Sean 'Diddy' Combs appears in court, loses bid to delay sex-crimes trial
NEW YORK − The federal government's sex-crimes case against Sean "Diddy" Combs will soon be underway, underscoring an urgent push to hold one of the music industry's most prominent figures accountable.
U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian ruled Friday against Combs' defense team's request to push back the start of his federal trial. At a roughly two-hour hearing April 18, Combs was seen smiling and waving to a few people as he exited the courtroom, including his mother, after a more emotionally subdued hearing than a previous one in March.
The decision means Combs will go to trial May 5 in a high-profile case intertwining celebrity and power under the spotlight of federal sex-crimes and trafficking charges. The indictment against the music mogul emerged alongside dozens of separate civil suits suggesting a pattern of abusive behavior and exploitation spanning decades, including accusations of rape, sexual assault and physical violence.
The embattled music mogul, 55, was arrested in September and has been charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty to all five counts.
The federal government is advancing ahead to rein in the music industry, which has faced criticism for enabling troublesome behavior behind the scenes.
Read on for Paste BN's updates from the courtroom.
Diddy on Trial newsletter: Step inside the courtroom with Paste BN as Sean 'Diddy' Combs faces sex crimes and trafficking charges. Subscribe to the newsletter.
Judge rules against Diddy trial delay
Federal prosecutors scored another win on April 18.
Subramanian ruled against the defense's motion to delay the date of Combs' trial two months after its scheduled May 5 start date.
Combs' attorneys made the original request in a motion filed April 16 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, according to court documents obtained by Paste BN. The ruling comes as Combs now faces two new charges of sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution of the unnamed "Victim-2" filed earlier this month. –Patrick Ryan
Federal judge slams Diddy defense team's attempt to delay trial by 2 months
Subramanian told the court there is no reason to think that the defense does not have sufficient time to put a defense together, roughly a month away from the May 5 start date.
When Combs walked into the courtroom, he wasn't smiling but hugged every member of his legal team. Throughout the court hearing, Combs solemnly looked around the room multiple times. In some moments, he nodded along with his defense team, and at other times passed notes to his attorneys. –Patrick Ryan
Judge allows alleged Diddy sex crime victims to remain anonymous at trial
The judge granted alleged Victims 2, 3 and 4, as they are named in the indictment, the right to use a pseudonym throughout the trial, explaining that it is common practice with sexual violence and trafficking cases.
Subramanian noted the importance of treating alleged victims with dignity and privacy and said there is "no clear reason" why names, addresses and places of employment should be made public. –Patrick Ryan
Diddy's defense argues against using pseudonyms
The defense pushed back about the use of pseudonyms, saying that the anonymous alleged victims have already been out in public and given interviews about Combs. The prosecution argued, however, that just because victims have given interviews doesn't mean they included all of the explosive details of what allegedly happened and thus didn't waive their right to anonymity. –Patrick Ryan
Federal prosecutors, Diddy defense team reach truce on jury selection
Prosecutors expressed concern about potential jurors disclosing their own experiences with sexual assault or violence in written questionnaires, arguing that potential jurors might be afraid of where the paper surveys would go and who might be reading their responses. They attorneys said questions about potential jurors' experiences should only be disclosed in person via interviews with the attorneys. The defense argued jurors might be afraid to discuss their experiences aloud and pushed for the written disclosure.
Both sides reached a compromise: Questionnaires will include a box that allows potential jurors to choose whether they would prefer to speak about their experiences verbally or in writing. –Patrick Ryan
Which testimony will be included during the trial?
Over an hour of back and forth between sides took place about potentially excluding testimony from clinical and forensic psychologist Dr. Dawn Hughes.
The prosecution argued that Hughes would be a blind expert, who would be brought in with no details about the case, and testify to fragmented memory, processing trauma and coping strategies. Prosecutors argued that Hughes could provide "relevant and helpful" context about subjects that potential jurors may not be familiar with, including "coercive control," speaking to how perpetrators exert power over alleged victims and why those alleged victims may continue to participate in sexual activity with their abusers as an act of self-preservation.
However, the defense argued that Hughes has never spoken to any of the alleged victims and thus doesn't know the specifics of their experiences. Hughes' presented testimony is "cloaked in all this jargon and a patina of science" and her testimony is "useless and meaningless," the defense said, arguing that it would confuse the jurors or potentially push them to make inferences about the victims that might not have factual merit to the case.
Subramanian said he would consider the arguments and rule later, but that only portions of Hughes' testimony would likely be allowed and without using the phrase "coercive control," with Hughes describing that concept with different wording. –Patrick Ryan
Young Thug's lawyer Brian Steel joins Diddy in court
Brian Steel, who represented rapper Young Thug in his own long-running legal battle and RICO trial, appeared at the federal court building as he joins Combs' legal team ahead of the trial. –Anika Reed
Diddy's mother shows up to court
Combs' mother, Janice Combs, arrived at court April 18, donning sunglasses and sporting a bright blonde bob as she entered the courthouse to support her son. –Anika Reed
Why does Diddy want trial delayed?
The Sean John founder's lawyers requested more time to prepare his defense in response to additional evidence and two new charges of sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution of "Victim-2." Combs' lawyers originally requested a two week-, and later, a two-month delay, claiming in an April 16 motion that there is "substantially new conduct" alleged in the expanded April 3 indictment, and that the U.S. government is still producing evidence.
Combs' lawyers said in the filing that the proposed delay would allow Combs the "necessary time" to prepare his defense. In court documents filed April 17, the day before the court hearing, Combs' legal team also presented their case for excluding from the trial footage of Combs attacking then-girlfriend Cassie. –Taijuan Moorman and Edward Segarra
What time does the Diddy court hearing begin?
The court hearing was scheduled to start at 11 a.m. ET on April 18. –Anika Reed
When does Diddy's trial start?
Combs' trial, which will take place in downtown Manhattan, is currently set to begin May 5 with jury selection. The trial's start date is the same day as the Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, just miles away from the courthouse. On multiple occasions, Combs attended the exclusive annual gala, benefitting the museum's Costume Institute. –Anna Kaufman and Anika Reed
Is Sean Combs in jail?
Despite repeated attempts at bail, Combs was ordered to remain in custody at the Special Housing Unit in Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center ahead of trial — a ruling his legal team has challenged in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. He's been jailed since his arrest on Sept. 16. –Anna Kaufman
What is Diddy accused of?
Combs' federal case involves a narrow number of alleged victims.
Using RICO law, which is aimed at targeting multi-person criminal organizations, prosecutors allege that Combs coerced victims, some whom were sex workers, through intimidation and narcotics to participate in "freak offs" – sometimes dayslong sex performances that lawyers claim they have video of.
In March, prosecutors submitted a second superseding indictment, updating the amended indictment from January that added three unnamed women who were allegedly victims of his so-called sex trafficking enterprise, which claims Combs subjected employees to forced labor under inhumane circumstances. In a third superseding indictment, prosecutors added two additional charges – one count of sex trafficking and one count of transportation to engage in prostitution of "Victim-2" – to the previous three charges against him. –Anna Kaufman
What is a RICO charge?
Racketeering is the participation in an illegal scheme under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Statute, or RICO, as a way for the U.S. government to prosecute organizations contributing to criminal activity.
Per Combs' indictment, prosecutors say his racketeering activity included "multiple acts of kidnapping," arson, bribery, witness tampering, forced labor, sex trafficking, transportation for the purposes of prostitution and distribution of narcotics. –Anna Kaufman
How is Cassie involved?
Combs' ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura filed a civil lawsuit in November 2023 that is widely viewed as the match that lit the flame for the mogul's current predicament.
She accused her former partner of rape, sex trafficking and physical abuse, a series of allegations that opened the floodgates to dozens of damning civil complaints accusing the Bad Boy Records founder of various sexual assaults throughout his career.
Combs and Ventura settled for an undisclosed amount a day after she filed her suit. –Anna Kaufman
Contributing: KiMi Robinson, Edward Segarra, Anika Reed and Naledi Ushe, Paste BN; Luc Cohen, Reuters