Who Is Teny Geragos? Glamorous Nepo Baby Defending Diddy is Expert in Handing Sexual Misconduct Cases as Her Famous Father's Clients Are Revealed
Sean 'Diddy' Combs has entrusted his defense to a millennial attorney, the daughter of a famous lawyer who has defended several celebrities—and who, just this week, secured a reduced sentence for the infamous Menendez brothers, Erik and Lyle. So who is this glamorous young lawyer defending Diddy, and how is she doing all that?
Teny Geragos, 34, gained widespread attention in the legal world for her unconventional approach to defending Diddy's innocence, as she used TikTok and primetime television as her platforms. Last September, after the music mogul was arrested and charged with sex trafficking in New York City, she began posting a series of short, one-minute videos online.
Iron Lady Inside Courtroom
Geragos has said in interviews that "misinformation spreads" online, and she has used social media to challenge Diddy's accusers and what she described as a "series of false claims" made "in the hopes of trying to get a payday."
Now that Diddy's trial is underway, the Loyola Law School alum is back in the spotlight. With nearly ten years of experience defending people accused of sexual assault, harassment, and other misconduct—as her firm proudly highlights—representing Diddy in one of the most high-profile trials in recent history marks a major milestone in her career.
Geragos is a founding partner at Agnifilo Intrater LLP, where she works alongside seasoned defense attorney Marc Agnifilo, known for representing prominent figures.
Often referred to as the "glamorous TikTok lawyer," she also shares a close bond with her father, Mark Geragos, a prominent attorney whose career likely inspired her own path in criminal defense.
In 2021, she married her college sweetheart, Ashwinn Krishnaswamy, in a lavish summer wedding at her parents' Los Angeles home, styled after Paris's Jardin du Luxembourg.
Geragos seems to have found her interest in the legal system early in her academic career. According to her LinkedIn profile, she earned her bachelor's degree in art history and media, culture, and communication from New York University in 2013.
That same year, she began her Juris Doctor studies at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, completing the program in 2016.
During law school, she gained valuable experience by serving as a judicial extern for a Supreme Court Justice in Kings County, New York. She also interned with Brooklyn Defender Services and later took on another judicial externship at a U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. In 2015, she worked as a legal intern with the Legal Aid Society in the Bronx.
Star in Her own Right
Geragos also worked as a law clerk for both the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office and her father's firm, Geragos & Geragos, APC, where Mark Geragos is the lead attorney.
Her father has defended several celebrities over the years, including Chris Brown in his assault case involving Rihanna. He has also previously represented Sean "Diddy" Combs, Winona Ryder, Kesha, and Michael Jackson, as well as Susan McDougal during the 1990s Whitewater investigation connected to the Clintons.
Geragos began her legal career as a trial attorney at Brafman & Associates PC, a law firm based in New York City, according to her LinkedIn profile. She was admitted to the bar in both New York and California in 2017.
She spent nearly eight years at Brafman & Associates before becoming a founding partner at Agnifilo Intrater LLP.
Her legal background includes expertise in cases involving sexual misconduct, where she has served as counsel for both alleged victims and those facing accusations.
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Straits Times
10 hours ago
- Straits Times
Extremely lifelike dolls are causing a frenzy in Brazil
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Widely circulated videos show women taking the hyper-realistic dolls to the park in strollers, celebrating their birthdays with cake and songs, and simulating childbirth. (A select few even simulate the dolls' having a nosebleed or potty training.) 'The ones I like the most are the newborns,' said Ms Juliana Drusz Magri, 36, who lives in Curitiba, the capital of the Brazilian state of Paraná, and works in human resources. She said she began collecting the dolls in 2018 and now has 22. 'The world of make-believe is an escape valve for me,' she said. 'And, no, I don't treat it like a real baby.' The dolls have flooded into pop culture. They were featured in June in an episode of Vale Tudo, a prime-time telenovela, and in a rap song trending on social media about a gang that walks down the street 'kicking reborn dolls.' Newspaper columnists, influencers and lawmakers have all weighed in, with varying degrees of sincerity about what some perceive as a threat to the social order and what others have described as a harmless hobby. Widely circulated videos showing women taking the hyper-realistic dolls to the park in strollers became a flashpoint in Brazil. PHOTO: EPA-EFE In the north-western Brazilian state of Amazonas, one lawmaker, Joao Luiz, recently carried one of the dolls into the legislature and argued, without evidence, that some women have been demanding public benefits for the dolls. His colleague Joana Darc also voiced concern. 'You just can't force a doctor in a hospital, for example, to treat a reborn doll as if it were a child, which is a living being,' she said on the floor. 'You can't force a teacher to accept a child in a day care centre because the person wants the reborn doll to study.' She asked where it would end: with people taking 'reborn pets' to the veterinarian to be neutered? In what looked like a bit of trolling, the official social media account of Curitiba warned the 'mothers' of reborn dolls not to sit in the yellow seats on city buses reserved for pregnant women. 'Reborns are cute, but they don't guarantee a place in the yellow seat, OK?' the post read. In defence of the dolls, the Rio de Janeiro City Council approved a proposal to make Sept 4 Reborn Stork Day, a holiday honouring the artisans who make the dolls. A Brazilian artisan working on a super realistic baby doll at her studio in Contagem, Brazil. PHOTO: AFP But the mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes, vetoed the proposal. 'With all due respect to those interested, this isn't happening,' he wrote on social media. At least 30 Bills have been filed in legislative houses across the country to bar the dolls from receiving services in public health facilities, according to public records. But there appears to have been just one documented case of a woman with a psychiatric disorder showing up at a hospital to seek treatment for her doll, only to be turned away at the entrance, the news outlet UOL reported. Most of the Bills have been introduced by members of right-wing parties. Ms Vivi Louhrinci, 30, an actor from Curitiba, has been making reborn dolls since 2020, including some for the Brazilian productions of Wicked and Matilda. 'My life has turned into chaos with this boom,' she said, referring to the frenzy around the dolls. 'It has been a good exposure in this sense, but it is an exposure that is causing so much stress.' Vivi Louhrinci, an actress and artist who has been creating reborn dolls since 2020, holds a doll head in Curitiba, Brazil. 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AsiaOne
18 hours ago
- AsiaOne
'Modern kampung spirit': Neighbours leave heartfelt notes on newly-weds' apology notice for wedding 'gatecrash' noise, Singapore News
Worried that their early-morning wedding celebrations on Saturday (June 7) might annoy their neighbours, a couple left a note in the lift asking for a little understanding. Their "sorry in advance" got plenty of kind messages back from residents at Block 77 Marine Drive — a true show of modern-day kampung spirit. Bernard Kuah, 32, told AsiaOne that he and his wife, Chermaine Wong, had sought permission from the town council to post the note in both lifts. The couple were concerned that the wedding "gatecrash", a traditional Chinese ritual where the groom and his entourage pick up the bride after overcoming a series of funny — and slightly embarrassing — challenges, would disrupt their neighbours' sleep. It was scheduled from 4am to 7am that day, Kuah, an HR manager, said. The couple put up the notice three days before the wedding — giving neighbours ample time to see it, rather than finding out at the last minute, he said. "Just a day later, we went to run some wedding errands and was taking the lift back home and saw Post-it notes on our posters," he added. "As each day passed, more notes started to appear." Ariel Ee, 22, was among those who left a note the night before the wedding. The student told AsiaOne that she and her mother felt it was a thoughtful gesture for the couple to put up an apology notice and decided it would be nice to return the kindness with well wishes. In a TikTok video, Ee could be seen sticking a Post-it note on the poster which read: "Congrats! Wishing you love, happiness and wish wishes on your union. All the best!" She called the couple's gesture, along with the neighbours' warm responses, a modern-day display of the kampung spirit. @ariyakult Kampung spirit in a modern way i guess! #sg #sgtiktok #singapore #sgfyp ♬ original sound - 🤍 The couple said that they received nine Post-it notes in total and have since taken down the notice. "We found it really sweet of our neighbours to drop these well wishes for us," said Kuah. "Not just my wife and I… our family and friends were really touched by the messages." Will they be framing the notice in their new home as keepsake? 'We have not thought of it yet as we are still busy unpacking and preparing for our honeymoon,' Kuah said. 'But that it is really good idea and I will let my wife know.' Additional reporting by Tan Yuan Ru. [[nid:692953]] chingshijie@
Straits Times
21 hours ago
- Straits Times
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The pair, who met while Ms Leo was interning at a company Mr Ang was working in, have held around 10 social mixers around the numerology theme since August 2024 under their events brand Until 1111. Their parties offer compatibility readings, tarot card readings and purpose-infused crystal-making. Numerology is a practice that assigns a number to individuals based on their birthdate and name. The belief is that these numbers hold insights into personality, life path and potential. The parties are some of the latest initiatives to help sparks fly among singles, offering an alternative to dating apps. Others include singles pitch nights and dating mixers bringing games seen on platforms like YouTube and TikTok to the public. These events tend to be small-scale, with guests vetted for a more intimate setting. The idea for the trip came when Mr Ang's friend, who owns a villa in Japan, reached out to him to collaborate. Ms Leo said that they shared the idea on TikTok, and many expressed interest. "A trip together would be a good chance to create a core memory with each other, as well as a potentially long-lasting relationship." Participants asked to see photos of one another before the trip, but Ms Leo refused, wanting to keep the "surprise element" and not have them judge one another based on physical looks before meeting. Held every month, their mixers are attended by 20 to more than 40 guests bonding over speed dating, tarot readings and other activities. For some singles, signing up for such mixers is a way to expand their social circle and boost their odds of finding a partner after leaving school. Ms Lim Yun Qian and Ms Lynette Kee started a series of Plus One dating mixers in February as an answer to dating app fatigue, under their Footnotes initiative, which offers hosted experiences. Nearly 1,000 signed up for the three Plus One dating mixers held since February. PHOTO: FOOTNOTES SG "I think the idea of a 'meet cute' or meeting in a real life situation is something that everyone wants," said Ms Lim. "We want to make people comfortable," she added, likening their role to hosting a house party. Nearly 1,000 signed up for the three mixers, but each session was capped at 48 participants. Participants were chosen based on a form outlining their goals for the event, with online profiles reviewed to curate a more compatible group, said Ms Kee. Participants, who were aged 24 to 35, came with a friend as their "plus one" to put them at ease. Ms Lim and Ms Kee, who are both 29, tapped their expertise as full-time creative producers to create experiences usually seen on dating shows on TV and YouTube. The mixers' activities included doing a pitch for the single friend, helping to pass on messages to someone their friend was eyeing, or going around doing challenges on a Bingo card. The prize for the winning pitch was a 10-minute speed date with someone of the winner's choice, set up by the organisers. The meticulous curation of guests paid off for one attendee, who said: "The selection of people was quite well put together. Everyone was friendly and willing to meet people. The activities made things a little less awkward." Added the 30-year-old content strategist, who declined to be named: "App interactions are fleeting, so an in-person event feels like you get to know people a bit more before you cast judgment." Although he is not dating anyone from the two Plus One mixers he attended, he has made friends who he has gone bouldering with. Ms Joell Tee, who founded Dinner with Strangers in 2022, started co-hosting singles pitch nights called Fishbowl, inspired by American reality TV show Shark Tank, where entrepreneurs make business pitches to investors. "The premise feels quite low stakes, friendly and safe. Signing up with your friends kind of takes the edge off a dating event, because even if nothing comes out of it, it's still something that you were able to do with your friends, and it's still fun," said the 28-year-old, who works as a project manager in a bank. Attendees at Fishbowl, where people pitch their single friends to other singles. PHOTO: TIPSY FLAMINGO Around 160 people in their early 20s to late 30s have attended the three pitch nights held since August 2024. Attendee Denise Ong, 27, said going through the motions on dating apps has turned into "a numbers game where everyone starts to treat each other as disposable". "While the main objective (of going to Fishbowl) is to find a partner, I think it was nice to be reminded of everyone's humanity and individuality," said the marketing executive. It was her first time being pitched to a crowd. "I was a bit nervous, naturally. But I saw the deck beforehand, plus she's my best friend and knows me inside out, so overall I was enjoying it, even though I was a little 'paiseh'." Still, some singles have reservations about attending newfangled dating events, which may not meet expectations. Ms Ong went for a social mixer by Never Strangers, run by entertainment company Unfiltered, where she was drawn to a participant but later found out that he was not looking to date. She added: "There were even people who signed up together, and just didn't talk to anyone the entire night." "I think the more 'mass' these events are, the more superficial and unlikely it is to have good conversations, and I really do feel like that's what it's all about." Another participant Khor Kai Xiang, 29, who went for the same event, said he was matched with a man due to male participants outnumbering females. One Fishbowl participant, 29-year-old Nick, said he and his friend put together more "haphazard" presentations than the other participants who took the pitch more seriously. Nick, who works in finance and declined to give his full name, said: "We were slightly taken aback that some participants went straight to listing their expectations or requirements. The subjects ranged from marriage, number of children, to the infamous BTO (Build-To-Order flats)." Less crowd, more chemistry Meanwhile, Mr Lim, a 26-year-old financial adviser who did not give his full name, said his friends questioned why he was going to an Until 1111 mixer, pointing to a stigma attached to dating events. Little did he know he would meet a girl at the party's speed dating segment - though their brief conversation went "terribly". She was not interested in him at first, as he was a year younger than her and shared the same name as her former boyfriend. But he slipped her a note to say he enjoyed talking to her and hoped to keep in touch. They went out with a group of friends from the event a few weeks later, and he succeeded in asking her out after. "I was really lucky. These things are really hit or miss," said Mr Lim, adding that both his girlfriend and himself are introverts. "She's funny in her own way. She's a bit weird, but I'm also weird, and I just feel like she just complements me, and I can talk to her about anything. She's sort of like my safe place." Yet others have found love in interest group communities. Mr Luqman Rahamat, 33, met his girlfriend Elise Tan, 28, at non-fiction book club, The Saturday Book Club. Mr Luqman Rahamat met his girlfriend Elise Tan at non-fiction book club The Saturday Book Club. PHOTO: COURTESY OF LUQMAN RAHAMAT Mr Luqman, a maths tutor, and Ms Tan, a pre-school teacher, first chatted about decluttering, and Ms Tan lent him a book on minimalism called Love People, Use Things. They then went to check out the social enterprise bookshop Books Beyond Borders. She was intrigued by his blog posts detailing his travels and analysing dating apps and other topics using mathematical concepts. The couple made it official over a year ago. "It feels like the universe planned it for me. I was in a phase of self-improvement and didn't have any expectations on finding a long-term partner," said Mr Luqman. "She made me feel like I am enough and also taught me how to love myself more and accept my flaws." To romantic hopefuls, he has this advice: "If dating apps don't work, move to communities where you can meet people, be yourself and find someone who can appreciate and accept you for who you are." Click here to contribute a story or submit it to our WhatsApp Get more of Stomp's latest updates by following us on:
