs in his sex trafficking case announced in February that he is stepping down as counsel.
Anthony Ricco filed a motion in a New York City court, saying “under no circumstances can I continue to effectively serve as counsel for Sean Combs.”
Ricco, who had been retained by Combs in September, did not give an explanation but said it would not affect Combs’ May 5 federal trial date.
What do Combs’ lawyers say about the federal charges?
In a statement after the superseding indictment was filed, Combs’ lawyer said his client “vehemently denies the accusations” made by federal prosecutors.
“He looks forward to his day in court when it will become clear that he has never forced anyone to engage in sexual acts against their will,” Marc Agnifilo said.
Agnifilo went on to say that many of Combs’ former employees “stand by his side, prepared to attest to the dedication, hard work and inspiration they experienced while helping build groundbreaking, award-winning businesses.”
What does the superseding indictment say?
The superseding indictment, filed March 6 in federal court in New York, contains no new charges. But it describes Combs’ attempts to keep an extreme level of control over his employees, “whom he forced to work long hours with little sleep,” prosecutors say.
Combs made these demands “through the use of, among other things, physical force, psychological harm, financial harm, and reputational harm, and/or threats of the same,” according to the indictment.
In one case, Combs forced an employee to “engage in sex acts” with him, the indictment states.
The indictment accuses Combs of engaging in “acts of violence” when employees or witnesses threatened his “authority or reputation,” including arson, kidnapping, throwing objects at people and — on one occasion — dangling someone over an apartment balcony.
Combs is being held in a Brooklyn jail while awaiting trial
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is being detained at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Correctional Center.
He is being housed in the same unit as FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison after being convicted of defrauding users of his cryptocurrency exchange.
The facility also houses Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old man charged in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.