Sean 'Diddy' Combs' legal team requests mistrial , Entertainment News
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' legal team have requested a mistrial.
The 55-year-old music mogul is currently on trial in New York after pleading not guilty to charges including racketeering and sex trafficking by force but his lawyers have made their second request to have proceedings declared invalid after claiming "prosecutorial misconduct".
A letter sent to Judge Arun Subramanian on Saturday (June 7) that was obtained by People magazine saw the defence allege "the government has presented testimony that it knew or should have known was materially false related to its allegation that Mr Combs dangled Bryana Bongolan from the balcony of Cassie Ventura's apartment in September 2016".
The note added: "Accordingly, to avoid an unfair conviction in this case the Court should grant a mistrial."
In addition, Combs team argued his ex-girlfriend Cassie's testimony, in which she stated she saw the rapper dangle Bryana from a balcony, was "demonstrably false" because text messages allegedly showed she only learned of the supposed incident afterwards.
The letter argued: "The incident, as alleged, is disturbing and powerful evidence, and the government has used it to depict Mr Combs in an extremely negative light, as an angry and dangerous man who terrified Ms Ventura and her friends."
And the lawyers argued the prosecution presented photos of Bryana's alleged injuries from the incident, which were said to have been taken on Sept 26, 2016, in Los Angeles, even though "the government has long known" the Bad Boy records founder was in New York City between Sept 24 to 29 that year.
Furthermore, the defence claimed the prosecution "repeatedly attempted to disrupt" their line of questioning when they tried to "expose the perjury upon cross-examination".
The letter added: "All of this was highly improper and exacerbated the harm caused by [...] the perjured testimony.
"The balcony incident is just one example of prosecutorial misconduct during this trial."
Combs' lawyers had previously requested a mistrial at the end of May when prosecutors asked Lance Jiminez, an arson investigator from the Los Angeles Fire Department, if fingerprint evidence related to the bombing of Kid Cudi's car had been destroyed and who could have authorised the decision.
The I'll Be Missing You rapper's lawyers argued the questioning could potentially hint that their client was able to buy his way out of trouble.
However, the judge denied the first motion and ruled the questions were not prejudicial to the case.
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AsiaOne
13 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' legal team requests mistrial , Entertainment News
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' legal team have requested a mistrial. The 55-year-old music mogul is currently on trial in New York after pleading not guilty to charges including racketeering and sex trafficking by force but his lawyers have made their second request to have proceedings declared invalid after claiming "prosecutorial misconduct". A letter sent to Judge Arun Subramanian on Saturday (June 7) that was obtained by People magazine saw the defence allege "the government has presented testimony that it knew or should have known was materially false related to its allegation that Mr Combs dangled Bryana Bongolan from the balcony of Cassie Ventura's apartment in September 2016". The note added: "Accordingly, to avoid an unfair conviction in this case the Court should grant a mistrial." In addition, Combs team argued his ex-girlfriend Cassie's testimony, in which she stated she saw the rapper dangle Bryana from a balcony, was "demonstrably false" because text messages allegedly showed she only learned of the supposed incident afterwards. The letter argued: "The incident, as alleged, is disturbing and powerful evidence, and the government has used it to depict Mr Combs in an extremely negative light, as an angry and dangerous man who terrified Ms Ventura and her friends." And the lawyers argued the prosecution presented photos of Bryana's alleged injuries from the incident, which were said to have been taken on Sept 26, 2016, in Los Angeles, even though "the government has long known" the Bad Boy records founder was in New York City between Sept 24 to 29 that year. Furthermore, the defence claimed the prosecution "repeatedly attempted to disrupt" their line of questioning when they tried to "expose the perjury upon cross-examination". The letter added: "All of this was highly improper and exacerbated the harm caused by [...] the perjured testimony. "The balcony incident is just one example of prosecutorial misconduct during this trial." Combs' lawyers had previously requested a mistrial at the end of May when prosecutors asked Lance Jiminez, an arson investigator from the Los Angeles Fire Department, if fingerprint evidence related to the bombing of Kid Cudi's car had been destroyed and who could have authorised the decision. The I'll Be Missing You rapper's lawyers argued the questioning could potentially hint that their client was able to buy his way out of trouble. However, the judge denied the first motion and ruled the questions were not prejudicial to the case. [[nid:718843]]
Straits Times
4 days ago
- Straits Times
Sean ‘Diddy' Combs tells courtroom artist he looks like a ‘koala' in sketches
Sean "Diddy" Combs told courtroom sketch artist Jane Rosenberg that she was making him look like a koala bear. PHOTO: REUTERS Sean 'Diddy' Combs tells courtroom artist he looks like a 'koala' in sketches Before the jury in Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking trial returned from a lunch break on June 5 , the grey-bearded hip-hop mogul turned to face courtroom sketch artist Jane Rosenberg in the first row to make an unusual request. 'Soften me up a bit, you're making me look like a koala bear,' Combs said, according to Ms Rosenberg. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to five criminal counts of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. During the four weeks of his trial, he has worn sweaters and sported greying hair and a goatee. Ms Rosenberg, a well-known sketch artist, has been documenting the proceedings for Reuters in Manhattan federal court, where photography and video recording are prohibited. Combs, also known throughout his career as Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, is not the first high-profile defendant to remark on Rosenberg's depictions of them. Earlier in 2025 , Mr Rudy Giuliani told Ms Rosenberg she had made him look like his dog. The former New York City mayor was in court in a civil case stemming from his false accusations that two election workers helped steal the 2020 US presidential election for Democrat Joe Biden. And in 2023, Mr Donald Trump Jr. had a blunt request for Ms Rosenberg during a civil fraud trial over his family's real estate business: 'Make me look sexy.' Combs could face life in prison if convicted on all counts in the trial. He has nonetheless demonstrated good spirits during some breaks in the trial, often making a heart gesture with his hands toward family seated in the front row. But his behaviour in court drew a rebuke on June 5 by US District Judge Arun Subramanian. The judge said he had noticed Combs nodding in the jury's direction during his lawyer's cross-examination of a witness. Judge Subramanian said that was 'unacceptable' and threatened to kick Combs out of the courtroom if he sought to interact with the jury again. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
4 days ago
- Straits Times
Lawyer for Sean ‘Diddy' Combs accuses witness of lying about balcony attack
Sean "Diddy" Combs speaking to his lawyers in a court sketch, before the start of the day's proceedings on June 5. PHOTO: REUTERS NEW YORK - A lawyer for Sean "Diddy" Combs accused a witness at his sex trafficking trial on June 5 of falsely testifying that the hip-hop mogul held her over the balcony of a Los Angeles apartment, and suggested Combs was on the East Coast at the time of the alleged attack. Ms Bryana Bongolan, a friend of Combs' former girlfriend Casandra Ventura, testified on June 4 that Combs in September 2016 held her over the rail of the balcony at Ventura's apartment and then threw her onto the balcony's furniture, causing her bruises. Prosecutors say the incident was among several violent acts that Combs, 55, took against Ventura and people close to her during the decade he was coercing Ventura to take part in drug-fuelled sexual performances with male sex workers known as "freak offs." Combs has pleaded not guilty to five counts including racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. He could face life in prison if convicted on all counts. Ms Bongolan had not stated the exact date of the alleged balcony attack during her testimony on June 4. Jurors on June 4 saw a picture Ms Bongolan took of a bruise on her leg taken on Sept 26, 2016. A civil lawsuit Ms Bongolan filed against Combs in 2024 said the incident took place "on or about Sept 26, 2016." On June 5, Combs' lawyer Nicole Westmoreland asked Ms Bongolan if she was aware that Combs performed at a concert in New Jersey on Sept 25, 2016, and attended an event in New York with Ventura the following day. Westmoreland also showed jurors a document from the Trump International hotel in New York indicating that someone named "Frank Black" stayed there from Sept 24, 2016, through Sept 29, 2016. Previous witnesses at the trial have testified that Combs, like other celebrities, frequently used aliases when staying at hotels. "You came in here and you lied to the ladies and gentlemen of this jury, didn't you?" Ms Westmoreland asked. "I can't agree with you," Ms Bongolan replied. Ms Bryana Bongolan (right) leaving court after testifying on June 4. PHOTO: REUTERS Under further questioning from prosecutor Madison Smyser, Ms Bongolan said she did not know the exact date of the incident because it happened 'a while ago', but said she had no doubt it took place. 'I will never forget him holding me on that balcony,' Ms Bongolan said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
