05-05-2025
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' Sex-Trafficking Trial Expected To Last Nearly Three Months, Judge Tells Potential Jurors
Hundreds of potential jurors are being interviewed starting today for Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking trial by the judge & lawyers in a case that could see the one-time mimi-mogul behind bars for life if found guilty.
Making a joke that the process of selecting a panel for the Combs trial resembles the density of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, Judge Arun Subramanian opened Monday's session by informing potential jurors and the courtroom he expects the multi-charge trial to last up to eight weeks. That's eight weeks from when opening statements from the U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District and the Marc Agnifilo- and Teny Geragos-led legal team begin on May 12.
More from Deadline
Sean "Diddy" Combs Admits Rejecting Feds' Sex Trafficking Plea Deal Just Before Trial; Jury Selection Begins Next Week
Tom Cruise Shows Support For 'Sinners' Congratulating Ryan Coogler & Michael B. Jordan: "Must See In A Cinema"
Canada Rebukes Trump & Tariffs With Big Election Win For PM Carney & Once Flailing Liberals
As he has been for almost every hearing since his arrest back in September, a sweater wearing Combs was in court this morning. The much accused 'It's All About the Benjamins' performer came straight t the Manhattan courthouse from Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center.
Jury selection Monday for the incarcerated Combs' case comes over six months after the Bad Boy Founder was arrested in a New York City hotel lobby by law enforcement. Claiming innocence and entering a not guilty plea, the 55-year-old Combs was initially facing one claim each of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. This year, subsequent indictments have added forced labor allegations and two additional charges of sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution – which were put on paper last month.
Amidst disarray at the powerful SDNY office since Donald Trump returned to power, Combs was offered a plea deal with a reduced sentence. The defendant rejected the deal, Diddy told the court last week. With four victims listed in the indictments, the feds allege that Combs and his inner circle coerced ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, other women and men into marathon sordid sexual encounters called 'freak-offs.' The sessions included male and female prostitutes, drug use, threats of violence and imprisonment in the hotel rooms where the acts were staged and videotaped.
To that, the testimony of Victim-1 a.k.a. Ventura, who had a quickly settled ($30 million) assault and abuse suit with Combs in November 2023, could prove pivotal in the trial. Despite the efforts and legal moves of the defense, Judge Subramanian has decided the jury will see the brutal 2016 LA hotel security footage of a half-naked Combs chasing an escaping Ventura down a hallway, beating her and dragging the singer back to their room where a 'freak-off' was underway.
The video, which Combs bought for $50,000 the day after the event, was first made public by CNN last spring and is widely seen as the most damning piece of evidence against Combs. After the footage was broadcast wall-to-wall on cable news, the defendant first apologized for the attack on Ventura. Combs has now deleted that apology from his social media and his attorney have tried to undermine the footage from a variety of angles.
Aiming to get a jury out of over 150 prospects in the next three days, Judge Subramanian also noted that the trial will run from 9:30 am – 5 pm ET for the first week. The matter will go to 9 am – 5 pm ET beginning the week of May 19.
In the first round of jurors, all of whom have already filled out an extensive questionnaire on their fitness for the trial and knowledge of the high-profile case, there were discussions of celebrity relationships (Michael B Jordan and Mike Myers came up), family connections and careers, instances of sexual abuse and the death penalty. As is the case during cases like this, the defense challenged several potential jurors, but to little effect as the time conscious Judge Arun Subramanian wanted to keep the process moving.
In addition to this criminal case, Combs is charged in dozens of civil actions (mostly from Texas-based attorney Tony Buzbee) claiming assault and abuse. A couple of the cases have been tossed out, while one involving Jay-Z, who vehemently denied any misconduct as a co-defendant in allegations of raping a 13-year-old after the 2000 MTV VMAs, was dismissed by the plaintiff Jane Doe in February.
Best of Deadline
2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery
Brad Pitt's Apple 'F1' Movie: Everything We Know So Far
Everything We Know About 'Nine Perfect Strangers' Season 2 So Far
