Diddy’s bold new strategy has been revealed a week before his sex trafficking trial is set to begin.
The 55-year-old disgraced rap mogul – who was recently dealt a massive blow by the judge in the case – will have a defense built around his mental capacity to commit the crimes as his representatives are arguing that he was not of clear mind during the alleged crimes according to a new report.
Diddy wants to have a doctor and Columbia professor testify on his behalf that he had a ‘mental condition bearing on the issue of guilt’ according to documents obtained by TMZ on Monday.
The publication indicates that the details of his alleged condition had been redacted in the documents but there are a few clues of what it could be but federal prosecutors do not believe in its relevance.
According to TMZ, prosecutors have stated that legal precedent requires the defense to give proper notice before offering any ‘evidence of the effects of drugs and alcohol on a defendant’s memory or cognitive function.’
Another clue would be that prosecutors are describing the doctor’s potential testimony as evidence of the ‘defendant’s inability to control behavior.’
Diddy’s (seen in March 2018) bold new strategy has been revealed a week before his sex trafficking trial is set to begin
The 55-year-old disgraced rap mogul will have a defense built around his mental capacity to commit the crimes as his representatives are arguing that he was not of clear mind during the alleged crimes according to a new report from TMZ on Monday (he is seen in a courtroom sketch from last month
Diddy wants to have a doctor and Columbia professor testify on his behalf that he had a ‘mental condition bearing on the issue of guilt’ according to documents; Diddy is seen at one of his famous white parties alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in August 1998
The federal indictment has included accusations that Diddy had drugged his victims into compliance during the alleged ‘freak offs’, however, now it is being called into question whether Diddy was also impaired during those acts.
However, prosecutors have argued that the doctor’s opinion on whether Diddy was ‘lucid’ is invalid as they point out that the medical professionals had never actually personally examined the rapper and testimony would be based on his experience with other people according to the documents obtained by TMZ.
The site also reveals that the prosecutors also wanted to block a testimony of a forensic video expert regarding the video of Diddy beating up ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura.
This comes days after it was revealed that the jury will be able to view the video in question, the judge in the case has ruled in a hearing today.
The damning evidence is a big blow for Diddy, even as his lawyers have claimed that the security tape of him violently assaulting Ventura in a Los Angeles hotel hallway was ‘edited’ and ‘manipulated’.
It was also revealed today that Diddy plans to argue he was a ‘swinger’ and did nothing wrong during his sex parties, his lawyer said.
Marc Agnifilo said that the disgraced hip hop mogul will claim that he was part of a ‘lifestyle’, a reference to the term swingers use to describe having group sex.
While Diddy thought his behavior – which prosecutors have called drug-fuelled and abusive ‘Freak Offs’ – was ‘appropriate’ others may not have done so, Agnifilo said.
The publication indicates that the details of his alleged condition had been redacted in the documents but there are a few clues of what it could be but federal prosecutors do not believe in its relevance; Diddy is seen in October 2006
According to TMZ, prosecutors have stated that legal precedent requires the defense to give proper notice before offering any ‘evidence of the effects of drugs and alcohol on a defendant’s memory or cognitive function’; Diddy is seen in a courtroom sketch from Friday
The comments came after Judge Arun Subramanian ruled that the jury will get to see the damning video.
Subramanian told Manhattan’s federal court that the footage was admissible because prosecutors planned to provide two witnesses who will say it accurately depicts events.
The video shows Diddy beating Ventura at the now-closed InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles in 2016 and was one of the key factors in his downfall.
It was aired by CNN in May 2024 and days later the disgraced hip hop mogul apologized publicly, posting on Instagram that he took ‘full responsibility’.
Diddy was arrested four months later and his lawyers have repeatedly attacked the video’s credibility, at one point demanding a hearing to ascertain whether it can be used during the trial.
Diddy, 55, whose real name is Sean Combs, is due to go on trial on May 5th, for sex trafficking.
He denies the allegations.
During the hearing, Agnifilo said that he wanted to argue that Diddy thought ‘this was part of a lifestyle’.
The jury in Diddy’s upcoming trial will be able to view the video of the disgraced rap mogul beating up Cassie, although his lawyers claim the footage was ‘edited’ and ‘manipulated’
Diddy at his pretrial last week sat alongside lawyers Marc Agnifilio and Teny Geragos. He wore a tan prison top and pants and occasionally shook his head in disagreement during the hearing
It was also revealed today that Diddy plans to argue he was a ‘swinger’ and did nothing wrong during his sex parties, his lawyer said
He said that the ‘defendant’s intent (is) that there’s a lifestyle, call it swingers, call it whatever you will, that he was in what he might have thought was appropriate’.
Judge Subramanian ruled that Diddy will be able to draw parallels with his own activities and other people but cannot mention specific examples.
The video of Diddy attacking Ventura shows him in a white towel of the hotel and repeatedly hitting her even though they stand in the corridor.
At one point he violently shoves her and then drags her across the floor – and throws a glass vase at her.
In the court filings, Diddy’s lawyers have said that the CNN footage is ‘wholly inaccurate, having been altered, manipulated, sped-up, and edited to be out of sequence’.
The video cannot be authenticated because CNN only has a copy of the footage and not the original which it deleted, they claimed.
Diddy’s lawyers hired Connor McCourt, a forensic video analyst, who claimed in an affidavit that after performing an analysis of the CNN footage it had been ‘significantly sped up’.
There was also a ‘significant amount of distortion’ in the clip.
Janice Combs, mother of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, arrives at the Southern District of New York Federal Court for his pretrial hearing on Friday
Diddy’s son Justin Dior Combs arriving at his Friday hearing. At the end of the hearing, he told both Justin and his mother he loved them and put a hand to his heart
In court, prosecutors said that they had been able to slow down the footage broadcast by CNN so that it was the same speed as the original recording.
They promised to work with the defense to address any other issues.
The judge ruled that Warner Brothers must hand over outtakes of interviews with two alleged victims – featured in the Investigation Discovery documentary – to the defense
Other rulings Friday were minor victories for Diddy.
Judge Subramanian denied a request from the prosecution to bring in a 911 call which was set to be used against him.
The judge limited the testimony of Dr. Dawn Hughes, a clinical psychologist who gave evidence for Amber Heard in her defamation trial against Johnny Depp
Hughes will not be allowed to talk about coercive control or the ‘intent of the abuser’ but will be allowed to talk about how victims delay disclosure and have memory issues.
Prosecutors will be allowed to try to introduce evidence from one victim about a ‘medical procedure’ she underwent.
The court heard that would show the ‘harm’ caused by Diddy and that it took place because of the ‘control’ he exerted over them.
Diddy became animated at this ruling as his defense claimed Victim 3 said ‘meh’ when asked if she wanted to be anonymous. In response, he handed his lawyer Marc Agnifilio a note to address the judge.
Last week Diddy’s legal team faced another setback at his pretrial hearing on Friday, leaving them furious after the judge ruled in favor of granting anonymity to three of his accusers.
And their request for a two-month extension in his infamous sex trafficking case was denied by Judge Subramanian, claiming it was filed too close to trial. Jury selection is scheduled for May 5 and opening statements on May 12.
Gray-haired Diddy sat in court wearing a tan prison top and pants. He hugged his team of lawyers when he came into the court and occasionally shook his head in disagreement during the hearing.
Brian Steel, who represented rapper Young Thug in his RICO trial, appeared at the federal court building to join Diddy’s defense team
One of the two decisions made by Judge Subramanian, that went against Diddy’s favor, was the judge’s decision to grant sex abuse victims 2, 3 and 4 anonymity.
Teny Geragos, another of Diddy’s attorneys, said that Victim 4 had already been ‘putting herself out there’ and her law firm had been contacted by former Diddy employees saying: ‘I can’t believe they (Victim 4) are saying (this)’.
Geragos said: ‘It’s really concerning for us, this particular person’.
Assistant US Attorney Maurene Comey said that Victim 3 has not disclosed the full extent of her abuse at the hands of Diddy or the ‘very personal and explosive details’ of her treatment.
The judge asked Comey to check with Victim 3 if she still needed anonymity and the prosecutor agreed.
The defense recently filed a request to postpone the trial by two months on Wednesday in response to the prosecution slapping additional new charges on April 4. Agnifilo also said the defense needed more time to review emails it wants an alleged victim to turn over.
But the judge denied it first thing once the pretrial hearing kicked off.
A win for Diddy’s side came when the judge ruled that Warner Brothers must hand over outtakes of interviews with two alleged victims – featured in the Investigation Discovery documentary, which premiered on January 27 – to the defense.
A lawyer for the media giant who was present in court said it would need a few days to get the footage together.
The battle continued between both sides, as Diddy’s lawyers objected to the prosecution’s request to call Hughes.
During that trial she testified that she had diagnosed Heard with PTSD after her alleged abuse at the hands of Depp.
Diddy’s lawyer Alexandra Shapiro said that Hughes’s definition of ‘coercive control’ was ‘so broad and amorphous as to be completely meaningless’.
Hughes said that even ‘love bombing’ could be a tactic of coercive control, as could using affection.
‘Basically anything counts,’ Shapiro said. ‘Her testimony is so meaningless as to be useless to the jury.’
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, 55, trial is set to begin on May 12 with jury selection starting a week before. He’s pled not guilty to five counts of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution
In an apparent allusion to the Depp vs Heard trial, Shapiro said that with Hughes ‘if you allow her to talk about this topic it will be very difficult to restrain her from (saying) anything else that comes into her head.’
Judge Subramanian said he would rule later, but would likely limit Dr. Hughes’ testimony and exclude any mentions of coercive control.
At the end of the hearing, Diddy put his hand on his heart and waved at his mother and son Justin in the public gallery.
A security guard wearing a black hoodie which said ‘Free Puff’ stood next to them.
Diddy turned his chair around and sat down so he faced his mother and son before smiling and giving them a thumbs up. He could be heard saying: ‘I love you all’.
Justin put his hand on his heart as his father blew him a kiss and waved, then walked out of a side door.
Diddy’s legal team is demanding for his ex Cassie Ventura to turn over her memoir in hopes it will provide a ‘different from the story she has provided the government’ that ‘undermines her allegations’
Diddy’s trial is set to kick off on May 5, with jury selection starting a week before. On May 12, opening arguments will begin.
The 55-year-old, whose real name is Sean Combs, has pleaded not guilty to five counts of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.
And with less than three weeks for Diddy’s defense to get prepare their arguments, it’s no surprise that court documents were filed earlier this month by Diddy’s team demanding that his ex, Cassie Ventura, hand over documents related to the memoir she allegedly wrote about the disgraced rap mogul.
Diddy hopes that the memoir will provide a ‘different from the story she has provided the government’ that ‘undermines her allegations’ that he subjected her to years of rape and abuse. But Ventura’s lawyers are resisting the request to hand it over, calling the defense’s subpoena that was sent to her on March 19 a ‘fishing expedition’.
Meanwhile, the prosecution submitted a motion on Thursday, revealing the ‘physical evidence’ taken from his Miami and Los Angeles homes during raids last year – including ‘items for use during Freak Offs’, or sex parties – could be shown to the jury.
That includes Diddy’s baby oil stash – his victims shockingly claimed he would use an entire bottle of it in less than five minutes during sex.
The video which led to Diddy’s downfall – which was published by CNN in May 2024 – shows Combs, wearing only a white towel, punching, kicking and throwing Ventura to ground
Ventura’s lawyer Douglas Wigdor called the request for her memoir and her bank statements from the past 10 months an ‘impermissible fishing expedition’ and should be rejected
Homeland Security agents seized more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant from the properties in May 2024.
Ventura sued Diddy last year in a shocking civil case which accused him of rape and years of abuse. A video of him beating her up at a hotel in 2016 – which was leaked to CNN last year – was a major factor in his downfall.
In court filings, Diddy’s lawyers revealed they are seeking 10 months of Ventura’s bank statements and any documents or drafts related to the memoir.
The highly-redacted request also seeks diaries or journal entries written by Ventura, who dated Diddy for more than a decade before splitting with him in 2018.
They claim that it is ‘important exculpatory information in her possession’ and accuse her and prosecutors of trying to ‘conceal copies of her draft memoirs and other writings that memorialize a version of events that is markedly different from what she has told the government and will testify to at trial’.
Ventura’s lawyer Douglas Wigdor called the request an ‘impermissible fishing expedition’ and should be rejected.
Court documents filed earlier this month revealed the disgraced hip hop mogul’s lawyers are seeking any documents related to a book being written by Ventura, his ex-girlfriend
The prosecution submitted a motion on Thursday, revealing the ‘physical evidence’ taken from his Miami and Los Angeles homes during raids last year – including ‘items for use during Freak Offs’, or sex parties – could be shown to the jury
Diddy’s Miami mansion which was raided in May 2024 by Homeland Security. They seized ‘physical evidence’ of his ‘freak off’ parties there
The prosecution backed Wigdor in their own reponse to the original supoena saying the defendant’s request for her bank statements served to ‘cast doubt’ on her ‘financial incentives’ and that the defense’s push for her writings was a ‘wholly improper use of a subpoena’.
Judge Arun Subramanian, who is overseeing the case, will have to decide on whether the evidence should be used.
Prosecutors said in their filing from Thursday that during the trial the jury will see ‘physical evidence seized from the defendant’s properties – including firearms, narcotics and items for use during Freak Offs’.
That indicates dozens of bottles of baby oil are likely to be brought into court in a dramatic moment that may well resonate with the jury.
Diddy’s victims have claimed that he used to use an entire bottle of baby oil in just five minutes, with one woman called ‘Nicole’ telling Rolling Stone that after being given two pills that made her black out, she woke up several hours later in a room surrounded by empty bottles of baby oil, towels and wine bottles.
Other evidence which could come up at trial is a diary kept by a former employee of Diddy, along with texts between him and a number of his victims.
Court documents filed earlier this month revealed the disgraced hip hop mogul’s lawyers are seeking any documents related to a book being written by Ventura, his ex-girlfriend
The prosecution submitted a motion on Thursday, revealing the ‘physical evidence’ taken from his Miami and Los Angeles homes during raids last year – including ‘items for use during Freak Offs’, or sex parties – could be shown to the jury
Photo of a shelf full of baby oil. Diddy’s victims have claimed that he used to use an entire bottle of baby oil in just five minutes
Law enforcement removing boxes of evidence and a laptop from Diddy’s Star Island mansion in Miami Beach during the 2024 raid
Prosecutors revealed that their main witnesses have considerable baggage which Diddy’s lawyers are likely to use to try and discredit them.
Some of them have DUIs, have used illegal drugs, committed illegal sex acts, tax offenses and one even has a felony – prosecutors said Diddy should be barred from asking about them all as they are not relevant.
Nor should Diddy’s lawyers be allowed to ask about prior domestic violence incidents.
Some of the law enforcement officers who could testify have prior misconduct cases against them – another line of attack for Diddy.
Another court document refers to a ‘minor victim, a sign that they may either testify or be referred to during the trial: allegations of abuse involving children are among the most serious he faces.
Prosecutors are seeking to allow three of the four main accusers to testify anonymously but Diddy’s lawyers are strongly objecting to that.
