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]]
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
AsiaOne
13 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' ex testifies he kicked, dragged her in attack last year, Entertainment News
NEW YORK — An ex-girlfriend of Sean "Diddy" Combs testified on Monday (June 9) that he kicked, punched and dragged her last June, about a month after the hip-hop mogul apologised for a video that surfaced of Combs attacking another girlfriend eight years earlier. The alleged attack on the woman, testifying under the pseudonym Jane to protect her privacy, occurred three months before Combs was indicted on racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges. He has pleaded not guilty. Jane said that after the attack in the backyard of her Los Angeles home on June 18, 2024, Combs contacted a male entertainer named Anton, gave her an ecstasy pill, and told her to perform oral sex on Anton while Combs watched — even though she had told him she did not want to. Jane said Combs told her, "You're not going to ruin my f***ing night," and then got close to her face and said, "Is this coercion?" Jane's testimony could bolster prosecutors' contention that Combs, 55, for two decades coerced women to take part in the sexual performances, sometimes known as Freak Offs, against their will. Lawyers for Combs, founder of Bad Boy Records, have acknowledged he was occasionally abusive in domestic relationships, but say the women who took part in Freak Offs did so consensually. On May 19, 2024, Combs apologised on social media after CNN broadcast a hotel surveillance video from 2016 in which Combs appeared to attack the rhythm and blues singer Casandra Ventura, another ex-girlfriend. The video was shown in court. In November 2023, Ventura sued Combs for allegedly forcing her to take part in Freak Offs over the course of a decade-long relationship that started around 2008. Combs denied wrongdoing, and he settled with her two days later for US$20 million (S$26 million). Jane said she told Combs several times that she did not want to have sex with other men anymore. Jurors saw an Oct 20, 2023, text message in which she told him, "I felt violated and manipulated by you." But the encounters continued after that, as did Combs' financial support for Jane, according to her testimony. Jane said the June 2024 altercation occurred after she confronted him about his relationship with another woman. Jane said she shoved Combs' head into a kitchen counter and threw candles and glass at him. He eventually attacked her in the backyard while she was lying on the ground curled into a ball, she said. Combs' defence lawyers are due to begin cross-examining Jane on Tuesday. Testimony is in its fifth week. Combs could face life in prison if convicted on all counts. [[nid:718866]]
Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
'I'm not a porn star': 'Diddy' accuser says she asked to stop sex performances
FILE PHOTO: Sean \"Diddy\" Combs listens as \"Jane\" continues her testimony during Combs' sex trafficking trial in New York City, New York, U.S., June 6, 2025 in this courtroom sketch. REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg/File Photo FILE PHOTO: \"Jane\" continues her testimony during Sean \"Diddy\" Combs' sex trafficking trial in New York City, New York, U.S., June 6, 2025 in this courtroom sketch. REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg/File Photo NEW YORK - One of Sean "Diddy" Combs' former girlfriends testified on Monday in the hip-hop mogul's sex trafficking trial that she told him in text messages that she felt mistreated in their relationship and asked to stop taking part in sexual performances with other men. "I'm not a porn star. I'm not an animal," the woman, testifying under the pseudonym Jane to protect her privacy, wrote Combs on October 16, 2023, according to a text message she read aloud in court. "It's loveless for me and nothing satisfies you and you always push me to do more and more." The messages could bolster prosecutors' contention that Combs, 55, for two decades coerced women to take part in the sexual performances, sometimes known as "Freak Offs," against their will. Combs is charged with using physical force and threatening to cut off financial support to get women to take part in the drug-fueled, sometimes days-long performances in hotel rooms while he watched. Combs, the founder of Bad Boy Records, has pleaded not guilty to charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. His lawyers have acknowledged that Combs was occasionally abusive in domestic relationships, but say the women who took part in Freak Offs did so consensually. Jane, the third alleged sex abuse victim of Combs to testify at his trial in Manhattan federal court, told jurors last week that she was "head over heels" for Combs at the outset of their relationship, which lasted from 2021 through 2024. She testified that most of the time they spent together involved sex performances with male escorts in hotel rooms, even though she wanted to go on dates with just Combs. She said Combs - whose net worth Forbes estimated at above $1 billion in 2022 - threatened to stop paying her rent when she said she wanted to stop having sex with other men. Combs' defense lawyers are due to cross-examine Jane later this week. The trial is in its fifth week. Combs could face life in prison if convicted on all counts. Also known throughout his career as Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, Combs turned artists like Notorious B.I.G. and Usher into stars, elevating hip-hop in American culture and becoming a billionaire in the process. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
AsiaOne
2 days 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]]
