Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty
Appearances
Diddy On Trial
Singer Cassie testifies in Diddy’s trial
BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts Hello and welcome back to Didi on Trial from BBC Sounds with me Anoushka Matanda-Dowdy. Make sure you subscribe and turn on your push notifications so you never miss a thing. Now it's only day two of the trial but today is massive.
Diddy On Trial
Singer Cassie testifies in Diddy’s trial
This is the shocking moment English football has been dreading. Bloodgate. I'm not sure we've had anything like it before or since in terms of what it actually meant for the sport. Sports Strangest Crimes. Listen on BBC Sounds.
Diddy On Trial
Singer Cassie testifies in Diddy’s trial
They were one of Hollywood's most recognizable power couples. But in November 2023, Cassie dropped a bombshell civil lawsuit alleging a decade of abuse. She alleged that Sean Diddy Combs raped, sexually assaulted her and forced her to engage in sex acts with commercial male sex workers. The lawsuit was settled a day after it was filed for an undisclosed amount.
Diddy On Trial
Singer Cassie testifies in Diddy’s trial
To be clear, this was a civil lawsuit, so it was concerned with monetary compensation. This federal trial that we're at today is about Didi's freedom, and Cassie is the prosecution's main witness. For any jurors who weren't aware of Cassie before the trial, yesterday they were shown CCTV footage taken from the hallway of a hotel in 2016 where Didi assaults Cassie.
Diddy On Trial
Singer Cassie testifies in Diddy’s trial
Now I'm about to go into the courtroom with my producer. There's no tech allowed, no phones, no recorders. You just get a notepad and a pen. As soon as we come out, we'll update you on what Cassie had to say. It's 5pm. We're stood outside the court after a very intense testimony from Cassie, which is going to carry on into tomorrow.
Diddy On Trial
Singer Cassie testifies in Diddy’s trial
I'm here with Sakshi Venkatraman, the digital reporter in New York for the BBC. Sakshi, can you first fill us in on what happened this morning with the cross-examination of the male escort, Daniel Phillip?
Diddy On Trial
Singer Cassie testifies in Diddy’s trial
Victim One, who has now been officially named as Didi's former romantic partner Cassie Ventura, takes the stand as the prosecution's main witness. Just a warning, this episode contains descriptions of violence, sexual violence and graphic descriptions of sex. Now, reminder, Sean Diddy Combs is accused of sex trafficking, transportation for prostitution and racketeering with conspiracy.
Diddy On Trial
Singer Cassie testifies in Diddy’s trial
Cassie Ventura, we heard from her for the first time today. It was intense. She was emotional at times. Cassie turned up wearing brown cotton dress where you could see that she was pregnant and she sat down and she began.
Diddy On Trial
Singer Cassie testifies in Diddy’s trial
It was a long testimony. It's going to go on into tomorrow. And the biggest theme was during this relationship, which we know lasted over a decade, I did things that I didn't want to do and she offered kind of three different explanations for why that was. One of them was fear and she spoke about physical aggression.
Diddy On Trial
Singer Cassie testifies in Diddy’s trial
Now she said the first time that she experienced physical aggression was before the freak-offs. Can you just fill in a little bit of the picture she painted about the goings-on between her and Diddy?
Diddy On Trial
Singer Cassie testifies in Diddy’s trial
She also speaks about freak-offs in great detail. And we're calling them freak-offs. I know some people have had questions about that because that is what the federal government are calling them. And it's a term that we've heard was originated by Diddy. Now, she speaks about the first time she was introduced to what that meant and him kind of saying, this is what I'm into.
Diddy On Trial
Singer Cassie testifies in Diddy’s trial
And she spoke about that a lot, like loving him, wanting to make him happy and not wanting him to feel judged about like his sexual proclivities, particularly in relation to the freak-offs. But she does speak about how it turned from what some might call a threesome or voyeurism into more like an occupation. Can you just fill me in what she said with that?
Diddy On Trial
Singer Cassie testifies in Diddy’s trial
He denies all the charges and says he's never sexually assaulted anyone, man or woman, adult or minor. If found guilty, he could end up spending the rest of his life behind bars. I'm stood outside the federal courtroom in lower Manhattan, New York. And today, inside that courtroom, R&B singer Cassie Ventura is giving her much-anticipated testimony.
Diddy On Trial
Singer Cassie testifies in Diddy’s trial
And she did speak about control a lot. And she spoke about the overarching control that she alleges he had over her life. And it kind of started with comments on her aesthetic appearance into how she was acting. They did speak about it, how it extended into kind of body piercings. And then the conversations around breast augmentation, expressing like differences he wanted in her opinion.
Diddy On Trial
Singer Cassie testifies in Diddy’s trial
like it really started to take its toll on her the prosecution asked her the question which i imagine the defense are going to ask as well and lots of people on social media have been voicing for months why did you keep doing stuff if you didn't want to do it and this related specifically to the freak-offs what did she say about why she went through with these things particularly the freak-offs like you said days-long drug-fueled orgies why did she keep doing them
Diddy On Trial
Singer Cassie testifies in Diddy’s trial
Yeah, so she gave those like three reasons for why she continued to do stuff she was uncomfortable with. And the prosecution didn't stop there. I mean, they did really ask her to go into detail about the kind of stuff she was doing that she felt uncomfortable with. And it's a, you know, it's a tricky lesson. And
Diddy On Trial
Singer Cassie testifies in Diddy’s trial
It is extremely busy here, busier than it was yesterday. We've got press from every major media organisation here and we're all penned in in these little cages that the police have put up. Some people are here to support Diddy, some people are playing his music, some people are outside playing Cassie's music. We've got podcasters and TikTokers who are recording all the time throughout the day.
Diddy On Trial
Singer Cassie testifies in Diddy’s trial
I'll do another warning here, it's quite graphic if you're listening, sexually explicit. She does detail stuff that happened during those sexual performances, those freak-offs that she didn't enjoy at all. What kind of stuff did she talk about?
Diddy On Trial
Singer Cassie testifies in Diddy’s trial
And sometimes when people think the family's coming out or they can get a glimpse of lawyers, people just start running down the street with their phones, with their cameras, everybody trying to get a slice of the action. Yesterday, some of Diddy's children left the testimony at lunchtime and the press just swarmed to them. They were getting into a black SUV.
Diddy On Trial
Singer Cassie testifies in Diddy’s trial
Now, something else that came up that we've heard a lot about before is the baby oil aspect. You know, the defense addressed this in their opening statement saying, you've probably heard of his love of baby oil. You know, that's not a federal crime. But in this side of the story, the story we heard from Cassie, we started to hear how that baby oil was being used and how it was
Diddy On Trial
Singer Cassie testifies in Diddy’s trial
in an environment that made her feel very uncomfortable.
Diddy On Trial
Singer Cassie testifies in Diddy’s trial
Some of the stuff that the prosecution said in opening statements get picked up on today by Cassie and she was emotional at some point, but it's not over. She hasn't finished giving her testimony. What's kind of the schedule looking like for tomorrow?
Diddy On Trial
Singer Cassie testifies in Diddy’s trial
But we definitely know that the jury will be seeing those tapes that are pornographic in nature and taking it into consideration when they decide whether he's guilty or not. Sakshi, thank you so much for coming and filling us in today. I know it won't be the last time. Thank you so much for having me. I'm sure I'll see you again soon.
Diddy On Trial
Singer Cassie testifies in Diddy’s trial
Everybody was clambering, trying to get a shot of them, trying to ask them questions. Now, we told you yesterday late in the afternoon we had some extremely graphic details about Diddy's sex life with Cassie from a male escort. Today, Cassie's inside that courtroom telling her own story. Cassie dated Sean Diddy Combs for more than a decade.
Diddy On Trial
Singer Cassie testifies in Diddy’s trial
That's it for this episode of Diddy on Trial from BBC Sounds with me, Anushka Matandadauti. Make sure you subscribe and turn on your push notifications so you never miss a thing. There was terror that it could tear the house down. On BBC Sounds, this is Sports Strangest Crimes. A French football scandal. Betrayal. Plots. We've gone beyond women's football in France. Confessions of a match fixer.
Diddy On Trial
BBC exclusive: ‘Women flown in for sex’
BBC Sounds. Music, radio, podcasts. Hello and welcome back to Diddy on Trial from BBC Sounds with me, Anushka Matanda-Doughty. You know the drill. Subscribe and turn on your push notifications so you never miss a thing.
Diddy On Trial
BBC exclusive: ‘Women flown in for sex’
I think that's going to be quite striking to a lot of people because when you think of Bad Boy, the way it was then packaged afterwards was this is the family. I mean, he referred to it as the family. And when Biggie died, that was how a lot of it was marketed. But you've told us women were being compared.
Diddy On Trial
BBC exclusive: ‘Women flown in for sex’
He's compared it to ordering a takeaway, flying women in from around the States and that coming from a corporate budget.
Diddy On Trial
BBC exclusive: ‘Women flown in for sex’
I feel like a lot of people might say, particularly people who were around during that generation of music, you're coming off the back of gangster rap and then you've got kind of hip-hop culture that's luxurious, it's fast cars, nice suits, and they might hear Diddy wandering around in his underpants in the mail room Well, that's what it was. That's how it is. That's the rap star lifestyle.
Diddy On Trial
BBC exclusive: ‘Women flown in for sex’
But you've just told us from Daniel, I mean, in Daniel's own words, there were people within the working environment who were 14, 15 years old in the mailroom. They were around. They might not have been in there at that specific time. But in the workplace, there were very, very young people where this was happening.
Diddy On Trial
BBC exclusive: ‘Women flown in for sex’
So the picture that we get from this investigation from the people you've spoken to is that this thing that's the establishment of his legacy was actually a really, at times, inappropriate space and a space that made people feel uncomfortable. And a lot of people will ask, well, why didn't you speak out then? Why didn't you say, I'm not comfortable working here? Why didn't you leave?
Diddy On Trial
BBC exclusive: ‘Women flown in for sex’
Yeah, and I suppose we're really only beginning to have meaningful conversations about music industry, workplace culture now. I mean, throughout this entire thing, people have been questioning whether you should have 3am studio sessions, whether you should, you know, go from the club straight to your place of work.
Diddy On Trial
BBC exclusive: ‘Women flown in for sex’
So in the 90s, I mean, if we're having those conversations now, they probably weren't present there at all. But you spoke to Daniel while you were in New York as you went out there investigate it. And he gives a picture of what it was like at the time. Was it easy to get him to open up to you? What was the process like?
Diddy On Trial
BBC exclusive: ‘Women flown in for sex’
This investigation has painted a picture of Bad Boy that Diddy didn't paint himself. So you've put these... accusations, allegations to his team. What have they said?
Diddy On Trial
BBC exclusive: ‘Women flown in for sex’
When you do an investigation like this and you're making allegations about a person, because he's a person and he deserves to be treated fairly, whatever the court of public opinion may have decided, this is still an innocent man. The only thing we know he's done is assault Cassie in the hallway of that hotel.
Diddy On Trial
BBC exclusive: ‘Women flown in for sex’
When you are conducting your investigation, you do not just speak to one person and say, oh, they told me this, off I go. The process is, it's far more in depth than that.
Diddy On Trial
BBC exclusive: ‘Women flown in for sex’
And you've been speaking to Tony Busby. Now, if you remember, this is the Texan lawyer who claimed to have more than 150 cases against Sean Combs that he's going to file. Now he's kind of picking up pace again. What's going on there?
Diddy On Trial
BBC exclusive: ‘Women flown in for sex’
Yeah, and I imagine the other artists as well. I mean, the connection there with other people that he found, discovered. But he is still innocent. He is still innocent. And I think it's really important that you brought up that there are other people out there who...
Diddy On Trial
BBC exclusive: ‘Women flown in for sex’
completely see him as a man worthy of legendary status, a man who was a great rapper and a great sort of business founder and moulder. And yes, we do not hear from them as much. And do you think that's because people are, have people expressed that's because they're scared of speaking out positively about him?
Diddy On Trial
BBC exclusive: ‘Women flown in for sex’
Sean Diddy Combs, aka Diddy, aka Puffy, or Brother Love, take your pick, is in a New York jail awaiting trial in May on charges of sex trafficking, transportation for prostitution, and racketeering with conspiracy. He denies all the allegations against him. In this episode, we're bringing you an exclusive from the BBC's investigations team.
Diddy On Trial
BBC exclusive: ‘Women flown in for sex’
Rihanna, thank you so much for coming on the pod and sharing your investigation with us. It's going to be up as an article. Thank you so much. We really appreciate it. Thank you. That's it for this episode of Diddy on Trial. Make sure you subscribe on BBC Sounds so you never miss a thing. And if you've got a question for us, send it through on WhatsApp at 0330 123 5551. That's 0330 123 5551.
Diddy On Trial
BBC exclusive: ‘Women flown in for sex’
Because he gets this kind of reputation for being the good time guy. He's slick, he's well dressed, he's got money and the business side of it is working really well. The music side of it, he's established himself as sort of a picker of stars. You mentioned Biggie Smalls there and you focused in on this particular period of his life. What did you find?
Diddy On Trial
BBC exclusive: ‘Women flown in for sex’
They've been speaking to industry insiders who knew him during his meteoric rise in the 1990s. They say they recall a culture of big money, threats of violence, and sex in the studios of his Bad Boy record label.
Diddy On Trial
BBC exclusive: ‘Women flown in for sex’
So we're hearing there about the workplace culture at Bad Boy, which Bad Boy really is what's imbued him with the credibility of being one of the greats. I think a lot of music critics would say he's not lyrically the best rapper out there. I think that's a fair thing to say. He'd probably say that himself. But he had this sort of reputation for establishing legacy.
Diddy On Trial
BBC exclusive: ‘Women flown in for sex’
But you've just told us about a workplace that has potentially... inappropriate working relationships between interns and people in positions of power. What did Daniel tell you about how women were treated specifically at Bad Boy?
Diddy On Trial
BBC exclusive: ‘Women flown in for sex’
Sean Combs' legal team has denied the accusation. Rhianna Croxford, the BBC's investigations correspondent, is with me today to tell me what she found. Hi, Rhianna. Hi. Well, first of all, when did you start investigating Diddy?
Diddy On Trial
BBC exclusive: ‘Women flown in for sex’
He really was there pretty much since the foundation of the company, right? Because it was, is it 93 it started and he was there 94? Yeah, exactly. We're hearing there about a hookup culture with interns, but not specifically Diddy and interns. It was a general culture.
Diddy On Trial
BBC exclusive: ‘Women flown in for sex’
But he does talk to you specifically about Diddy and the changes he may have gone through now his life changed massively during this period how does he say that the money the fame the label success changed him?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence question ‘inconsistencies’ in Dawn Richard’s testimony
BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts Hello and welcome back to Diddy on Trial from BBC Sounds with me Anushka Matanda-Dowdy. Just a warning, this episode contains descriptions of violence. Here at the Southern District of New York Court, it's week two in the trial of Sean Diddy Combs.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence question ‘inconsistencies’ in Dawn Richard’s testimony
But then he went into what day-to-day life was like working for Diddy. And the picture that he painted was one of all-encompassing, all-consuming.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence question ‘inconsistencies’ in Dawn Richard’s testimony
He spent so much time with Diddy, he ended up hearing, overhearing some conversations. And the prosecution asked him about conversations he overheard about Cassie. What did he have to say?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence question ‘inconsistencies’ in Dawn Richard’s testimony
So we're going to hear more from David tomorrow. I think the government said they have another hour with him. And then a list of witnesses that they claim they're going to get through tomorrow, including, I think, Cassie's mum was mentioned on there. Neda, thank you so much for breaking that down for us today. Anytime. That was Neda Tawfiq, the BBC's New York correspondent.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence question ‘inconsistencies’ in Dawn Richard’s testimony
You've been listening to Diddy on Trial from BBC Sounds with me, Anushka Matanda-Doughty. Please keep sending in your questions on WhatsApp at 0330 123 5551. Make sure you subscribe and turn on your push notifications so you never miss a thing. And details of organisations offering information and support with some of the issues raised are available at bbc.co.uk forward slash action line.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence question ‘inconsistencies’ in Dawn Richard’s testimony
A French football scandal. Betrayal. Plots. We've gone beyond women's football in France. Confessions of the match fixer. This is the shocking moment English football has been dreading. Bloodgate.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence question ‘inconsistencies’ in Dawn Richard’s testimony
So for our listeners who don't know, cross-examination is where the defense can basically pick up on anything that the witness has said in their direct testimony. And Dawn had spoken in detail about a situation or an incident she said she observed where Cassie was making eggs in the kitchen and then Diddy tries to throw the skillet at her and she drops to the floor in a fetal position.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence question ‘inconsistencies’ in Dawn Richard’s testimony
Is that where the defense picked up with their cross-examination?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence question ‘inconsistencies’ in Dawn Richard’s testimony
Afterwards, she says that Diddy took her and her bandmate, who also witnessed it, into a studio, locked the door, and made what she perceived to be a threat, saying, you know, this was an instance of passion between lovers, I wouldn't talk about it if I were you, you know, where I'm from, people who talk, they disappear. What did they have to say about that?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence question ‘inconsistencies’ in Dawn Richard’s testimony
He's fighting for his freedom on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering with conspiracy and transportation for prostitution. Charges he's always denied. Last week, his former partner, Cassie Ventura, gave some graphic testimony as part of the prosecution's evidence against Diddy and was also questioned by his defence team.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence question ‘inconsistencies’ in Dawn Richard’s testimony
And then you have something called redirect, which is where the prosecution can pick up on what the defense have just done in cross-examination and kind of try and re-clarify points or go over something that could potentially restore the credibility of the person who's just spoken. Where did they pick up with Dawn?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence question ‘inconsistencies’ in Dawn Richard’s testimony
Kerry Morgan is somebody that was referenced a lot in Cassie's direct testimony and in the cross-examination. She was Cassie's best friend for 17 years, met in 2001, a fellow model. And we heard from Cassie that they haven't spoken to each other since there was an incident in 2018. And I thought when Kerry took the stand and they asked her, why are you here?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence question ‘inconsistencies’ in Dawn Richard’s testimony
It was very clear that she didn't really want to be here.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence question ‘inconsistencies’ in Dawn Richard’s testimony
And the prosecution began with Kerry with a lot of world building about what her and Cassie's relationship was like when they first met and their life together.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence question ‘inconsistencies’ in Dawn Richard’s testimony
Now, we expected that the press would have kind of packed up and moved on after the first week, but there's still people here and it's also blowing a gale, but at least it's not raining like it was last week. That was a nightmare. Now, inside the courtroom, there's a different feeling. Me and my producer went in a bit earlier and people are acting like we're watching the TV.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence question ‘inconsistencies’ in Dawn Richard’s testimony
They also asked her to clarify how she perceived Cassie changing during the relationship. And she was pretty forthcoming about that.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence question ‘inconsistencies’ in Dawn Richard’s testimony
And in a similar way that they did with Dawn Rashad, they also got Carrie to speak about instances of violence she alleges she witnessed. And she brought up two in different places that she went into great detail about, the first being in L.A.,
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence question ‘inconsistencies’ in Dawn Richard’s testimony
She also described an incident of violence that she alleges she witnessed in Jamaica. And that involved Cassie falling to the floor and hitting her head on a brick.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence question ‘inconsistencies’ in Dawn Richard’s testimony
They're calling out their opinions. There's laughing. There's clapping. One person whistled. We're going to head back in now to find out what's going on today. And we'll hear from Neda later to give us all the details on what went down in court. OK, so we're stood outside the court. It's 3.15. The judge did promise we were going to be finishing at three from now on.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence question ‘inconsistencies’ in Dawn Richard’s testimony
She did speak about something in 2016 that spoke a little bit to what Cassie was talking about, about Diddy turning up at her house, wherever she was staying. Carrie was talking about Diddy turning up at the door with something that could be interpreted as a weapon.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence question ‘inconsistencies’ in Dawn Richard’s testimony
The final kind of component of the story between Kerry and Cassie is this fallout. We've heard about it in 2018. Cassie told us about him coming to her apartment and kind of hitting Carrie with an object. But this time Carrie told it in her own words and she added some extra details we hadn't heard before.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence question ‘inconsistencies’ in Dawn Richard’s testimony
I'm here with Neda Tawfiq, the BBC's New York correspondent. Neda, the day started with Dawn Rashad. We heard from her before a little bit. She went over some of the allegations she had about Diddy. Is that where we picked up?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence question ‘inconsistencies’ in Dawn Richard’s testimony
So in the cross-examination, we heard the defense kind of pursue a line of thought that they have before, particularly in the opening statements. They asked...
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence question ‘inconsistencies’ in Dawn Richard’s testimony
We got another witness right at the end. Wasn't on for very long, but came after Kerry, and it's the first assistant, executive assistant of Diddy's we've heard from, and his name is David James.
Diddy On Trial
Jurors in Diddy trial shown video of Cassie assault
And he talks about another instance of violence where Cassie runs from the room and kind of jumps into his lap and she's shaking. And he tries to speak to her and say, well, why are you staying with this man? What are you doing? And she says, tries to reassure him, I'm fine, I'm fine.
Diddy On Trial
Jurors in Diddy trial shown video of Cassie assault
He does speak to a bit of a friendship building up between the two of them and expressed that he was quite worried about her.
Diddy On Trial
Jurors in Diddy trial shown video of Cassie assault
Now, this is a really packed day because we had peremptory strikes in the morning, then opening statements, then a security officer, now the testimony of this male escort. So by the time he took the stand, it was like 4.30. So what exactly did we hear from cross-examination, if anything?
Diddy On Trial
Jurors in Diddy trial shown video of Cassie assault
Neda, thank you so much for breaking that down for us today and I'll catch up with you tomorrow where we expect to hear the testimony from Cassie. Yeah, that's right. That's it for this episode of Diddy on Trial from BBC Sounds with me, Anushka Matanda-Doughty. Make sure you subscribe and turn on your push notifications so you never miss a thing.
Diddy On Trial
Jurors in Diddy trial shown video of Cassie assault
Music, radio, podcasts. Hello and welcome to Diddy on Trial from BBC Sounds with me, Anushka Matanda-Dowdy. Make sure you subscribe and turn on your push notifications so you never miss a thing. Just a warning, this episode contains descriptions of violence, sexual violence and graphic descriptions of sex.
Diddy On Trial
Jurors in Diddy trial shown video of Cassie assault
As part of this, they talk about the freak-offs, and we've heard about the freak-offs a lot all over social media. And they define them as these drug-fueled, days-long orgies with commercial male sex workers. Now, with Cassie, they say that she took drugs and at one point she overdosed, but they also talk about Jane, who was a sick mum, in a relationship with him.
Diddy On Trial
Jurors in Diddy trial shown video of Cassie assault
What did they have to say about her at the freak-offs at the drug-taking?
Diddy On Trial
Jurors in Diddy trial shown video of Cassie assault
Sean Diddy Combs is accused of sex trafficking, transportation for prostitution, and racketeering with conspiracy. He denies all the charges and says he's never sexually assaulted anyone, man or woman, adult or minor. If found guilty, he could end up spending the rest of his life behind bars. I've been catching up with the BBC's New York correspondent, Neda Tawfiq, throughout the day.
Diddy On Trial
Jurors in Diddy trial shown video of Cassie assault
Something else that perhaps we haven't seen as much about in relation to the free cops is that these alleged victims, the prosecution say, were responsible for organizing them. What do they have to say about that?
Diddy On Trial
Jurors in Diddy trial shown video of Cassie assault
And they talk about in relation to the force element of the charge, so forced fraud or coercion, the threats of violence and violence. At some points, Cassie in particular had suffered assaults and suffered bruising and then being kept in hotel rooms. What else do they have to say about that?
Diddy On Trial
Jurors in Diddy trial shown video of Cassie assault
And that's the overarching message that the prosecution were introducing as well. He could not do this alone. There was an inner circle of people who were supporting him and helping him cover this up. What did they have to say about that?
Diddy On Trial
Jurors in Diddy trial shown video of Cassie assault
We've had jury selection finalised and that group of 12 people have already heard from two witnesses, one security guard and one male sex worker. We also got opening statements from both sides. I caught up with Neda straight after those first arguments.
Diddy On Trial
Jurors in Diddy trial shown video of Cassie assault
completely different story that we got from the defense and it starts in quite a unique way. How did they choose to begin?
Diddy On Trial
Jurors in Diddy trial shown video of Cassie assault
And they went a long way in saying he's going to own these mistakes that he's made. He's going to own this domestic violence, own these incidences of aggression. They also went away in owning some of the stuff that we've heard. The baby oil, the high heels, the free cops. What did they have to say about that?
Diddy On Trial
Jurors in Diddy trial shown video of Cassie assault
So they also spoke a lot about the evidence, as did the prosecution. Another piece of evidence, again, back to this video in 2016, what did they have to say about the tape that was leaked by CNN?
Diddy On Trial
Jurors in Diddy trial shown video of Cassie assault
So we're not sure what's going to happen for the rest of the day. They've hinted that victim one might appear. We know a male escort's going to give some testimony. I know you've got to go back inside. We will catch up with you later. So we knew we were going to get opening statements today from the prosecution and the defense, but I didn't expect there to be quite so many captivating witnesses.
Diddy On Trial
Jurors in Diddy trial shown video of Cassie assault
And there really were. It was quite an intense witness testimony that we had. I've got Neda Tawfiq with me, the New York correspondent, who's going to go through what we heard from a male escort.
Diddy On Trial
Jurors in Diddy trial shown video of Cassie assault
But they also start to talk about other things that Cassie, in particular, asked him to do. What kind of stuff did they detail?
Diddy On Trial
Jurors in Diddy trial shown video of Cassie assault
Yeah. So that switch that he talks about, I mean, he details not having a bad time. I mean, he went back, he did it again of his own free will. And then it comes to a halt in about 2013, 2014. And he says that he was having performance related issues. But he spoke specifically about when that started. What did he say?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
And then we get to the allegations about News Nation, saying that they didn't check or corroborate any of these claims before they broadcast them and spoke about them as if they were absolute truths. News Nation didn't respond to us, but it's alleged that they didn't go to Diddy for comment at all.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
And that's for every new claim you make about, in this case Diddy, we'd have to re-reach out to his team and put that to them, which is why they hear from us every week or sometimes every day. But in the lawsuit, they're saying that that's not what happened and it was allowed to be spoken about as if it was an absolute truth. So we asked News Nation and they haven't responded about that.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
And just as a final question, can this actually proceed until he's dealt with his criminal trial? Can they sit for a deposition or do we have to wait until the federal trial is over?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
And I just want to say once again, we have reached out to Ariel, Courtney and News Nation about these allegations and have not yet received a response. However, as I mentioned, Ariel has told People Magazine, this is just a pathetic ploy to silence victims and people who stand up for victims.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
I look forward to counter suing and ensuring the court punishes not only Diddy, but also his lawyers who filed this pathetic lawsuit for this frivolous and meritless filing. Courtney Burgess hat auch von den New York Times gesagt, ich stehe bei meinem Wort. Er hatte viel Nerv, jemanden zu besuchen, wenn er in den Gefängnis zerstört wird, für all die Dinge, die er getan hat.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
Helping me go through it all is our resident Dream Team Criminal Defense Attorney, Sean Kent. Hi, Sean. Hey, guys. How are you all doing? And Rolling Stones Senior Investigative Reporter, Cheyenne Roundtree. Hi, Cheyenne. Hi. So first we're going to have a look at the documentary, the ID Rolling Stone documentary that dropped on Monday and Tuesday. And there's a lot in it.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
Vielen Dank, dass Sie uns heute mitgebracht haben. Cheyenne, Sie bleiben mit uns, um uns auf Ihre neue Investition zu befinden. Sean, haben Sie einen schönen Rest Ihres Tages. Vielen Dank.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
So Cheyenne, your new investigation has broken this week on Wednesday and it's a long piece and it tells a story about Mr. Combs post 2016. So it's post the assault of Cassie in the hotel hallway. Now when he came out on Instagram and apologized for that and what's been reflected in his defense team statements about that. ist, that it was a low point, a really dark time. He deeply regrets it.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
He takes full accountability and he'd work to better himself after that. That is not what your investigation reflects. It's all still allegations, but in your piece you tell a very different story. Now, Diddy's team has sent the BBC a statement about this investigation. In the statement they told us, Anyone. Man or woman, adult or minor.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
Fortunately, a fair and impartial judicial process exists to separate fact from fiction. And Mr. Combs is confident that he will prevail in court. His team also told us, Rolling Stone in the docuseries appears to focus on creating a media frenzy rather than providing a balanced factual portrayal of Mr. Combs.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
Many of the allegations seem selectively drawn from unsupported claims to construct a misleading narrative. Now, there are a few different people that I want to pick up on. In the investigation. But I want to start with Phil Pines. He was an assistant to Sean Diddy Combs for multiple years. I think he started in 2019. Shane, can you talk me through what he alleges he went through?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
It was four hours long, I believe, both parts. Four hours with a special at the end of it. And we know that we've kind of had an influx of Diddy documentaries and there have been lots of different teams and their investigations are culminating and they're showing us what they found. One of the bits that stood out to me in this was the testimony of his ex-girlfriend.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
Xian, can you talk us through exactly what she alleged?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
So, this piece covers Phil's allegations there was already a lawsuit out about that. It also references another lawsuit that people following along the case would have remembered. It was filed by a stewardess on a yacht called Grace. And this is an event that took place around Christmas 2022. What did she allege in the lawsuit?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
Und Grace sagt, er hat seine Kleidung entfernt und versucht, sie zu verbreiten, um moralen Sex auf ihn zu machen. Wir haben das schon gehört. Wie gesagt, das war ein Verbrechen, der verabschiedet wurde. Aber wir haben schon über Korroboration gesprochen, wenn wir über vorherige Angelegenheiten sprechen und manchmal, wie es sehr schwierig ist, besonders wenn es alte Angelegenheiten sind.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
Aber Sie sind in irgendeinem Sinne in Korroboration mit Graces Angelegenheit hier.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
And have you reached out to Christian Combs' representation and have you got a response from them?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
So then you talk about a sex worker that you spoke to, who I think is using the pseudonym Nathan. And he was employed by Diddy over a period of years. Can you talk to me about what Nathan alleges he was asked to do by Mr. Combs?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
Und wir haben da ein Bild dargestellt von Drogenverwendung. Nathan geht weiter, um über Drogenverwendung zu sprechen. Er geht weiter, um Diddy, einen Sexaddikten, zu rufen. Und er ist ein obszessiver Drogenaddikt. Das ist ein mächtiges Statement, das man machen muss. Aber es ist etwas, was wir sehen, das in diesen Angelegenheiten konsistent ist.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
Und du hast die Angelegenheiten, die Nathan zu Diddys Team gemacht hat, auch dargestellt. Was antworteten sie dazu?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
Du sprichst auch von einem ehemaligen romantischen Partner von ihm, der das Pseudonym Nicole benutzt. Nun, wir haben in diesem ganzen Episode von Kat am Anfang gehört, die ein ehemaliger romantischer Partner war.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
Yes, she filed as a Jane Doe. Have you had a response from, you've put these allegations to Diddy's team, have you received a response from them?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
Diddy's team have sent the BBC a statement about this investigation. They say, as we have repeatedly said, it is unfortunate that anyone can file a complaint even without any proof. No matter how many lawsuits are filed, it won't change the fact that Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted or sex trafficked anyone, man or woman, adult or minor.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
Fortunately, a fair and impartial judicial process exists to separate fact from fiction and Mr. Combs is confident that he will prevail in court. His team also told us, Rolling Stone and the docuseries appear to focus on creating a media frenzy rather than providing a balanced, factual portrayal of Mr. Combs.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
Many of the allegations seem selectively drawn from unsupported claims to construct a misleading narrative. Cheyenne, thank you so much for joining us again and sharing your investigation with us. We'll see you soon. Thank you for having me. Das war Cheyenne Roundtree, Senior Investigative Reporter für Rolling Stone Magazine.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
Und Diddy's Team hat zu diesem Dokumentarfilm geantwortet. Es sagt, dass diese Dokumentare auf dem Medienzirkus rund um Mr. Combs rutschen, also sie gründen sie zusammen mit den anderen Dokumentaren, die rausgekommen sind.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
Die Produzenten haben nicht genügend Zeit oder Details für seine Repräsentanten, um unsubstanziierte Befragungen zu beantworten, viele von unbekannten Teilnehmern, deren Befragungen kontextlos sind. So that's... The sort of overarching statement they've given about this documentary. Now, what Kat has delivered there is first-hand testimony of something she says happened to her.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
BBC Sounds. Musik, Radio, Podcasts. Hallo und willkommen zurück zu Diddy on Trial von BBC Sounds mit mir, Anushka Matanda-Dowsey. Abonniert euch und drückt die Notifikationen an, damit ihr nichts verpasst. Diese Episode ist packend. Diddys Ex-Gefrein spricht in einem neuen Dokumentarfilm. Es ist einfach schrecklich, um ehrlich zu sein. Ich will einfach nicht in die Details hinein gehen.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
Did Diddy's team directly respond to this allegation?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
Es ist wichtig, dass sie das Recht hat, ihre Geschichte zu erzählen, aber wir können nicht korroborieren, was in diesem Moment passiert ist, weil niemand anderes da war. Du hast die Diary-Einträge erwähnt.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
Dieser Dokument kam am Montagabend, am Dienstagabend. Könnten sie, die Großjury, beginnen, Subpoenas in die Hände von Leuten wie Katz zu stellen?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
Now we need to talk about this $50 million lawsuit that's been filed. I mean, last weekend, me and Cheyenne both woke up to it being in our inboxes sent by Diddy's team. So that was a new one. They were letting us know that they are suing Courtney Burgess, Ariel Mitchell-Kidd and News Nation. Can you talk us through who is Courtney?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
Sean, ist es normal, Presseanlagen zu senden? Nein. Warum würden sie das tun?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
Diddy's Team sagt, nicht so schnell. Wir sehen alle diese Interviews und wir sehen, was du sagst. Diddy negiert alles. Wie auch dieser, befinden sich die berühmten Angeklagten von Diddy in einer 50-Millionen-Dollar-Lawsuit. Mr. Combs war in der Tape und diese andere Person ist, ich würde sagen, mehr hochprofile als Mr. Combs. Wirklich? Und du hast es gesehen?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
Like you were saying about putting the number, and we've spoken about this before, the number being used to sort of garner attention for the specific lawsuit. The lawsuit in and of itself is... It's got some oomph to it. British lawsuits, they do not write them like this. They're quite boring. But if you actually read it, it's got a lot of really colourful language.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
It says, this case is about the defendant's willful scheme to broadcast and fabricate outrageous lies concerning Mr. Combs and then to leverage those falsehoods to gain social media fame, enrich themselves and strip Mr. Combs of his reputation, livelihood and right to a fair trial. I just want to pause there. It's not their responsibility that he gets a right to a fair trial, is it?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
Es sagt, die Defendanten haben, Quote,
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
We asked Ariel Mitchell-Kidd, Courtney Burgess and News Nation for a response. They haven't got back to us. But Ariel has told People magazine, quote, This is just a pathetic ploy to silence victims and people who stand up for victims.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
I look forward to counter-suing and ensuring the court punishes not only Diddy, but also his lawyers who filed this pathetic lawsuit for this frivolous and meritless filing. So that's kind of what we're working with here, the allegations. The specifics are that Mr. Burgess, so Courtney Burgess, He claimed he possessed videos of Mr. Combs involved in the sexual assault of celebrities and minors.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
Ich habe die Fähigkeiten des Videos gesehen.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
And he repeated that claims many times. Now, the issue with News Nation is that they alleged that they repeated and amplified the lies as if they were true. Thus, they were rebroadcast on social and traditional media platforms that reach millions of viewers in the United States and abroad. And he did go on News Nation and claimed to have so-called freak-off tapes, eight of them.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
We asked Mr. Burgess if he stands behind these claims. He did not respond. Shane, I know you mentioned this earlier, that Courtney sort of, he came down on the steps and he revealed that he was a witness that the grand jury had called. When I was looking on social media, it seemed that that imbued him with some sort of credibility. But Sean, the grand jury, they can call anyone, right?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
It doesn't mean that they have anything useful to say.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
Let's say, for argument's sake, he was credible in front of the grand jury.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
und Cheyennes Rolling-Stone-Magazin Investigation Jobs.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
The issue then that they have with his attorney, Ariel Mitchell Kidd, is that she repeated the claims and they say she knew the claims were false at a minimum or at a minimum she was utterly reckless in disregarding their falsity because no such tapes exist and because Mitchell never saw a video depicting Mr. Combs sexually abusing anyone, adult or minor.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
Now Ariel didn't say she saw a video, she said she saw screenshots or stills of a video, but from that she was able to verify that it was Diddy engaged in some sort of sexual activity with another person who she says, I venture to say they're more high profile than Mr. Combs. If you needed to defend Ariel, she could have a good faith belief, right?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s $50m lawsuit - plus the very latest media claims
That those stills that she saw do verify that this was a pornographic tape.
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts. Hello and welcome back to Diddy on Trial from BBC Sounds with me, Anushka Matandadauti. Every week, we're here keeping you up to date on the latest developments in the upcoming Diddy trial. Reminder, Diddy has been charged with sex trafficking, racketeering with conspiracy and transportation for prostitution. He denies all the charges.
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
Yeah. And like you mentioned that this is a these different cases, civil and federal, they've been playing out in the court of public opinion. Cheyenne Busby is a big character. He made himself a central character to this P. Diddy story that's taking place. What is the response been to this online?
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
Yeah. And like you mentioned, with the Jay-Z case, which was then dismissed with prejudice, and we've covered that in previous episodes, they sort of raised the flag saying he's not admitted to practice in the Southern District of New York. So it is interesting that it's the fallout from that particular case. Sean, you did mention this ages ago.
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
Is there any way that this is going to impact his other cases? Because he hasn't just filed civil claims in the Southern District of New York. There are other places where he's permitted to practice, right?
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
And of course, we'll continue to update you as that plays out. And then if he, what did you call it? Pro hoc vice, if he does that.
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
And we've got posts from him on Facebook in 2021 saying she's been, she as in Christina Coram, has been my right hand for the past eight years. Don't know how I'd function without her. So they're close personally. And then on the business side of things as well. What do we know about her since these allegations have come out? You mentioned that she's referred to him as her former boss.
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
If that's just one judge, though, would that apply to all 15 cases or just that particular case?
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
Well, we'll keep you updated on how that progresses. We asked Tony Busby if he'd like to comment any further on his withdrawal from these cases and he hasn't got back to us yet. But finally, today, before we go, an update on the John Pelletier, the current Maui police chief and one of the people named in the Ashley Parham case, that 87 page lawsuit that we covered in detail a few episodes ago.
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
Pelletier had been asked to step down by the Maui mayor yesterday. After his name was linked with the Parham case, he provided a file of evidence, which he says proves he was not involved. And the police commission has accepted this. So for now, he's going to stay in his role. Thank you both for joining me today. Sean, it was lovely to see you. Thank you so much. Thanks for having me.
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
And Cheyenne, we'll be seeing you very soon. Thank you. That's it for today's episode of Diddy on Trial from BBC Sounds with me, Anushka Matandadauti. Don't forget to subscribe and turn on your push notifications so you never miss a thing. And please keep sending us your questions. Anything you'd like to know about the upcoming trial, you can reach us on WhatsApp at 0330 123 5551.
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
That's 0330 123 5551.
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
What else do we know?
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
Yeah, people were speculating that she'd gone missing because she did have public facing profiles on social media, but those seem to have been wiped and her LinkedIn deleted. Now, Cheyenne, you've got a response from her. People have been reaching out to her for months and months trying to get a response. What has she said to you about her involvement or lack of involvement?
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
Sean, we've had two superseding indictments now and she hasn't been added on as a co-defendant. Is there a possibility that she may have gone in and given her own evidence to maybe if she had done something wrong and she could receive sort of take a plea deal there? There's a possibility.
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
He's entered a not guilty plea and says he never sexually assaulted anyone, man or woman, adult or minor. In today's episode, the woman known as Diddy's right-hand woman, Christina Coram, or KK, has responded to the multiple allegations against her. She says, I've never condoned or aided and abetted the sexual assault of anyone, nor have I ever drugged anyone.
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
And we haven't really covered what she's been accused of in these three different civil lawsuits. So Lil Rod is a producer who was working with Diddy in the Love Off The Grid album that came out in 2022. She was accused early in a lawsuit from him, which was filed for $30 million. Basically, he says, quote, as a heterosexual Christian man, Mr. Jones was uncomfortable with Mr. Combs's advances.
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
So he says that Diddy was making sexual advances towards him without his consent. And Mr. Jones expressed his discomfort to Mr. Combs's chief of staff, Christina Coram. who responded to Mr Jones's complaint with, you know, Sean, Sean will be Sean.
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
And there are other allegations along the same nature of sort of placating people's frustration, upset, discomfort and saying, oh, well, you know, that's just how he shows love. That's what he does. And those are in that lawsuit. Now, Diddy denies all the allegations in Lil Rod's civil lawsuit, but we see similar allegations
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
allegations put forward by phil pines and his civil lawsuit as well saying that when he went to christina with concerns about the way people were being treated of violence that he'd witnessed from diddy towards a woman that she said well don't speak about that again so sean is that not corroboration in full conduct of somebody who seems to be keeping a lid on bad goings on
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
I should say that Diddy echoes this in his responses. He says, as we've repeatedly said, it's unfortunate that anyone can file a complaint even without any proof. No matter how many lawsuits are filed, it won't change the fact that Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted or sex trafficked anyone, man or woman, adult or minor.
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
Fortunately, a fair and impartial judicial process exists to separate fact from fiction. And Mr. Combs is confident that he will prevail in court. I did want to pick up on one element, though, that Mr. Jones, Lil Rod, goes into saying that Diddy would sort of run around with no clothes on or start to undress and Christina would immediately excuse herself and leave.
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
Shane, can you fill in a little bit of what he's kind of alleging there?
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
And Tony Busby, the Texan lawyer who claimed to have over 150 cases against Diddy, withdraws from 15 cases in the Southern District of New York. Helping me unpack this all today is our resident criminal defense attorney, Sean Kent. Hi, Sean. Hey, guys. How are y'all doing? And Rolling Stone's senior investigative reporter, Cheyenne Roundtree. Hi, Cheyenne. Hi. Good morning.
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
Sean, if she did absent herself, how might that work in her defense?
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
And earlier this week, Judge J. Paul Ertgen in New York looked at this lawsuit from Lil Rod as Sean Combs has asked for it to be dismissed.
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
The judge granted Combs' request in part dismissing the allegation of RICO against Combs and Coram, as well as negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress claims, breach of contract claims and the Trafficking Victims Protection Act claims against Combs Global.
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
However, he refused to dismiss the TVPA, Trafficking Victims Protection Act, claims against Coram and Combs, as well as sexual assault and liability claims. Judge Ertgen also gave a warning to Little World's lawyer, Tyrone Blackburn, saying, quote, his filings are replete with inaccurate statements of law, conclusory accusations and inappropriate attacks on opposing counsel.
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
We asked Tyrone Blackburn for his response and he sent us this. We've reached out to Christina Coram or KK multiple times for a comment and she hasn't responded, but she has now given a statement. She said, "...for months, horrific accusations have been made about me in various lawsuits regarding my former boss.
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
These false allegations of my involvement are causing irreparable and incalculable damage to my reputation and the emotional well-being of myself and my family. I have never condoned or aided and abetted the sexual assault of anyone, nor have I ever drugged anyone."
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
The idea that I could be accused of playing a role in or even being a bystander to the rape of anyone is beyond upsetting, disturbing and unthinkable. Coram continued, that is not who I am and my heart goes out to all the victims of sexual assault. I am confident that the allegations against me will be proven to be untrue. Should we assume that she's been subpoenaed by the grand jury?
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
I mean, she'd have been one of my first calls. I'd have been like, well, you're his soul sister. You're his right hand woman.
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
So first of all, this is the first time we've spoken about Christina Coram on the podcast. If you're deep in the Diddy world, you've probably seen her name crop up a few times. If you were following him on social media beforehand, you would have seen that he's posted about her before. She was his chief of staff. Cheyenne, what does that actually mean? Because it's sounding very presidential.
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
Well, she's saying she didn't aid or abet any crimes. But should we read into that the fact that she hasn't said, you know, Diddy's innocent. I never, ever saw him do any of these things. And I was around him all the time.
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
Well, it was May 12th. We've got those opening statements. If she is giving evidence, if she's called as a witness, if she's in the room, we will let you know when the trial begins. Next, we need to talk about Tony Busby. Tony Busby is our Texas trial lawyer who said he had over 150 cases or claims that he could bring to court against Diddy.
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
He stood in front of that 1-800 number in October of 2024 and said, if you've been sexually assaulted by this man or you have evidence, please call us. And we're looking to represent them not as a class action, but each individual lawsuit. As we know, he's filed a lot of cases since then, civil claims. One of them is by an anonymous man who is using the pseudonym John Doe.
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
He's accused Diddy of sexual assault. Diddy denies the allegations. But it's within this case, the judge presiding over that specific case, Judge Abrams, has said... wait a minute, you're filing a case in the Southern District of New York and you're not admitted to practice here.
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
In a letter, Judge Abrams goes on to say, moreover, although Mr. Busby was warned several weeks ago in a parallel case that this conduct violated local civil rule 1.3, he failed to bring this issue to the court's attention. So, Sean, does that mean somebody else told you that you're doing this and this is wrong and then you didn't come over here and tell us? So...
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
You purposefully kept it from us or is this a crime?
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
He said in his response in a letter in response to Judge Abrams, quote, I made an error in judgment by failing to inform you that I was not admitted to the Southern District. I now seek to remedy this error by withdrawing my representation of the plaintiff in this matter, pending the resolution of my admission to this court.
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
As an attorney, like you say, in good standing of the New York State Bar, the Texas State Bar, and your sister district, the Bar for the Eastern District of the State of New York, I believe I am eminently qualified and should not be precluded from representing the plaintiff in this action.
Diddy On Trial
Kristina Khorram speaks out and Tony Buzbee withdraws from Diddy cases
At this time, however, my admission status has become a distraction that has shifted the focus of the matter away from where it should be." which is securing justice for the plaintiff. Plaintiff will continue to be represented by the remaining counsel of record from Curis Law as I sort these issues out.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy lawyer quits plus outlandish necromancy claims
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Diddy On Trial
Diddy lawyer quits plus outlandish necromancy claims
None. Is he pulling the race card? He's pulling the heck out of it. And when you try to bring a selective prosecution claim, you just don't throw things against the wall. I've made a selective prosecution claim before. But the way you have to bring it is you have to show somebody else evidence. who was not prosecuted, who was in a similar situation as you.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy lawyer quits plus outlandish necromancy claims
There's that whole Abercrombie and Fitch thing currently going on, and last time I checked, he's white, and they're currently prosecuting him as well. So it didn't take six months to find a similar prosecution that is currently happening. I think the hope, I'm assuming, is to poison the jury panel, the jury pool, and try to assume that they're going after him just because he's African-American.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy lawyer quits plus outlandish necromancy claims
I don't see where that's going because in the filing, if they would have pointed to 10 white folks who did the exact same thing, who were not prosecuted for the same stuff, he would have a similar claim. When you do legal filings in anything in life, I don't like bold assertions.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy lawyer quits plus outlandish necromancy claims
Not in the slightest. I mean, I just don't... I don't even consider that creative lawyering. I just don't. I don't even think it's creative lawyering. Cheyenne said it the exact right way. The Mann Act, it's been used. It's been gone. I mean, people have looked at this act forever. People have been prosecuted under the act. I may not like it, but I'm not going to sit here and say...
Diddy On Trial
Diddy lawyer quits plus outlandish necromancy claims
It's racist in its inception on how it's being used against Diddy. I just don't like the argument. I really don't. I don't think it has any merit. But more importantly. I don't know what the goal is. Usually when you file motions, you have an end goal on what you're trying to accomplish. And I don't know what the goal is.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy lawyer quits plus outlandish necromancy claims
Now, sometimes when we file and we make motions, like if they're thinking that there's going to be a conviction down the road, they need to make sure all arguments are made. So there is an appeal. And so they can say that that's what happens. Maybe they're protecting every possible issue for appeals.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy lawyer quits plus outlandish necromancy claims
Thank you for having me. I appreciate you.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy lawyer quits plus outlandish necromancy claims
No, those are all misnomers, lead counsel, so forth. It's just because they all do the equal amount of work. When they say lead counsel, what ends up happening is if you're in the middle of the court, you don't want three lawyers talking at the same time. So they basically said, you'll talk is all lead counsel means.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy lawyer quits plus outlandish necromancy claims
So if there's an objection or something of that nature, that will be the person talking. So that really is a misnomer, lead counsel. Do I think it's that big of a deal? Yes and no. Legally, I don't think it's a big deal at all. But I always tell people lawyers get off of cases for three reasons. One, Mr. Green has not made a gratuitous appearance. You haven't been paid. That ain't this situation.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy lawyer quits plus outlandish necromancy claims
You can assure that. Two, what'll end up happening is if the client insists on lying. Like if a client says, I want to lie or something of that nature. And I don't think it's that situation because we're not even to the point where Diddy is going to take the stand and there's avenues if your client wants to lie and insist on you suborning perjury. Three, we just can't get along.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy lawyer quits plus outlandish necromancy claims
I've said since day one, I think they're trying to case way too quick. They haven't asked for one continuance yet. There are terabytes of information. I cannot see that they could possibly be prepared by time the May term comes. And it could be the possibility the lawyer just said, I don't want to do it anymore.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy lawyer quits plus outlandish necromancy claims
I really think it means we're not seeing eye to eye, whether it's Diddy or other folks on the team, we're not seeing eye to eye and this can't, I can't go any further.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy lawyer quits plus outlandish necromancy claims
That would not be anything dealing with anything whatsoever, because the court, if you write down, I want to be off for personal reasons, the court's going to ask what those personal reasons are. That ain't the scenario. I think the filing in and of itself was possibly wholly unnecessary because, as mentioned, six attorneys.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy lawyer quits plus outlandish necromancy claims
realistically, he probably wasn't going to have a big trial roll because they couldn't have gotten along. He just didn't have to show up. We file these a lot of times because what ends up happening is we want to make sure one lawyer, one client, I'm asking to be removed. This guy needs a new lawyer. In Diddy's situation, he doesn't need a new lawyer. He's got five others. So
Diddy On Trial
Diddy lawyer quits plus outlandish necromancy claims
I think it's kind of a shot, realistically, either at Didi or somebody else on the legal team. I don't think it has anything to do with the underground facts either, though. I think this is all we can't get along.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy lawyer quits plus outlandish necromancy claims
We have represented some of the worst humans in the world, but everybody has an access to a good, fair and proper criminal dissent fence. Because what we're doing is not necessarily representing that person. We're representing the system and representing the Constitution and made sure that it's going through the right way.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy lawyer quits plus outlandish necromancy claims
So everybody's entitled to a legal offense, no matter what you think of them.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy lawyer quits plus outlandish necromancy claims
Hey, guys. How are you all doing?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy lawyer quits plus outlandish necromancy claims
I'm going to stretch like that is because that is the dictionary definition of a stretch. And I've seen that a lot. And that's the one thing that I don't like is people are making the assumption just because a lawyer removes himself from the case that he's the most disgusting person in the world. But that's not the reason why the lawyer is removing himself from the case.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy lawyer quits plus outlandish necromancy claims
It has nothing to do with any other thing. People who are associating one client to another, that is a crazy, awful stretch definition. I didn't know what the heck necromancy or whatever the heck it was. I didn't know what it was, but this is insane. And if there was another charge added, we would have all known about it because there would have been another superseding indictment. Thank you.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy lawyer quits plus outlandish necromancy claims
Another superseding indictment with another charge.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy lawyer quits plus outlandish necromancy claims
It can never be brought back. Who makes the decision about with or without prejudice? Is it the lawyer? In this situation, it's the lawyer. Sometimes the judge does it as well. Sometimes the judge says, I'm throwing this case out with prejudice. Like if a prosecutor has made a huge mistake, they say, you can't bring this back. Or a judge can say, you filed this incorrectly. I'm dismissing it.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy lawyer quits plus outlandish necromancy claims
But you have the right to refile it at another point in time. In this situation, when it's dealing with the lawsuit, it can go either way. But the lawyer himself made the decision to dismiss it with prejudice.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy lawyer quits plus outlandish necromancy claims
Absolutely. Lawyers have what is called absolute immunity. What absolute immunity means is if we are acting on behalf of a client, if somebody comes in and tells you something happened and you filed a lawsuit and then someone sues us, we'd never file lawsuits. Same thing with police officers. Same way when we write these tickets. They do these things because they have qualified immunity.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy lawyer quits plus outlandish necromancy claims
So long as you are doing stuff in the best interest of your job and profession, you're just not going to be sued. Now, That immunity stops if someone can prove that you acted with gross negligence or malice. What happens in these civil lawsuits, those are something that's called a verification that is required.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy lawyer quits plus outlandish necromancy claims
The verification requires that the client or the victim or the plaintiff to sign off and said, I've read everything in here and I verify it's true. So translation, I've told the lawyer everything in here that is true. If someone's lying, it's me, not the lawyer. So that's the immunity that lawyers require.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy lawyer quits plus outlandish necromancy claims
Almost universally, I've sued thousands of people and no one has ever sued me on behalf of bringing a lawsuit.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy lawyer quits plus outlandish necromancy claims
That's why I made a comment once that in this situation, I think it's brilliant. I don't think the lawsuit against Busby is going to go anywhere. One, I really don't think Jay-Z needs $20 million. So even though he has filed this lawsuit for money, I don't think he's filing it for money. By filing it, he is requiring Busby to answer why the case was dismissed.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy lawyer quits plus outlandish necromancy claims
OK, there are still going to be people out there who thinks it's financial, which it is not. If it was financial, there would have been a filing. But if you check social media, still people are saying behind the scenes, oh, they paid this girl off. A shell paid these people off, something of this nature. And all Busby filed was. I'm dismissing it with prejudice.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy lawyer quits plus outlandish necromancy claims
So by suing him, he's requiring him to answer the lawsuit. Like the tables have turned, the shoes on the other foot. It's making Busby now answer and tell the court in their answer, why did you dismiss it?
Diddy On Trial
No delay for Diddy’s trial
BBC Sounds. Music, radio, podcasts. Hello and welcome back to Diddy on Trial from BBC Sounds with me, Anushka Matandadauti. Make sure you subscribe and turn your push notifications on so you never miss a thing. How many times have we said the prep and the build-up to this trial all felt a little speedy?
Diddy On Trial
No delay for Diddy’s trial
And you mentioned there briefly another motion that was granted for Diddy to see the outtakes of a documentary that was made by Warner Brothers, Discovery Inc., the downfall of Diddy. We covered it on the podcast. He was asking to see the outtakes of TV interviews that they did with two people, person A and person B. One of them is a chef of Diddy's and one of them was a previous romantic partner.
Diddy On Trial
No delay for Diddy’s trial
The judge has granted that he is now allowed to see those outtakes.
Diddy On Trial
No delay for Diddy’s trial
Well, so these are kind of in his favor. So he's had a few little wins.
Diddy On Trial
No delay for Diddy’s trial
It's a weird thing as a journalist, that ruling, because when you have witness testimony and someone is alleging that terrible things have happened to them and you're trying to provide a space for them to tell their story, to hold potentially somebody in a position of power to account, the idea that that space you create could then be used as evidence in a trial, it almost damages that process and makes people more reluctant to use the press as an arm of interrogating.
Diddy On Trial
No delay for Diddy’s trial
I'm assuming, though, that there's already pretty strong precedent for the ruling that the judge made on that. 100%.
Diddy On Trial
No delay for Diddy’s trial
I don't have but a buck oh five, Sean. Maybe you can have it. And then the last ruling, I think lots of people on social media were anticipating this. We know victim one is going to appear under their own name. Victim two, victim three, victim four can appear with pseudonyms. It doesn't say victim five here. It doesn't say victim five, right?
Diddy On Trial
No delay for Diddy’s trial
But surely the logistical considerations now for victim two, three and four are going to be massive because there's going to be press outside of the trial. It's a public court. So the public can go, the press can go, family, friends, whatever. How do they appear in court then if they're under pseudonyms?
Diddy On Trial
No delay for Diddy’s trial
And then also all the evidence, which we know a bulk of it is videotapes or electronic recordings. Do they have to then be blurred out of that? Or if it says their name at any point in those tapes, which I imagine is a possibility, does it have to be bleeped out?
Diddy On Trial
No delay for Diddy’s trial
We do actually have some questions for you before we wrap up today. I think the first one we've touched on this before, but I can imagine why people are interested in this again. It says, I'm going deep down the rabbit hole. The subjects appeared in the press both in 2024 and much more recently. So here we go. Donald Trump, what is a presidential pardon?
Diddy On Trial
No delay for Diddy’s trial
In my head, I have the president waving his hand like an emperor and he is free. No questions asked. Is this the case or are there restrictions on what can be done? Sean, I think you've touched on this before, but can you give us a refresher?
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No delay for Diddy’s trial
But it has to be after a conviction. It can't be before. It can't be a, would they call them hung juries? A mistrial? Yeah, it could.
Diddy On Trial
No delay for Diddy’s trial
Sean, thank you so much for coming on today and breaking all that down for us. We really appreciate it.
Diddy On Trial
No delay for Diddy’s trial
That was Sean Kent, our resident criminal defense attorney from South Carolina. And finally, we have this message that came through on our WhatsApp number, 0330 123 5551. It says, I have a question about the Diddy trial. When the court sessions open, will you be posting live audio throughout the day?
Diddy On Trial
No delay for Diddy’s trial
So the plan is when court is sitting from the 12th of May, we'll be bringing you regular updates as soon as court finishes. I'll be hearing from BBC correspondents and our regular experts for all the best analysis. So make sure you subscribe on BBC Sounds and turn on your push notifications so you never miss a thing. You can also find us on the BBC World Service YouTube channel.
Diddy On Trial
No delay for Diddy’s trial
Thank you so much for listening. That's it for this episode of Diddy on Trial from BBC Sounds with me, Anushka Matanda-Doughty.
Diddy On Trial
No delay for Diddy’s trial
How many times has our resident criminal defense attorney, Sean Kent, told us that the prosecution and the defense are playing a game of adjournment chicken? Sean has been telling us that he thought both sides aren't fully prepared and that they were waiting to see who would blink first. Well, it was the defence. They blinked and they blinked big.
Diddy On Trial
No delay for Diddy’s trial
I think that it's interesting because from the beginning, he's pushed for this speedy trial. What was his exact reaction to the two month delay being denied?
Diddy On Trial
No delay for Diddy’s trial
You mentioned there was a supporter of Diddy in the courtroom with a free puff, puff being his previous name as a rapper, shirt on. How many supporters of him are in there? Because this is open to the public.
Diddy On Trial
No delay for Diddy’s trial
That was the BBC's senior producer in New York, Pratiksha Gildiel, who was at the court hearing with Didi last week. Now it's time for Elsewhere in the Diddyverse. Regular Diddy on Trial listeners will know the name Tony Busby by now, but just in case you don't, he is the Texan trial lawyer with multiple cases against Sean Diddy Combs.
Diddy On Trial
No delay for Diddy’s trial
He's now representing an anonymous woman known as Jane Doe, who has accused former NFL star and Hall of Fame inductee Shannon Sharp of rape, sexual assault and sexual battery. Shannon Sharp denies all those allegations. Now, Diddy is not mentioned in this lawsuit, but you might be thinking, how? on earth do I know the name Shannon Sharp? I don't know anything about the NFL.
Diddy On Trial
No delay for Diddy’s trial
Well, that's because if we cast our minds back to the beginning of 2024, Shannon Sharp had Cat Williams, the comedian, on his podcast, Club Shay Shay, and Cat was very forthcoming about his views on Diddy, saying, when Diddy wants to party, you have got to tell him no. That episode now has 89 million views. Because P. Diddy be wanting to party, and you gotta tell him no.
Diddy On Trial
No delay for Diddy’s trial
Just a few weeks before opening statements, they asked the judge, Judge Arun Subramaniam, for a two-month delay. And he said, not today. If you're not ready now, get ready. Pratiksha Gildayal is a senior producer for the BBC in New York and she was in court with Didi last week. Hi, Pratiksha. Hi, Anushka. How are you? I'm good, thank you.
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No delay for Diddy’s trial
Now, Shannon is being sued by the same man that is going after Diddy. But Shannon has not been quiet. He released a statement from his lawyer on his Instagram that said the lawsuit was a blatant criminal attempt to shake down Mr. Sharp for millions. The statement was accompanied by texts of a graphic sexual nature that Shannon claims that Jane Doe sent to him.
Diddy On Trial
No delay for Diddy’s trial
One of the alleged texts says, Now, I went to Tony Busby with all of this, and here is what he had to say. Just a warning, though, this does contain language you might find offensive. Number one, those texts were sent before the alleged rape. Number two, Shannon Sharp has been in mediation since February with the Jane Doe.
Diddy On Trial
No delay for Diddy’s trial
A settlement amount was reached, which Busby alleges to be $10 million, and the Jane Doe decided to turn that down. Number three, Busby also sent along an audio recording of an alleged interaction between the Jane Doe and Mr Sharp, where it appears Shannon threatens to, quote, choke the shit out of the Jane Doe. She says she doesn't want to be choked, and he later responds, quote, Yes, you do.
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No delay for Diddy’s trial
I don't think you have a choice in the matter. Here is Shannon's response to that.
Diddy On Trial
No delay for Diddy’s trial
Now, I'm joined by our resident criminal defense attorney, Sean Kent. Hi, Sean.
Diddy On Trial
No delay for Diddy’s trial
Sean, this latest civil case that's been filed by Busby, Shannon Sharp has responded on Instagram with a statement from his lawyer. It's a long one where he names the Jane Doe and then lists multiple texts that he alleges that she sent to him. Is that legal?
Diddy On Trial
No delay for Diddy’s trial
Can it annoy the judge, like put you in bad standing with the judge?
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No delay for Diddy’s trial
Well, Tony Busby clearly has a reputation for taking on high profile individuals. And this is the latest one. We told you about Andrew Tate before. And of course, P. Diddy. And we'll keep you up to date with any more filings of people who've become wrapped in the web of the Diddyverse. But I need to talk to you, Sean, because you have the inside detail.
Diddy On Trial
No delay for Diddy’s trial
what's going on with Diddy's defence team now in just another bizarre turn of events your dear friend and colleague who you've worked with Brian Steele is Diddy's newest defence lawyer that's joined his team tell me about him how do you know him who is he I'd
Diddy On Trial
No delay for Diddy’s trial
I'm interested to see what were the main requests that were being made in that courtroom. What did it kick off with?
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No delay for Diddy’s trial
What do you think his first thing would have been when he came on board? What would he say first?
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No delay for Diddy’s trial
Yeah, I was going to say, because it felt obviously rather coincidental or timely that they asked for this two month continuance just after Brian joined. And I saw some of your videos that you made about it, about him wanting to be across every single piece of information. And that's how he works. There were multiple other rulings on motions at that pre-court trial hearing the other day.
Diddy On Trial
No delay for Diddy’s trial
So we know that Judge Arun Subramanian said, you're not having two months, you're not having anything.
Diddy On Trial
No delay for Diddy’s trial
Yeah, well, two months is a lot as well, because you have to consider the jury selection and how long then they would be. Aside from the adjournment, there were some other things that really caught my eye. Firstly, let's do it now. 404B evidence, Rule 413. Let's get everyone done with. Guys, we've told you about this many times.
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No delay for Diddy’s trial
It's not got the most attractive title in the world, but previous bad acts that Diddy may or may not have committed being brought into the trial as evidence of the kind of character he is. Am I right there, Sean?
Diddy On Trial
No delay for Diddy’s trial
So it says, Combs' motion to exclude Rule 413-404B evidence is denied as to Victim 5 and otherwise granted. What does that mean?
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No delay for Diddy’s trial
So all the headlines about the nightclub shooting, all of that saying that's all going to be brought up, we kind of know that it isn't now, unless that pertains to victim number five.
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No delay for Diddy’s trial
And that wasn't the only ruining because we have Victim One again. Now, we've said before the testimony of Victim One or the allegations from Victim One closely align with those made by Cassie Ventura, the longtime romantic partner of Diddy. It says Victim One's motion to quash is denied as to prior drafts of the memoir that was provided to the government and otherwise granted.
Diddy On Trial
No delay for Diddy’s trial
The prior drafts should be produced by April 25th, 2025. So the judge has said you need to produce the previous drafts of the memoir and give them to the defence? Yes.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s lawyers speak out about sex tapes
BBC Sounds. Music, radio, podcasts. Hello and welcome back to Diddy on Trial with me, Anushka Matanda-Doughty. Find us every week on BBC Sounds and make sure you subscribe and turn on your push notifications so you never miss a thing. Sean Diddy Combs has been held in the Metropolitan Detention Centre in New York since September.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s lawyers speak out about sex tapes
Another one that was really good that came from TikTok is, will they issue a superseding indictment before the Enterprise letter? Or can they?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s lawyers speak out about sex tapes
OK, and then we've got one listener question that came in for you on the WhatsApp. It says, hi, Diddy on Trial team. Great podcast. I have a question. I'm reading that individuals who have close ties to the parties are starting to leave the US.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s lawyers speak out about sex tapes
What limits do US courts have if a named individual does leave the country with the so-called Diddy list to include individuals who do have the ability to relocate anywhere in the world? What risk does this have for the trials?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s lawyers speak out about sex tapes
So if somebody, when the indictment was issued, they went, I'm getting out of here, and they left immediately, and they could be a key witness, and they went to, I don't know, Switzerland, you're not getting them back.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s lawyers speak out about sex tapes
Sean, thank you so much for your time today. We really appreciate it. And we'll see you soon.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s lawyers speak out about sex tapes
If you have any questions you want us to unpack or answer on the pod, please WhatsApp us. The number is 0330 123 5551. That's 0330 123 5551. That's it from Diddy on Trial from BBC Sounds. I'm Anishka Matanda-Doughty. Make sure you subscribe and turn on your push notifications so you never miss a thing.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s lawyers speak out about sex tapes
Well, look, we can't say who victim one is as the BBC because the prosecution have not announced who victim one is. The defense have defined them as somebody who had a consensual relationship with Sean Combs and they are still participating. You know, they're giving evidence to the grand jury. They've said it's consensual. I mean, how do you prove that?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s lawyers speak out about sex tapes
He's facing charges of transportation for prostitution, sex trafficking and racketeering with conspiracy. He denies all of them. Meanwhile, in the background, his lawyers have been building his defense. Remember, this is the big federal trial expected in May. This is about his freedom, not about his money. We're in the home straight now and we're starting to see how the defense will take shape.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s lawyers speak out about sex tapes
Presumably then the prosecution must be preparing that person because that is an awful lot to go through.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s lawyers speak out about sex tapes
And we can assume now that we're at a point, am I right in saying that the defense are having a look at the evidence that the prosecution have to start preparing their arguments in depth? And I think I'm right in saying that they don't want these tapes dismissed. They want to be able to have an electric copy.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s lawyers speak out about sex tapes
So Diddy's defense team have issued a letter to the judge stating that, quote, contrary to innumerable sensationalistic media reports, the sex tapes that are currently part of the case do not depict sex parties. Quote, there are no secret cameras, no orgies, no other celebrities involved, no underground tunnels, no minors. Joining me today is our resident criminal defense attorney, Sean Kent.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s lawyers speak out about sex tapes
So they've essentially now filed this letter, which is public. I mean, it's been written up countless times, talking about evidence that is then going to be used in the trial. Isn't that going to bias the jury, Paul? Or is it normal to talk about evidence beforehand, like openly?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s lawyers speak out about sex tapes
So this protective order that stops the defense having this piece of evidence, when the trial starts and the jury sits, will they be shown these tapes? 100%. Will they have to watch it in court?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s lawyers speak out about sex tapes
And Victim One would have been made aware of this.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s lawyers speak out about sex tapes
And presumably then she knows that and she's pushing forward because she hasn't withdrawn.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s lawyers speak out about sex tapes
Do they prep you for stuff like this in law school? Do they say, you know, you might do a case and you might have to watch hours of pornographic material and comb through it? What's the semester run for this?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s lawyers speak out about sex tapes
Hi, Sean. Hey, how are you guys doing? Good. I just want to ask for your followers, everybody who loves you. You still banned on TikTok? Are you back?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s lawyers speak out about sex tapes
Now, we know that they're seeing some of the evidence that the prosecution have, the defense team, and this is going to help them build their defense. Does this mean that they've got a sort of in-depth, we're alleging that he did this at this time on this day. They've got that? Because you spoke about this before. It's called an enterprise letter.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s lawyers speak out about sex tapes
Can't you accuse them of, you know, messing up your defense because you didn't give us adequate time to prepare?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s lawyers speak out about sex tapes
But then if they get the enterprise letter and there are other people on there who are wrapped up in being part of the criminal enterprise, right? Are they co-defendants?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s lawyers speak out about sex tapes
Shout out to Dave Chappelle, because he literally said that in his stand-up the other day.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s lawyers speak out about sex tapes
So then do those people get wrapped up into the trial? They have to get their own lawyers because they've been named?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s lawyers speak out about sex tapes
The defense, it's shaping up to be exactly what you told us it was going to be, a defense of consent. So it's all about consent. Can you just explain to us a little bit what's gone on with these from what the defense have said?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s lawyers speak out about sex tapes
Now, look, he's been charged with sex trafficking, transportation for prostitution and racketeering with conspiracy. Sean Diddy Combs denies it all. And I've seen your comments on Sean's TikTok. If you guys don't know, if you don't follow Sean, he's big on TikTok. They call him Professor Kent. They say, I'm early to class. I've said I'm early to class in the comments section.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s lawyers speak out about sex tapes
It's like a little community. And I think now is the time that we need to knuckle down and get our heads around all of this because the trial really is round the corner. And Diddy's defence team are not going to slow down so we can play catch up with what's going on. And we put the questions out there to your followers, to the followers of the podcast. We've sifted through some of them.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s lawyers speak out about sex tapes
But now I think it's time for a new segment on the podcast. We're calling it Classes in Session with Professor Kent. And we've got some of the best questions that came in this week. Please continue to send them through on our WhatsApp, which is 0330 123 5551. The first question today is, what is the best possible outcome for Diddy?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s lawyers speak out about sex tapes
And I'm assuming this means, you know, other than saying, sir, you are completely innocent, you may walk.
Diddy On Trial
Elsewhere in the ‘Diddyverse’: Jay-Z, Buzbee and Kanye
Part of what Busby is saying as well is you, UJZ, have employed these investigators to go to her house and this is a violation of the agreement that we came to. But, you know, it's indicated there by Alex Spiro as well that it could be anyone.
Diddy On Trial
Elsewhere in the ‘Diddyverse’: Jay-Z, Buzbee and Kanye
And there's been a further response from Jay-Z's side to Busby. It says, quote, Defendants have burdened the record. With more than 100 pages of this material, they hope to either distract from what is genuinely at issue or justify their pathetic non-investigation of their clients' claims, their reckless disregard of obvious facts that raise red flags about her mind-boggling assertion.
Diddy On Trial
Elsewhere in the ‘Diddyverse’: Jay-Z, Buzbee and Kanye
Und am Montag wurde ein Anruf, also er hat einen Defamation Case gegen Busby verabschiedet, aber er hat auch einen Case gegen Jane Doe verabschiedet. Und am Montag wurde ein Anruf und ziviler Aktion von Tony Busby von Jay-Z oder Sean Carter mit einer Anfrage für ein Jury-Trial in Alabama. Sean, was bedeutet das?
Diddy On Trial
Elsewhere in the ‘Diddyverse’: Jay-Z, Buzbee and Kanye
And when they demand for a jury trial, wouldn't all trials have a jury?
Diddy On Trial
Elsewhere in the ‘Diddyverse’: Jay-Z, Buzbee and Kanye
And the next hearing in that case is next week. So we'll keep you updated on that. Now we've got to do this fact or fiction. This was a weird moment. I was on TikTok scrolling and I saw a video pop up of me and our very own Sean Kent. Und es ist ein Clip von uns aus einem vorherigen Podcast-Episode. Und wir sprechen über die Freak-Off-Tapes.
Diddy On Trial
Elsewhere in the ‘Diddyverse’: Jay-Z, Buzbee and Kanye
Und wir sprechen darüber, dass sie im Gericht verabschiedet werden und in offenen Gerichten gespielt werden. Und ich bin sehr überrascht darüber. Und du sagst, das ist eine neue Sache. Wir haben das noch nie erlebt. Es könnte ändern, wie Gerichte das Gesetz lernen.
Diddy On Trial
Elsewhere in the ‘Diddyverse’: Jay-Z, Buzbee and Kanye
Das Clip wurde ausgeschnitten und gepastet mit einem Clip von dem 19-jährigen Demi Moore, der ihren 15-jährigen Co-Star küsset, den die Leute in den Kommentaren als störend nennen. and clips from News Nation talking about Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore being subpoenaed for the Diddy trial.
Diddy On Trial
Elsewhere in the ‘Diddyverse’: Jay-Z, Buzbee and Kanye
We contacted Demi Moore and Philip Tanzini, who were in that video together, for statements and they did not respond. But the headline on the piece reads, Ashton Kutcher found guilty in Diddy case. Ashton Kutcher breaks down. This now has 538,000 views and lots of comments from concerned and some scared members of the public. Um... None in the slightest. But what's interesting about this...
Diddy On Trial
Elsewhere in the ‘Diddyverse’: Jay-Z, Buzbee and Kanye
Ja, und erstens kann Kutscher nicht verurteilt werden, weil er nie mit etwas verantwortlich war. Das Video mit Demi Moore schockierte und schockierte viele Leute. Und dann erscheinen die News Nation-Klips, die die Verbindung mit Kutscher erklären. Aber die Musik, die sie überlegt hat, ist wirklich dramatisch. Even the font in the video is newspaper clipping.
Diddy On Trial
Elsewhere in the ‘Diddyverse’: Jay-Z, Buzbee and Kanye
So it has the aesthetic of a hostage letter. We have an algorithm that is designed for you to scroll every three seconds that these videos are created and curated to elicit an emotional response from you and leave you with just enough questions to drive you back to the original page where it was posted to watch the rest of their videos when you're scrolling.
Diddy On Trial
Elsewhere in the ‘Diddyverse’: Jay-Z, Buzbee and Kanye
Think about what music is being played underneath. Think about what fonts they're using. Think about what... They even put a filter. I don't know if you noticed, but they actually edited us to look better, which I found kindly kind of offensive. I look good. I was just like, damn, you guys go. All right. I'll take it. I was like, you've smoothed out my skin. Like, thanks. I'm a 50-year-old man.
Diddy On Trial
Elsewhere in the ‘Diddyverse’: Jay-Z, Buzbee and Kanye
They made me look smooth as hell. I'm like, I'm aging backwards. There's some Benjamin Button going on here. I'll take it. When I saw it, I was like, wow, somebody's really put a lot of time, effort and energy into making this as shocking and as worrying and as concerning as possible. Thank you. And thank you, Sean. Thank you so much. I'm off to trial. Keep sending us those questions on WhatsApp.
Diddy On Trial
Elsewhere in the ‘Diddyverse’: Jay-Z, Buzbee and Kanye
You can get us at 0330 123 5551. That's 0330 123 5551.
Diddy On Trial
Elsewhere in the ‘Diddyverse’: Jay-Z, Buzbee and Kanye
in der MDR, die wir kennen als eine notorisch schwierige Gefängnis, in der man sich lockt. Sean, bevor sie zum Trial gehen, können sie ihre Appearance verändern, z.B. einen Haar, einen neuen Schuh?
Diddy On Trial
Elsewhere in the ‘Diddyverse’: Jay-Z, Buzbee and Kanye
Und er kam offensichtlich und blieb nicht schuldig, bis zum zweiten Verabschiedungsverfahren. Er brauchte es nicht rauszuholen. Es war keine Überraschung, dass er nicht schuldig blieb. Aber eine Sache, die man nicht erwartet hätte, war dieses Hin und Her über die Inklusion dieses Videos.
Diddy On Trial
Elsewhere in the ‘Diddyverse’: Jay-Z, Buzbee and Kanye
Das Video, in dem wir sehen, dass er seinen ehemaligen romantischen Partner Cassie Ventura in der Halle besucht. Ja, genau.
Diddy On Trial
Elsewhere in the ‘Diddyverse’: Jay-Z, Buzbee and Kanye
CNN also have said they never altered the video and did not destroy the original copy of the footage, which was retained by the source. They aired the story about the video several months before Combs was arrested, they say. So would their testimony count as well?
Diddy On Trial
Elsewhere in the ‘Diddyverse’: Jay-Z, Buzbee and Kanye
Hello and welcome back to Diddy on Trial from BBC Sounds with me, Anushka Matandadawati. Every week we're bringing you the latest news on Diddy and his upcoming trial in May. Make sure you subscribe and turn on your push notifications so you never miss a thing. Sean Diddy Combs ist verurteilt mit Sextraffik, Transportation für Prostitution und Racketeering mit einer Verschwörung, die RICO nennt.
Diddy On Trial
Elsewhere in the ‘Diddyverse’: Jay-Z, Buzbee and Kanye
But the thing that's confusing is, it's not really relating to one of the three main charges. I mean, he and Cassie settled outside of court a day after she raised her civil lawsuit. So why are the prosecution so keen to keep the video as part of the evidence?
Diddy On Trial
Elsewhere in the ‘Diddyverse’: Jay-Z, Buzbee and Kanye
Wir haben jetzt gehört, dass die Entschuldigung sagt, dass es sechs Wochen dauern wird, um ihre Seite des Arguments zu präsentieren. Ich nehme an, dass einige davon nicht weltweit gebildet werden werden. Ich weiß nicht, wie man es in einer anderen Weise beschreiben kann. Aber ja, es bringt dich in die Charakterbildung von dem, wer er ist.
Diddy On Trial
Elsewhere in the ‘Diddyverse’: Jay-Z, Buzbee and Kanye
Und wir haben vorhin über Korroboration in vollem Verhalten gesprochen. Ist das eine ähnliche Sache mit diesem Video? Hier macht er das. Wir haben ihn von anderen Dingen verurteilt. Hier gibt es physische Beweise, dass er das gleiche tut.
Diddy On Trial
Elsewhere in the ‘Diddyverse’: Jay-Z, Buzbee and Kanye
Er verurteilt alle Verurteilungen. Diese Woche will Diddys Team das Cassie-Video verkaufen. Kanye, oder Ye, zeigt seinen Unterstützer. Und der JZ-Busby-Fall nimmt einen verwirrenden Schritt. Joining me is Rolling Stone senior investigative reporter Cheyenne Roundtree. Hi Cheyenne. Hi. And our resident criminal defense attorney Sean Kent, who is in the middle of prepping for a double murder trial.
Diddy On Trial
Elsewhere in the ‘Diddyverse’: Jay-Z, Buzbee and Kanye
Jetzt ist es Zeit für »Elsewhere in the Diddyverse« und das ist ein immer mehrführendes Universum, weil Kanye, oder eher der Künstler, der früher als Kanye bekannt war, der jetzt bei Ye ist, seine Präsenz in der Diddyverse bekannt gemacht hat. Das ist nicht das erste Mal, dass er die Unterstützung von Diddy veröffentlicht hat.
Diddy On Trial
Elsewhere in the ‘Diddyverse’: Jay-Z, Buzbee and Kanye
Im Februar veröffentlichte er das, mit einer Flut von antisemitischen Tweets, und dann hat er T-Shirts mit Swastikas auf seinem Website verkauft. Now he seems to have collaborated with Diddy and his son, Christian King Combs, who himself is facing a civil lawsuit for sexual assault, in a new song and it also features his young daughter, North West.
Diddy On Trial
Elsewhere in the ‘Diddyverse’: Jay-Z, Buzbee and Kanye
The caption on the song reads, Lonely roads still go to sunshine, new song by Puff Daddy, featuring his son, King Combs, my daughter, North West, and new Yeezy artist from Chicago, Jasmine Williams. The song includes Diddy seemingly on a phone call with Ye from the jail. We'll keep an eye on whatever else Kanye or Ye chooses to put out about his support of the rapper.
Diddy On Trial
Elsewhere in the ‘Diddyverse’: Jay-Z, Buzbee and Kanye
Also, this week there's been more fallout after the updated civil lawsuit from Ashley Parham that we told you about in the last episode. John Pelletier, who's the chief of police in Maui, was named in that lawsuit as someone who pretended to be a police officer from a different area and refused to help Parham, who says she told him she'd been raped.
Diddy On Trial
Elsewhere in the ‘Diddyverse’: Jay-Z, Buzbee and Kanye
But he's now attempting to clear his name and says the allegations against him are false and baseless. Pletiere, who has since been asked to step down by the mayor of Maui, says he has submitted evidence to the police commission, which shows he wasn't near the location of the alleged rape at the time, and he's been speaking to Hawaii News now.
Diddy On Trial
Elsewhere in the ‘Diddyverse’: Jay-Z, Buzbee and Kanye
Now we really need to talk about this Jay-Z and Busby defamation case that seems to be changing day by day. Everything I hear, I then hear something that contradicts it. Cheyenne, could you just bring us up to speed on what's happened recently?
Diddy On Trial
Elsewhere in the ‘Diddyverse’: Jay-Z, Buzbee and Kanye
Hi Sean. Hey guys, how are y'all doing? So, Friday the 14th of March we had the arraignment with Didi in court being officially charged with the latest superseding indictment. In der ersten Superceda, erinnere dich, hatten wir zwei neue Verbrecher. Und dann in der zweiten hatten wir die Erweiterung seines RICO-Vorschlags, das z.B.
Diddy On Trial
Elsewhere in the ‘Diddyverse’: Jay-Z, Buzbee and Kanye
Und natürlich spielt das in der Aussprache der öffentlichen Meinung ein. Tony Busby kam sehr berühmt jetzt im Oktober des letzten Jahres und sagte, nimm dieses 1-800-Nummer, wenn du Informationen hast oder du hast von sexualen Verbrechen von P. Diddy gewesen bist. Und er hat eine Pressekonferenz gemacht und er hat der BBC gesagt, dass er... er denkt, er hat...
Diddy On Trial
Elsewhere in the ‘Diddyverse’: Jay-Z, Buzbee and Kanye
150 Fälle, die er in den Gericht nehmen kann. Mit dem, was mit Jay-Z zu tun hat, hören wir auch Dinge, die in der Presse veröffentlicht wurden. ABC News hat den Rekord, den die Bewerber haben, von der Frau, die Jay-Z und Diddy verurteilt hat.
Diddy On Trial
Elsewhere in the ‘Diddyverse’: Jay-Z, Buzbee and Kanye
Alex Spiro, Jay-Zs Lawyer, hat das zu sagen über diesen Clip.
Diddy On Trial
Elsewhere in the ‘Diddyverse’: Jay-Z, Buzbee and Kanye
And then Tony Busby releases another piece of audio in his defense.
Diddy On Trial
Elsewhere in the ‘Diddyverse’: Jay-Z, Buzbee and Kanye
So that's all playing out on social media as well and people are extremely confused. Busby says that he wants this evidence that Jay-Z has now submitted removed because it, quote, advances a factual narrative that is demonstrably and indisputably false and lacks probative value. Sean, what does that mean, probative value?
Diddy On Trial
Elsewhere in the ‘Diddyverse’: Jay-Z, Buzbee and Kanye
Aber dann sagt er, sie fühlte sich enttäuscht und sie standen am Türsteig und sie war fast erschrocken, das zu sagen. Es geht auch weiter, in einem Befehl, das Busby gemacht hat, sagt er, dass am 4. Februar 2025, nach Diskussionen zwischen Carter's Attorney und Quinn Emanuel in New York, Und die Busbys Partys New York Council. Ja.
Diddy On Trial
Elsewhere in the ‘Diddyverse’: Jay-Z, Buzbee and Kanye
Verbrechen der Arbeit, Verbrechen seiner Mitarbeiter und das Verbrechen eines Mitarbeiter, sich mit ihm in Sex-Action zu engagieren. Cheyenne, wir haben von unserem New York BBC-Korrespondent Neda gehört, dass Diddy grün aussah, aber er hatte ein bisschen Gewicht und er war in hohen Spirits. Was hast du von seinem Ausdruck?
Diddy On Trial
Does hip-hop have a problem? Plus Diddy’s influence on the music industry
So you could have asked the question 25 years ago, what exactly is Sean Combs' skill set? What is he actually bringing to the table, right? Not a good rapper. It was an ongoing narrative about the folks who worked in the studio, who did the producing. And he popped in and turned a knob here and turned a knob there and got a production credit, right?
Diddy On Trial
Does hip-hop have a problem? Plus Diddy’s influence on the music industry
What Sean Combs was always at his best was hip-hop's party starter. From his earliest days, that was his thing, right? He brought the party to hip hop. He was one of hip hop's best hype men. I mean, he was the hype man for the culture and translated that into a brand that in many ways remains unmatched, right?
Diddy On Trial
Does hip-hop have a problem? Plus Diddy’s influence on the music industry
There's no one, even in pop culture, I would argue, that represents what Sean Combs represented at his height as this kind of hype man brand. But when it comes down to the music, other than his ability to recognize the talent of a Notorious B.I.G. and some of the early folks who signed on to Bad Boy really early, he was, I mean, even within hip hop, right?
Diddy On Trial
Does hip-hop have a problem? Plus Diddy’s influence on the music industry
It was De La Soul who called Sean Combs in 1996, right? The shiny suit man. Right. That's who he was. He was a dude who showed up dancing in the shiny suits. You know, Suge Knight's critique. Come to death row because you want to work with a producer that's going to produce you and not show up dancing in your videos. That's always who Diddy was. Right.
Diddy On Trial
Does hip-hop have a problem? Plus Diddy’s influence on the music industry
There was no art to the Diddy production in that context. Right. So I think in some ways it's unfair to collapse hip hop onto Diddy because Diddy was really his own thing.
Diddy On Trial
Does hip-hop have a problem? Plus Diddy’s influence on the music industry
Yeah, I mean, there's precedent towards this, right? We know the extended folks went out of their way to protect, you know, R. Kelly. You know, R. Kelly's music continued to be played on black radio for 15 years after the initial charges broke.
Diddy On Trial
Does hip-hop have a problem? Plus Diddy’s influence on the music industry
There's always been, and we could go back even deeper into black political culture, going back 40 or 50 years of examples of folks who were problematic, but the black community protected them because what they felt was more at stake was a diminishment.
Diddy On Trial
Does hip-hop have a problem? Plus Diddy’s influence on the music industry
of someone who had attained a certain level of notoriety and celebrity within the Black community, that taking them down would have an adverse effect on the Black community. People are human.
Diddy On Trial
Does hip-hop have a problem? Plus Diddy’s influence on the music industry
I absolutely would agree. And a lot of this ultimately, I think, boils down to the fact that we have a gender problem, anti-woman problem, an anti-trans problem, an anti-queer problem. And in many ways, our attention to hip hop around these questions is really an attempt to scapegoat hip hop because it can be easily sent away. It's a form of extraction that is almost extra to the industry.
Diddy On Trial
Does hip-hop have a problem? Plus Diddy’s influence on the music industry
Hello, how are you? Good, thank you. How are you doing?
Diddy On Trial
Does hip-hop have a problem? Plus Diddy’s influence on the music industry
It doesn't help the industry move, but it's like the icing on the cake for the industry. And so it's expendable in certain kinds of ways. And if hip-hop disappears, yes, we got rid of our gender and sexuality problem. But the reality is that all the questions that we raise about how things function in the industry speaks to the fact that if you are a young woman in American society,
Diddy On Trial
Does hip-hop have a problem? Plus Diddy’s influence on the music industry
regardless of your industry, right? You could be an academic. You could be an undergraduate student, right? You could be a musician. You could be working in a factory in Amazon. You are dealing under particular kinds of conditions that allow for you to be exploited sexually and violently in the context of your everyday lives, right? The fact that we have rappers who put language to this in music,
Diddy On Trial
Does hip-hop have a problem? Plus Diddy’s influence on the music industry
just speaks to a kind of symbolic and surface aspect of what's happening more deeply in the context of the culture.
Diddy On Trial
Does hip-hop have a problem? Plus Diddy’s influence on the music industry
You know, I think we could go back at least 30 years ago to think about the case of Dr. Trey, when he was involved in a beatdown of a black woman journalist, Dee Barnes.
Diddy On Trial
Does hip-hop have a problem? Plus Diddy’s influence on the music industry
outside the criminal justice system within hip-hop, there were folks outside of hip-hop who clearly were paying attention, among them Black feminists who were writing and concerned about the kind of violence that was being directed towards Black girls that was embodied in this particular case with Dr. Dre.
Diddy On Trial
Does hip-hop have a problem? Plus Diddy’s influence on the music industry
Yes. We don't hear language of tenderness and romance usually directed. And I mean, it's kind of we're joking about it at this moment. But I think that speaks to the larger issue of how young men in general perceive process issues of sexual intimacy with women, how it's been introduced to them as young men, how it's been visualized to them, right?
Diddy On Trial
Does hip-hop have a problem? Plus Diddy’s influence on the music industry
We talk about it in the context of hip hop, but what also are they seeing in the context of mainstream Hollywood film, what they're seeing in the context of pornography, you know, that's all informing their frame in terms of how they think about what their sexual or intimate interactions with women should be.
Diddy On Trial
Does hip-hop have a problem? Plus Diddy’s influence on the music industry
And I think what's also been a challenge for many women rappers, they're walking a fine line. In some ways, they are packaging their own sexuality because it appeals to young men. Because it appeals to older men.
Diddy On Trial
Does hip-hop have a problem? Plus Diddy’s influence on the music industry
So at the same time that they're pushing back at being objectified, part of the industry, part of the business of being a woman rapper, particularly in the 90s and the early 2000s, is that you're presenting to them the very things that they seem to desire, even if what you're presenting to them as consumption is stuff that you might not be personally comfortable with.
Diddy On Trial
Does hip-hop have a problem? Plus Diddy’s influence on the music industry
You know, I feel the same way about some of the language. You know, we hear the lyrics. We very rarely actually have conversations with rappers about why did you choose these lyrics, right? And I wonder to the extent that they're actually invested. We could say the same thing about the violence that we, you know, guns and drugs and all that kind of stuff.
Diddy On Trial
Does hip-hop have a problem? Plus Diddy’s influence on the music industry
You know, how invested the rappers are themselves in that language and the stories that they tell, as opposed to fitting some sort of rubric that they think they have to produce in order to sell records. Right. And the pressure to sell records within that context.
Diddy On Trial
Does hip-hop have a problem? Plus Diddy’s influence on the music industry
You know, 30 years ago, if you turned on mainstream block radio, there are certain artists that you had to listen to. right, because they were the only artists being played.
Diddy On Trial
Does hip-hop have a problem? Plus Diddy’s influence on the music industry
The ecosystem now around music is so different is that Big Sean can say what he wants, and you never have to pay attention to it anymore, right, because literally there are hundreds and thousands of other artists, some of them who are Black women who are openly feminist, some of them who are Black women and men who are openly queer, who are going to produce versions of hip-hop music and rap music, popular music in general, that appeals to you so that you do not have to be bombarded by these other kinds of images.
Diddy On Trial
Does hip-hop have a problem? Plus Diddy’s influence on the music industry
There's no question from its earliest moments for Black youth, it was a conduit for them to talk about their own lives and their situations at a time where public policy and even Black political leadership was not paying much attention to them. You really do see a kind of two Black Americas that emerge in the 1980s, at least in terms of popular culture.
Diddy On Trial
Does hip-hop have a problem? Plus Diddy’s influence on the music industry
You know, there was a world of Cliff Huxtable and The Cosby Show that became a representation of what Black America was or should strive for. And at the same time, you have a generation, quote-unquote, you know, as William J. S. Wilson described it, the Black underclass, that is being framed in terms of criminality, in terms of fatherlessness, in all drug addiction and all those kinds of things.
Diddy On Trial
Does hip-hop have a problem? Plus Diddy’s influence on the music industry
Hip-hop allowed young Black people to tell their own stories on their own terms. So it was important when it becomes politicized in very particular kinds of ways in the late 1980s because of groups like Harris One and Boogie Down Productions, because of Public Enemy.
Diddy On Trial
Does hip-hop have a problem? Plus Diddy’s influence on the music industry
And, you know, even though some of the figures within N.W.A. were problematic or locks for lots of reasons, you take a song like After Police, right? It was really the first understanding for folks who did not live in the hood about the kind of ways in which the police force served as almost like an occupying force within black communities.
Diddy On Trial
Does hip-hop have a problem? Plus Diddy’s influence on the music industry
I think about Tiny T's Biter Ram, you know, literally talking about this little machine that, that went through the hood in the mid-1980s knocking down doors of houses because they assumed someone there was selling drugs. You know, hip-hop gave that generation a voice.
Diddy On Trial
Does hip-hop have a problem? Plus Diddy’s influence on the music industry
If you go forward to 2008 and think about the election of Barack Obama, because hip-hop was something that's crossed over, you know, there were many 30- or 40-year-old white folks who looked at Barack Obama who were not afraid of a black man being president because they had been listening to Big Daddy Key, Kane, and Eazy-E and Ice Cube for 20 years.
Diddy On Trial
Does hip-hop have a problem? Plus Diddy’s influence on the music industry
So it's been important in that regard in terms of giving voice. It has not been as successful in terms of sustaining political movement. We've seen moments where we've gotten, you know, local folks elected and things like that. But, you know, more than anything, it was a conduit for young Black folks to express themselves.
Diddy On Trial
Does hip-hop have a problem? Plus Diddy’s influence on the music industry
There's no question. You mentioned Strange Food and Gil Scott Heron. You know, we can add Public Enemy's Fight to Power, you know, to that mix. You know, hip-hop isn't producing Fight to Powers anymore. Fight to Power came from the perspective of folks in the music industry.
Diddy On Trial
Does hip-hop have a problem? Plus Diddy’s influence on the music industry
Wrote one who was speaking politically to young Black people, but for folks who saw themselves as outsiders in the music industry. Very few of the most prominent and successful artists now see themselves as outsiders. I would venture to say that they don't necessarily see themselves as representing hip hop. You know, they're pop music stars, right? And they're treated as such.
Diddy On Trial
Does hip-hop have a problem? Plus Diddy’s influence on the music industry
You know, when I talk to my students, the 19 and 20 year olds about what hip hop is and holding hip hop accountable, you know, they're looking at me strangely because I'll give a good example of where the industry is now. I mean, the Drake Kendrick Lamar thing, which drew so many eyeballs and attentiveness, right? And the fact that what it ultimately was was an interpersonal beef.
Diddy On Trial
Does hip-hop have a problem? Plus Diddy’s influence on the music industry
Imagine if that had been actually framed around what was happening politically in the country at the moment. If that was framed around what was happening in Gaza at this moment. That kind of energy is going towards the very things that the industry needs, right? it to be framed around in order for the industry to keep moving forward. You know, so hip hop for me at the moment is just a term.
Diddy On Trial
Does hip-hop have a problem? Plus Diddy’s influence on the music industry
You know, when we talk about contemporary artists, it's just a term that's used. It's pop music. Things that made hip hop hip hop, that made us want to teach hip hop, In the case of Jason, in order to actually DJ and do things like that, those kind of things don't hold hip-hop together anymore.
Diddy On Trial
Does hip-hop have a problem? Plus Diddy’s influence on the music industry
So it's not surprising, as hip-hop has become so corporate, it also has become so tone-deaf to the kind of critiques that need to be made around accountability, whether it's about violence in the music or sexuality and misogyny, quite frankly, rape narratives that circulate in hip-hop culture.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy on trial: Everything you need to know
BBC Sounds. Music, radio, podcasts. Welcome back to Diddy on Trial from BBC Sounds with me, Anushka Matanda-Doughty. We launched this podcast in November 2024. Since then, we've had five criminal counts against Diddy.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy on trial: Everything you need to know
Sean Diddy Combs has occupied a top spot in the music industry for decades. He earned his stripes during the golden age of hip-hop, and he's been called rap royalty. People didn't just say he was talented. Not only is he a rapper. They called him... This individual is a legend. A legend. Who knew that he was going to be a bad boy? When he was just 24 years old, he founded Bad Boy Records.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy on trial: Everything you need to know
And one of the first artists he signed... Baby, baby! Piazza!
Diddy On Trial
Diddy on trial: Everything you need to know
Diddy, back then Puff Daddy, was shaping the sound of hip-hop and helping commercialize it. It was here he turned from a rapper to a mogul. Even presidents were praising him. Since then, he's won three Grammys, got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, had 11 number one records, and made the Forbes billionaire list.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy on trial: Everything you need to know
footage has emerged of the rapper Sean Diddy Combs physically assaulting his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy on trial: Everything you need to know
He's been denied bail three times, faced accusations of witness tampering, lost a lawyer, featured in a Kanye West or Ye track from behind bars, gone grey, demanded a gag order, launched an Instagram campaign and accused the government of racism. And that's just on the federal side of things.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy on trial: Everything you need to know
Diddy denies all the federal charges, but there have been a lot of civil cases as well, including a very complicated one mentioning Jay-Z.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy on trial: Everything you need to know
And it hasn't just been the saga with Jay-Z and Tony Busby. Many other civil cases have also been filed, including some very long ones.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy on trial: Everything you need to know
And Diddy's team hasn't been quiet. Filing multi-million dollar lawsuits against accusers and broadcasters, they've been fighting back and building their defence.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy on trial: Everything you need to know
All the while, Diddy's been held in the notorious Metropolitan Detention Center in New York since September. I don't think that the MDC is for any human being at all. And we got a glimpse of Diddy in March for the first time in months, as he appeared in court and entered a plea of not guilty to new allegations from prosecutors.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy on trial: Everything you need to know
And at the start of April, Sean Diddy Combs was hit with two new criminal counts, including sex trafficking and transportation for prostitution. Mr Combs' legal team said, Questionnaires will be sent out later in April to begin the jury selection, and the defence and prosecution will get to pick the group of people who will decide whether Diddy is guilty or not.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy on trial: Everything you need to know
On the civil side of things, we've had bombshell balcony dangling allegations, celebs from Michael Jackson to Jay-Z woven into the web of the Diddyverse, a Texan trial lawyer, Tony Busby, who told the BBC he had over 150 cases he would raise against Diddy. Well, what does Diddy say?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy on trial: Everything you need to know
And once they're chosen, the jurors are likely to be kept away from the outside world in an attempt to stop the case being prejudiced.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy on trial: Everything you need to know
We'll be bringing you all the buildup to the trial over the next few weeks. Then, as it all gets underway, I'll be bringing you the latest every day from New York. And if you've got any questions, you can send them to us on WhatsApp at 0330 123 5551 and we'll do our best to answer them. You know we're here to break down conspiracies and separate the fact from fiction.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy on trial: Everything you need to know
So keep listening and make sure you subscribe to Diddy on Trial with me, Anushka Matanda-Dowdy on BBC Sounds and turn on those push notifications so you never miss a thing.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy on trial: Everything you need to know
He's denied all the allegations consistently and said he's never sexually assaulted anyone, man or woman, adult or minor. As for social media, well, everybody wants to know one thing. Did he do it? And that is what we're going to find out. This week, me and the team are preparing to head out to New York so we can bring you every twist and turn of what is shaping up to be the trial of the decade.
Diddy On Trial
New Diddy documentary allegations
And it is very impactful to hear Ashley's testimony. She says that, you know, after this alleged incident, she became a recluse. She finds it really difficult to trust people. She barely leaves the house, apart from seeing her parents. So that's what I think the key takeaways are from this documentary.
Diddy On Trial
New Diddy documentary allegations
I just want to say once more, though, it contains a lot of unsubstantiated claims that the BBC cannot independently verify. We've broken some of the key moments down in this episode and provided background information. A reminder once again that Didi's team have called this documentary irresponsible journalism of the worst kind.
Diddy On Trial
New Diddy documentary allegations
And as we know, this isn't the first Didi documentary and it won't be the last Didi documentary. But Cheyenne, thank you so much for walking us through that today and we'll see you soon. Thank you. Talk soon. But before we go today, of course, it's time for Fact or Fiction.
Diddy On Trial
New Diddy documentary allegations
Und wir haben dich hier, um es für uns zu brechen. Aber heute werden wir uns an diesem Dokumentarfilm anschauen. Es wird von der Streaming-Service Peacock gemacht. Es heißt Making of a Bad Boy. Es bietet viel Grund in diesem Dokumentarfilm. Es geht von seinem frühen Leben bis hin zu ihm, dem Mogul, den wir ihn heute kennen.
Diddy On Trial
New Diddy documentary allegations
Seit mehr als einer Woche sind Feuer in Los Angeles gebrannt, die Tod und Zerstörung verursachen. Aber wenn die Theorie der P. Diddy-Konspiration nicht dein Morgen, Abend und Nacht ist, kann ich mir vorstellen, was die L.A. Feuer mit dem Rapper zu tun haben.
Diddy On Trial
New Diddy documentary allegations
Some social media users are claiming that the fires were started to burn evidence related to Diddy's case, eliminating anything that could link certain celebs to the so-called Diddy List.
Diddy On Trial
New Diddy documentary allegations
It hasn't been done. Diddy's mansion is still standing. Do we know if it was due to be investigated in two days? Well, if it was, they still can, because it's still standing. But we do know that it was already investigated in the FBI raids of March last year. That's it from Diddy on Trial from BBC Sounds with me, Anushka Matanda-Dowity.
Diddy On Trial
New Diddy documentary allegations
You can get in touch with us on WhatsApp at 0330 123 5551 or on social media. Don't forget to subscribe and turn your push notifications on so you never miss a thing.
Diddy On Trial
New Diddy documentary allegations
Ich muss sagen, dass einiges in diesem Dokument erläutert wird und einiges sehr schwierig zu korroborieren ist. Wir haben darüber schon gesprochen. Die technologische Landschaft war so anders. Keine Kamerafone, kein Tag in der Leben-Vlogs. Also müssen wir uns aufsehen und unsere eigenen Gedanken für uns selbst machen. We contacted Diddy's team and this is what they've told us.
Diddy On Trial
New Diddy documentary allegations
This documentary recycles and perpetuates the same lies and conspiracy theories that have been slung against Mr. Combs for months. It is disappointing to see NBC and Peacock rolling in the same mud as unethical tabloid reporters. By providing a platform for proven liars and opportunists to make false criminal accusations, the documentary is irresponsible journalism of the worst kind.
Diddy On Trial
New Diddy documentary allegations
Es gibt, wie gesagt, viel im Dokumentarfilm. Wir haben es in unsere Key-Takeaways gesplittert. Das erste, und ich weiß, dass du es am letzten Tag geschrieben hast, was die Leute wirklich aufgenommen haben, ist, dass es über Didis Kindheit spricht. Es erzählt uns viel darüber, wer er war als junger Mensch. Es sagt, dass er viele schöne Dinge hatte. Er war der reiche Junge in der Nachbarschaft.
Diddy On Trial
New Diddy documentary allegations
Aber das, was ich denke, wird wirklich die Augen der Menschen aufhalten, ist die... Accusations about his mom and her parties. Cheyenne, what exactly does it say?
Diddy On Trial
New Diddy documentary allegations
And obviously people are going to pick up on this because of the freak-offs, which is what they've listed in the federal indictment as days-long orgies. And they're going to draw a comparison there, which is what's already started happening on social media.
Diddy On Trial
New Diddy documentary allegations
It is not illegal to have sexually charged parties in your household, but there were already rumors online that Janice Combs attended the freak-offs with Diddy. So that is just going to add fuel to this fire completely.
Diddy On Trial
New Diddy documentary allegations
Now, in the documentary, they say they contacted Janice Combs' team for a response and she did not respond. We tried to contact her through Diddy's team. They did not respond. We did that three times. Cheyenne, did you try and contact Janice Combs as well?
Diddy On Trial
New Diddy documentary allegations
So, that's it from his childhood. Then it goes into his time at Bad Boy. Now, a reminder, Bad Boy is the record label that Diddy started. And in this section we get allegations from a former Bad Boy employee who remains anonymous in the documentary. Shane, what does he say about Diddy?
Diddy On Trial
New Diddy documentary allegations
BBC Sounds. Musik, Radio, Podcasts. Hallo und willkommen zurück zu Diddy on Trial mit mir, Anushka Matanda-Dowty. Find us every week on BBC Sounds and make sure you subscribe and turn on your push notifications so you never miss a thing. Heute prüfen wir einige der Angelegenheiten im neuen Diddy-Dokumentar. Es gibt viele, und wir werden auch die Gerüchte über die L.A.
Diddy On Trial
New Diddy documentary allegations
Diddy showed him a video of two men having sex and then sort of made a remark about this is what you have to do to get to the top in the industry. But when they actually ask this anonymous employee, what did you have to do? The question just sort of hangs in the air and it isn't really answered. What do they say to that exactly?
Diddy On Trial
New Diddy documentary allegations
Yeah, but there's a lot with hinting in the doc. And that could be because people do not feel safe enough to say what happened to them. It could be because it didn't happen at all. There's something else that sort of is left to hang in the air as well. He talks about going to parties and helping organize parties and recruiting girls to come to those parties.
Diddy On Trial
New Diddy documentary allegations
And he speaks about a specific situation where he saw, did he take two girls into a room and not come out for 24 hours? And he says they were for sure... Ich glaube, dieser Mitarbeiter beschreibt ein Umfeld, in dem er all diese roten Flaggen sieht.
Diddy On Trial
New Diddy documentary allegations
Now, when it comes to any allegations about underage girls, boys, Diddy's team have been clear. No matter how many lawsuits are filed, it won't change the fact that Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted or sex trafficked anyone, man or woman, adult or minor. That's what they told us when we put this accusation to them.
Diddy On Trial
New Diddy documentary allegations
Jetzt bringe ich hier eine Fragenliste ein, weil es spezifisch zu den Sachen, die in diesem Dokument passieren. Es kam also auf unsere WhatsApp-Nummer.
Diddy On Trial
New Diddy documentary allegations
Thank you, loving it. Bye. Cheyenne, just before we start answering that question, who exactly is Kim Porter?
Diddy On Trial
New Diddy documentary allegations
I've seen the rumors about there being foul play involved in Kim's death. She died in 2018. The coroner's report rules it as low-bar pneumonia. Her children have spoken out and said she died of natural causes. They've said, our lives were shattered when we lost our mother. She was our world. Ja. Ja. Ja. Ja. Ja. Her memory should not be tainted by horrific conspiracy theories.
Diddy On Trial
New Diddy documentary allegations
Feuer und Diddy's Mansion anschauen. Before we get going today, I have to say this episode will include some detailed allegations of rape and sexual assault. If you're affected by any of these issues and are based in the UK, you can get support at bbc.co.uk forward slash action line. Joining me today is Rolling Stone's senior investigative reporter, Cheyenne Roundtree. Hi Cheyenne.
Diddy On Trial
New Diddy documentary allegations
And that's from Quincy, Christian, Jess and Delilah. And Quincy's dad is not P. Diddy, it's Al B. Shaw's son. And Al B. Shaw, this is the first time we've really heard from him speaking out in this documentary. What exactly does he say about Kim's passing? Al B. Shaw is...
Diddy On Trial
New Diddy documentary allegations
But this is no doubt going to restart it because, yeah, he says a lot without saying a lot. He says, I saw Kim two weeks before her murder. Then he pauses and says, am I supposed to say allegedly? So he doesn't come on this doc and say, this person did this to Kim Porter. But that sort of allowed to hang in the air there and the audience to draw their own conclusions.
Diddy On Trial
New Diddy documentary allegations
And he says, I saw her two weeks before her murder, sort of insinuating that she declined too rapidly for it to be pneumonia. Und unser Team hat mit Nick Hopkinson von der Imperial College London in Kontakt gekommen. Er ist Professor für Respirationsmedizin. Und er hat uns gesagt, dass in den USA 3.000 Menschen zwischen 15 und 49 Jahre alt sterben jedes Jahr von allen Arten von Pneumonien.
Diddy On Trial
New Diddy documentary allegations
Das ist laut der Global Burden of Disease Study. Also es passiert. Aber wiederum bist du da, um deine eigene Schlussfolgerung über Kim Porters Tod zu ziehen. And at the top of the episode we said you have to listen to allegations and make your own mind up.
Diddy On Trial
New Diddy documentary allegations
However, with this particular allegation, when you are making your mind up, please remember, this is a completely unsubstantiated rumor that the L.A. Coroner's office and Kim's children have shut down. We asked Didi's team to comment and they referred us back to the L.A. Coroner's report and the statement made by Kim's children. No one is being investigated in connection with her death.
Diddy On Trial
New Diddy documentary allegations
But then Albie Shaw kind of doubles down and says, yes, he said she was keeping a diary and that it was discovered. And he said, Kimberly is gone because she was going to be Cassie Ventura. Now, Cheyenne, what exactly does he mean by that?
Diddy On Trial
New Diddy documentary allegations
Yeah, and this is not the first time we've heard about an alleged diary or book from Kim Porter. But the children have spoken about this as well in a statement. They said, claims that our mum wrote a book are simply untrue. She did not. And anyone claiming to have a manuscript is misrepresenting themselves.
Diddy On Trial
New Diddy documentary allegations
Hi, how are you? Gut, danke. Willkommen zurück. Danke. Nun, du wirst uns helfen, den Dock von Peacock heute zu packen, aber das ist einer der vielen, insbesondere einer deiner, die ziemlich bald rauskommen wird. Wann ist das veröffentlicht?
Diddy On Trial
New Diddy documentary allegations
The next thing that's really impactful in this doc is hearing the voice of one of the alleged victims. And it's the first time we've heard this alleged victim speak. She's referred to as Ashley in the documentary and she's kept anonymous. Her surname is not given and she... We don't see her face. But Cheyenne, what has Ashley alleged happened to her?
Diddy On Trial
New Diddy documentary allegations
Yeah, and one thing that really stands out is that she says at one point Diddy had a knife inside her mouth and then he says, I'm going to give you a Glasgow smile, which is, you know, slitting someone's cheek. But he's warned against it by one of the members of his team, saying... Diddy's Clientele would prefer it if Ashley looked normal. Ashley is the alleged victim.
Diddy On Trial
New Diddy documentary allegations
She also alleges that they said to her they could ship her off and sell her to anyone in the world and she'd never be seen again by her parents or her loved ones. Now, Ashley did make a police report in 2018 at the time of the alleged incident and the Contra Costa Sheriff's Department confirmed her report was thoroughly investigated and it was determined the claims were unfounded.
Diddy On Trial
New Diddy documentary allegations
Diddy's team said Mr. Combs was nowhere near Das war ihr Statement. Die Idee, dass andere Menschen mit Didi involviert waren, ist etwas, was in dem föderalen Entschuldigungsgesetz bezeichnet wird, oder? Es ist etwas, was die Regierung versucht zu beweisen.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie claims Diddy abused and blackmailed her
Und Cassie reflektiert dann auf das Zeitpunkt, nachdem das Verhältnis beendet wurde und die Prozesse auf einige der Dinge, die sie verurteilt hatte, zu ihr. Und sie sprach über ein Zeitpunkt im Jahr 2023, wo sie sagt, es wurde alles ein bisschen zu viel für sie.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie claims Diddy abused and blackmailed her
The only thing we do know is that Sean Combs assaulted Cassie, his ex-girlfriend, in a hotel hallway in 2016. And today she's been talking about what happened after that assault took place, including the police being called. The BBC's New York correspondent Neda Tawfiq was in court to watch it and she's here with me now. What exactly has gone down in that courtroom this morning?
Diddy On Trial
Cassie claims Diddy abused and blackmailed her
Cassie spricht über den Prozess, den sie durchführt, um diese Trauma durchzuführen. Sie spricht über Traumatherapie. Und sie sagt, eine der Dinge, die sie gemacht hat, war, es alles zu schreiben. Sie sagt, es hat die Form eines Buches in Kapiteln genommen. Sie sagt, sie wollte Diddy in diesem Buch lesen und dass sie Schritte gemacht hat, um sicherzustellen, dass das passiert ist.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie claims Diddy abused and blackmailed her
Also, und auch in der Erklärung des Verteidigungsantrags, sprachen sie über die finanzielle Situation von Cassie, als sie den zivilen Verteidigungsantrag verabschiedet hat. Und sie gaben die Nachricht auf, dass es ein Geldverlust war. Wir haben das auch von Diddy's People gehört, über viele verschiedene zivilen Verteidigungsanträge. Also, sie bringen das auf und sprechen über das Geld.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie claims Diddy abused and blackmailed her
Wie du es schon gesagt hast, geht es um die Vorbereitung der Krusexamination, bevor es passiert. Ist das, was du dachtest, als du das gehört hast?
Diddy On Trial
Cassie claims Diddy abused and blackmailed her
Und sie schlossen mit ein paar verschiedenen Fragen. Die erste, die die Verwaltung gefragt hat, war Cassie, warum bist du heute hier? Und sie gab eine ziemlich lange Antwort, eine ziemlich detaillierte Antwort.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie claims Diddy abused and blackmailed her
Neda, thank you so much. That was Neda Tawfiq, the BBC's New York correspondent. Well, that's it for today. Thanks for listening to Diddy on Trial from BBC Sounds with me, Anushka Matanda-Dowdy. Make sure you subscribe and turn on your push notifications so you never miss a thing.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie claims Diddy abused and blackmailed her
Now, if you're listening in the UK, details of organisations offering information and support with some of the issues raised are available at bbc.co.uk forward slash action line.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie claims Diddy abused and blackmailed her
And in regards to the 2016 CCTV footage, what did she say about how Diddy reacted after that incident?
Diddy On Trial
Cassie claims Diddy abused and blackmailed her
BBC Sounds. Musik, Radio, Podcasts. Hallo und willkommen zu Diddy on Trial von BBC Sounds mit mir, Anushka Matanda-Dowdy, hier im Federal Court House in Lower Manhattan in New York City. Nur eine Warnung, dieses Episode enthält Meldungen von Suizid, Beschreibungen von Gewalt, sexueller Gewalt, insbesondere Rape, sowie Drogenverwendung und grafische Beschreibungen von Sex.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie claims Diddy abused and blackmailed her
Einiges, was wir von Cassie gehört haben, war, warum sie glaubte, dass sie mit den Freepops weitergehen musste, auch wenn sie sich nicht so gut fühlte. Und sie hat viel darüber gesprochen, was das Forst-Element der Verbrechung ist, das die Verbrechung gegen Eddie hat. Es gibt auch das Element von Blackmail, das sie gestern angesprochen hat, aber sie hat nicht so viel darüber gesprochen.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie claims Diddy abused and blackmailed her
Aber ich höre von unseren digitalen Berichtern, dass sie darüber gesprochen hat.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie claims Diddy abused and blackmailed her
Und du hast es da erwähnt, dass sie Ketamin trinkt. Als sie die Ketamin trinkt, war es Diddy, der sie bräuchte? Und wie fühlte er sich, wenn sie sie trinkt? Was beurteilt er?
Diddy On Trial
Cassie claims Diddy abused and blackmailed her
Wir haben gestern von Cassie gehört, dass sie fühlte, als ob diese Freak-Offs ein Vollzeitjob, eine Angelegenheit geworden wären und dass sie viel mit ihrer Karriere zu tun haben musste. Bin ich richtig, wenn ich denke, dass sie auch über Dinge sprach, die sie in ihrem persönlichen Leben zugeben musste?
Diddy On Trial
Cassie claims Diddy abused and blackmailed her
Und wie war sie, als sie dieses Vertrauen gab? Offensichtlich sind es extrem intime Momente, über die sie spricht.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie claims Diddy abused and blackmailed her
Wir hören, dass das nicht das Ende ihres Testaments ist und dass es den ganzen Tag dauern könnte. Ich weiß, dass du ein Live-Interview zu tun hast, aber wir werden uns später aufmerksam machen, um zu sehen, wie das Rest ihres Testaments läuft. Neda, vielen Dank. Mein Vergnügen. It's 5.30, we're stood outside the court. Cassie's testimony has finished and cross-examination will start tomorrow.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie claims Diddy abused and blackmailed her
Es ist der zweite Tag des Testaments von Cassie und das Gericht hat gerade für den Abend gebrochen. Cassie Ventura ist der ehemalige Partner von Sean Diddy Combs seit mehr als zehn Jahren und sie ist das Hauptverwaltungsgericht für diesen Fall.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie claims Diddy abused and blackmailed her
It's absolutely chucking it down, but we've managed to grab Nedda. So Cassie's testimony after lunch began speaking more about blackmail. And we saw some examples of that, alleged examples of that. What did we see?
Diddy On Trial
Cassie claims Diddy abused and blackmailed her
Ja, und währenddessen wurde Kid Cudi als Scott bezeichnet und jeder wurde erkannt, wer das ist. Sie wurde auch gefragt, ob sie gesehen hätte, wie Didi physisch mit anderen ist. Und sie haben einige Beispiele ihrer Freunde mitgebracht. Barna Bongolan, das ist ein Name, das ein paar unserer Zuhörer vielleicht bekannt sein könnte.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie claims Diddy abused and blackmailed her
Wir wissen, dass viele von Sean Combs' Familie heute hier ist, aber seine Töchter, die in der Gerichtssitzung für die meisten der Proceduren bis jetzt nicht da sind. Es regnet auch stark, also sind wir unter einem Umbrella. Now we've seen lots of your comments asking why we always include such a long denial at this point in the program.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie claims Diddy abused and blackmailed her
Wir haben ein Programm auf einem zivilen Gesetz gehalten, das sie verabschiedet hat. Was sagen sie über Barna?
Diddy On Trial
Cassie claims Diddy abused and blackmailed her
Etwas anderes, was sie in etwas mehr Detail dargestellt hat, war die Opioid-Enttäuschung, die sie gesagt hat, dass sie entwickelt hat.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie claims Diddy abused and blackmailed her
Und dann gab es eine Reihe kurzer Ausgaben von bestimmten Dingen, die da passiert sind. Es begann mit einem Ereignis am Geburtstag ihres Bruders, in dem sie darüber gesprochen hat, wie sie verurteilt wurde.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie claims Diddy abused and blackmailed her
Sie haben auch ein Bild von Cassies Tür aufgezeichnet und einen Knopf in die Tür geschliffen. Und sie hat darüber gesprochen, warum das war.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie claims Diddy abused and blackmailed her
Well, that's because, as it stands, Sean Diddy Combs is an innocent man. It's innocent until proven guilty. He's accused of sex trafficking, transportation for prostitution and racketeering with conspiracy. He denies all the charges and says he's never sexually assaulted anyone, man or woman, adult or minor. If found guilty, he could end up spending the rest of his life behind bars.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie claims Diddy abused and blackmailed her
Okay, es kommt jetzt wirklich auf, aber wir werden weitergehen, weil wir einige andere wirklich beeindruckende Verhandlungen und Botschaften während dieses Testimones gesehen haben. Dann gehen sie weiter und sprechen über einen Verhandlung, der im Jahr 2018 stattgefunden hat und ein Abendessen, das Cassie und Diddy zusammen hatten.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie claims Diddy abused and blackmailed her
Und sie war sehr emotional, als sie dem Gericht sagte, dass die Verwaltung sie dann fragte, ob sie mit Didi nochmals intim war. Und sie sagte, dass sie es war.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
Sean, thank you so much for this today. And thank you for reading through an 87-page lawsuit. But yeah, I really appreciate this. And thank you for breaking it down for us. We'll see you very soon. No problem. You have a wonderful day. Thank you for having me. Now, it seems like everybody is talking about RICO charges when it comes to the upcoming Diddy case.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
He's been accused of RICO on the federal side, and now we've just heard a civil lawsuit that accuses him of RICO there. Joining me now is crime historian Christian Cipollini, who is going to tell us how this charge came to be and how it was used to tackle the mob. Hi, Christian.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
So before we understand the genesis of RICO, we need to look at what the United States was like before that. And they was facing a particular problem with the mob and mafia. How big of an issue was that?
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
So when it comes to those figures, we're not naming them as we don't have a way of reflecting their side of the story. This is an amended lawsuit. So, Sean, that means one was filed first and now they've made changes to it, right?
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
So if it's such a widespread, well, accepted, like you say, almost part of the fabric of the country itself, was there official complicity then in some of the ongoings on?
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
So then when you're talking about, when we think about RICO, it was an answer to the inability to get the people at the top. Why was it difficult to take down the bosses if you know who the fine families are, if you know who the mobsters are?
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
I'm assuming then there's a pretty strong code of like, if you get caught, you don't snitch because then something will happen to you.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
So they've said that they've got new information and they refile. You might remember this lawsuit if you've been listening to the pod for a while. It's filed by Ariel Mitchell-Kidd. So she's a lawyer who's being sued by Diddy currently in another case for defamation. And it's Ashley Parham's lawsuit. So when this was originally filed, there were other co-conspirators.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
You said the epicenter is New York, right? And we've got these five families. Who are these five families?
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
But when they created Recode, isn't it right that they didn't immediately use it to its fullest potential?
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
In theory. Who changes the game? Who gets it going?
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
Some were named and some were included as Jane and John Doe's. It alleged that on March 23rd, 2018, Ashley was gang raped and assaulted by Diddy and others. It's now been refiled to name co-defendants, add more claimants and a lot more detail, a whole sort of second half of this lawsuit. I'm going to run through a few of the new additions. So...
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
But it did significantly weaken the mob power structure by the 90s.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
But those laws can then be applied to those new power structures that step in. Now people have figured out how to use them. Because the thing that I think is quite confusing is we say, oh, Rico was the charge that took down the mob. And that's, it's Genesis. But a lot of people now, casual observers, they say, well, I know Rico because I hear it in a lot of rap songs.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
Or I saw the ASAP Rocky trial. Or I saw that rapper or this group. But really what you've explained there is an evolution of Well, like smaller, almost groups defined by ethnicity filled up this massive gap that were organized crime groups. And that's where you get things like the Bloods and the Crips. And then maybe from that, you see how it links to modern day hip hop culture.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
It's just an interesting evolution that they're all modeled on the mob or they're all following that same power structure.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
Thank you so much for this, because I mean, it's just I could sit here and listen to you all day. That's absolutely fascinating. And we really appreciate you coming on the program.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
That was Christian Cipollini, crime historian and author. And finally, before we go, last week we got a small insight into life for Diddy in jail. Sam Bankman-Fried spoke on Tucker Carlson's show in the US from the Metropolitan Detention Centre, where Diddy is also being held. Bankman-Fried is serving 25 years for defrauding users of his cryptocurrency in exchange. This is his insight.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
And Diddy will be going to court from that jail for his pre-trial conference on Friday. So we'll bring you the latest on that afterwards. That's it today from Diddy on Trial with me, Anushka Matanda-Dowdy. Thank you for listening. Don't forget to subscribe and turn on your push notifications so you never miss a thing.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
On page 17 of the lawsuit, it alleges that internet personality Drewski doused plaintiff with more oil and lubricant and then jumped on top of plaintiff's body, treating it like a slip and slide. It then goes on to claim that Drewski begins vaginally raping plaintiff. Now, we've heard this allegation before. I remember the slip and slide bit.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
Sean, the use of language there and just the way that's phrased, is that normal? It just feels a bit odd.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
Druski has responded publicly. We haven't heard back from him in the request we sent, but he said online, this allegation is a fabricated lie. I wasn't a public figure in In 2018, I was broke living with my mum without any connections to the entertainment industry at the time of this allegation, so the inclusion of my name is truly outlandish.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
My heart breaks for actual victims of abuse, but I'm fully confident that the evidence will expose this falsehood and the individuals who are maliciously trying to game the legal system to peddle false evidence. allegations. He's not the only celebrity name that's mentioned.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
So also on page 17, it alleges that, quote, at some point during this ordeal, plaintiff remembers the defendant referring to another doe as Cornelius and remembered the name because it was odd and unique. Plaintiff has come to discover the defendant who raped her was defendant Odell. So that's Odell Beckham Jr., OBJ, whose middle name is Cornelius. It becomes clearer later on in the
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
He denies all the charges. Today, we're going through an 87-page civil lawsuit. It names celebrity co-defendants, alleges trafficking over state lines, has a separate Michael Jackson element, and accuses Diddy of RICO by running a criminal enterprise which the lawsuit terms the Diddy Sexual Abuse and Cover-Up Enterprise.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
Now, we asked him for a statement and he hasn't responded to us, but he has put one out publicly saying, I have been informed of the allegations about me in a suit in California. I really can't believe that my name is mentioned in that matter. There is absolutely no truth to those allegations. I do not know and have never met the person that filed the suit.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
I was not anywhere near Orinda, California at that time. In fact, I don't think I've ever been to Orinda, California. I have never done anything like that and I would never do anything like that to anyone myself. I'm confident that these ridiculous claims against me will be dismissed.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
Now, people are saying that it sounds like Drewski and OBJ were kind of blindsided by the lawsuit and the first they saw of it was on social media. So are we to assume that they haven't been made aware of it before it was filed?
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
The amended lawsuit continues in a similar way to the original lawsuit filed in October. However, there is a difference. So it alleges after Ashley Parham has experienced sexual abuse, sexual assault and gang rape, she manages to escape, goes to a neighbor's house and then a police officer turns up who she believes is with the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Department.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
But now in the new filed version, she says she knows this person to be one of the co-defendants that they've added on called John Pelletier. Now, he is an actual police officer, but was not with Contra Costa County Sheriff's Department. So he was posing as someone from the lawsuit alleges.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
offered her no assistance and basically told her to go home after she says, you know, I've been brutally raped by Didi and a bunch of other people. John Pelletier is a police officer and is now the current chief of Maui Police in Hawaii. The police department sent this response on his behalf. Chief Pelletier has no connection whatsoever to any individuals named in the lawsuit.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
The allegations suggesting his involvement are entirely unfounded. We are confident that the evidence will demonstrate these claims to be false and will expose those who are deliberately trying to manipulate the legal system to spread misleading narratives. In 2018, while serving as a captain in Las Vegas...
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
Chief Pelletier was honoured by the Rape Crisis Centre for his exceptional leadership and commitment to community safety, specifically through his role as champion of the Stay Safe programme dedicated to sexual assault prevention.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
These baseless allegations not only harm Chief Pelletier, but also show a lack of respect for victims of abuse whose voices deserve to be heard and supported with compassion and integrity.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
Just a warning, this lawsuit contains graphic descriptions of rape and sexual assault. Diddy's team say no sane person reading this complaint can credit this story and they're already suing the lawyer who filed this for $50 million over comments she made to the media on a separate case.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
Yeah. So Ashley Parham did file a police report that is on record. They did. They claim investigate it. I have spoken to them. They said the same thing. We investigated this and it was unfounded. So these things are included in this lawsuit and the amended lawsuit. They're also included in the original filing. And it only gets more. I don't know what word to use. Dramatic. It
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
It gets more layered as it goes on because there's a second half of this amendment with two new plaintiffs, a Jane Doe and a John Doe, who are described as being a mother and son. And it says that, quote, plaintiffs John and Jane Doe met with defendant Diddy, so they previously knew him, through their connection in the music industry as plaintiff John Doe was a previous plaintiff against Diddy.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
Michael Jackson, for sexual assault as a minor. So they're in the industry or they're connected to the industry. So that's put in there as context, background for who this Jane and John Doe are. They claim to have been trafficked by Pelletier and other co-defendants on the lawsuit from Vegas to California, passing through a series of what they term safe houses.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
And on page 31 of the lawsuit it says, quote, it was apparent to plaintiffs this was a professional operation syndicate. They talk about seeing a list of houses or locations that they believe were safe houses that they could be moved to. So like you say, this turns it into something else because this is crossing state lines talking about places they could be moved to.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
Hello and welcome back to Diddy on Trial from BBC Sounds with me, Anushka Matanda-Doughty. Make sure you subscribe and turn on your push notifications so you never miss a thing. Every week we bring you the latest news on the Diddy case. He's due in court on May 5th, charged with sex trafficking, transportation for prostitution and racketeering with conspiracy, known as RICO.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
They are held at gunpoint, they claim, they allege, put into the back of SUVs and moved around the country. That's a huge allegation.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
Yeah. And I mean, Rico is coming up left, right and center. Later on in the program, we're talking to a crime historian who does the history of how it started with the mob and what was going on. It was almost like tailor-made to take down the mob. And now we're seeing it levelled against Diddy. And what is described here in the second part of the lawsuit is a cover-up.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
They talk about going to these houses and sort of it being strange that when they're screaming for help, neighbours weren't coming outside and people weren't getting involved. The neighbours come out and they hear gunshots and then they don't call the police. So they're trafficked, they claim, alleged by multiple different people.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
And then later on in the programme, because everyone is talking about Rico on the federal side and the civil side, we have crime historian Christian Cipollini telling us how this charge was tailor-made to take down the mob. OK, first, we're going to take a look at this new lawsuit. And our resident criminal defense attorney, Sean Kent, is with me to listen and help me analyze what this all means.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
on their journey to their final destination, one of the people who was trafficking them, they recognize because, quote, this person had also filed a lawsuit against superstar singer Michael Jackson in 2005 and filed a creditors claim against the Jackson estate upon his untimely demise in 2009. Jane and John Doe, the mother and son, have filed a lawsuit against Jackson.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
Now they're claiming that one of the people who's trafficking them across state lines has also filed another lawsuit against Michael Jackson. They then claim that they eventually end up in the location where Ashley Parham, our original plaintiff, claims she was being assaulted. They claim to have witnessed the assault.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
So if you remember from the first time we covered this, it's extremely graphic. The son, the John Doe, also claims that Diddy tried to force him to rape Parham. Quote, plaintiff John Doe believes defendant Diddy wanted plaintiff to rape plaintiff Parham so they could frame him in the event plaintiff Parham reported her assault.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
All the pieces are coming together and he's there to potentially frame him in this assault. But one thing I don't understand with this, and it says it a few different times throughout the lawsuit, plaintiff so-and-so believes this. Plaintiff so-and-so believes that. Why? How can you get away with just saying that?
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
One last detail from the lawsuit. It says that the mother, Jane Doe, was forced to sign documents while her son's being taken elsewhere and allegedly forced to participate in the rape of Miss Parham. The mother, Jane Doe, was forced to sign documents that, quote, plaintiff believes the documents were related to creditors' claims plaintiffs had against the Michael Jackson estate.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
So it sort of aims to tie up the narrative of why they would have been trafficked from Las Vegas to this location to sign these documents about Michael Jackson and potentially frame the son during this alleged sexual assault of this woman, Ashley Parham. However, it leaves a lot of unanswered questions like what is the creditor claim?
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
What does it have to do with the Jane and John Doe claims against Michael Jackson? Were the specifics of the suits against Michael Jackson? So they'll definitely get a lot of... Questions left hanging in the air when it comes to the Michael Jackson element of this lawsuit. And there's a lot of moving parts and a lot of different people.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
Hi, Sean. Hey, how are you doing? Right. So this this lawsuit is long, 87 pages. So I appreciate you having have read and gone through all of it. There are multiple players and events taking place in different states. We've contacted the people mentioned in the lawsuit requesting a response to what's been alleged. Some people are not public figures and they haven't responded to these requests.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
And we asked Diddy's team about this and they addressed pretty much all of it. They said this new complaint brought by an attorney has already been sued for defaming Mr. Combs. So we told you about that's a 50 million lawsuit against the attorney who filed this to do with Courtney Burgess and claiming to have seen him. Freak off tapes with minors on News Nation.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
They go on to say this demonstrates the depraved lengths plaintiffs will travel to garner headlines in pursuit of a payday. Mr. Combs was nowhere near Orinda, California on the day Ms. Parham claimed she was assaulted there and the Contra Costa Sheriff's Department has already confirmed Ms. Parham's claims were determined to be unfounded charges. Thank you.
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
who was purportedly kidnapped across state lines and forced to, quote, sign paperwork at gunpoint, close quote, while shepherded through a web of safe houses. No sane person reading this complaint can credit this story. Mr Combs looks forward to having his day in court where these lies and the perverse motives of those who told them will be revealed. And has this actually been given to Diddy?
Diddy On Trial
Celebs named and lurid new claims in lawsuit; Diddy denies it all
Has he been served?
Diddy On Trial
What is sex trafficking?
BBC Sounds. Music, radio, podcasts. Hello and welcome back to Diddy on Trial from BBC Sounds with me, Anushka Matanda-Doughty. Don't forget to subscribe and turn on your push notifications so you never miss a thing.
Diddy On Trial
What is sex trafficking?
Lala, thank you so much for talking to me today. That was Lala Appleberry, Executive Director of Survivor Network NC in the United States. So we've heard what sex trafficking is, the different forms it can take and how hard it can be to catch. But what about prosecuting the offence, convincing the jury beyond a reasonable doubt that this is what happened?
Diddy On Trial
What is sex trafficking?
Well, my next guest, former federal prosecutor Elizabeth Geddes, has done exactly that. Hi, Liz. Nice to see you.
Diddy On Trial
What is sex trafficking?
But my first guest is Dr. Marcel van der Wat, president at the National Center on Sexual Exploitation in the U.S. Hi, Marcel.
Diddy On Trial
What is sex trafficking?
So benefit could be a promotion. Benefit could be actual cash in hand.
Diddy On Trial
What is sex trafficking?
So we spoke earlier in the programme about force, fraud or coercion. Now, force, I understand how you could prove. I feel like bruises or physical damage, right? Fraud or coercion feels, once again, far more intangible.
Diddy On Trial
What is sex trafficking?
So when you have these immaterial forces and when something is received that might not be tangible, like we've said, surely the bulk of the evidence is then made up by witness testimony?
Diddy On Trial
What is sex trafficking?
So my first question to you is, what exactly is sex trafficking?
Diddy On Trial
What is sex trafficking?
You famously prosecuted the R. Kelly case. Now, R. Kelly is a R&B singer and he was accused of forced labor. Remind me, was that the only charge? Yeah.
Diddy On Trial
What is sex trafficking?
One of the things that a lot of people took from that that really stuck with people was the testimony of the witnesses who came up, the survivors. That is a lot, as you've just said, there is a lot of pressure on witness testimony there. How on earth do you prepare somebody to speak about something in a really fragile state in such a public manner?
Diddy On Trial
What is sex trafficking?
Were there any difficulties around this with the R. Kelly case because there were so many eyes on it because he's such a big figure?
Diddy On Trial
What is sex trafficking?
Liz, thank you so much for speaking to me today. We really appreciate it. Have a lovely rest of your day. Thank you. That was Elizabeth Geddes, former federal prosecutor in the United States. If you've got a question for us, send it through on WhatsApp at 0330 123 5551. That's 0330 123 5551. That's it for Diddy on Trial this week with me, Anushka Matanda-Dowdy.
Diddy On Trial
What is sex trafficking?
Don't forget to subscribe on BBC Sounds and keep your push notifications on so you never miss a thing.
Diddy On Trial
What is sex trafficking?
The rapper Sean Diddy Combs is currently inside the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn, awaiting trial in May on charges of sex trafficking, transportation for prostitution and racketeering with conspiracy. He denies all the allegations.
Diddy On Trial
What is sex trafficking?
And as we've been sort of hearing about this over the past couple of years in different cases and more in the media, definitely a lot on social media, my view of sex trafficking, when I really sat down and thought about it, is kind of a lot based on the larger sex trafficking rings.
Diddy On Trial
What is sex trafficking?
And you've infiltrated some of these groups. What's that process like?
Diddy On Trial
What is sex trafficking?
We're going to be examining what each of these federal charges means over the coming weeks, hearing from experts and people affected in cases separate to Diddy's. We're starting with sex trafficking. And to be honest, we've heard a lot about this offence in the media in recent years.
Diddy On Trial
What is sex trafficking?
What is it like playing that persona and seeing some of the things that are going on? What do you feel when you're experiencing that?
Diddy On Trial
What is sex trafficking?
Just as a final question, how much of a problem is this in the USA?
Diddy On Trial
What is sex trafficking?
Marcel, thank you so much for joining us today. We really appreciate it.
Diddy On Trial
What is sex trafficking?
That was Dr. Marcel van der Waal, the president at the National Center on Sexual Exploitation in the United States. My next guest is Lala Appleberry, who lives in Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States. She's the executive director of Survivors Network NC. And Lala, you've been through some of these experiences yourself.
Diddy On Trial
What is sex trafficking?
I really want to talk to you about the kind of sex trafficking we don't always see depicted, stuff that happens on a smaller scale inside intimate relationships.
Diddy On Trial
What is sex trafficking?
You're 16. You're very young. And all these adult things are happening, probably make you feel quite mature. I'm going out to dinner. I'm getting picked up from school in a car. I feel good. I look good. This person likes me for me. How does that then turn into what we are now terming sex trafficking? What were the steps?
Diddy On Trial
What is sex trafficking?
How does it turn from, you know, hang out with my friend and he might give you some money into, you know, it turns sexual. How does that happen? Does it feel like that's a choice you make or was it a possibility that was introduced to you?
Diddy On Trial
What is sex trafficking?
You spoke there about feelings afterwards going, oh, I don't want to do that again and venting and ranting about it. So you were having feelings of this is uncomfortable. I don't know. I don't like it. How were you justifying it to yourself? You were seeing it as an act of love? You were seeing it as compromise?
Diddy On Trial
What is sex trafficking?
You've got the facade of choice, the myth of choice that he's offered you. What's the exit plan for this? How did you get away?
Diddy On Trial
What is sex trafficking?
And you speak there about assault and that being recognisably something that was a line crossed, right? When did you start to look back on these experiences and go, oh, OK, actually, I didn't choose that. This was forced.
Diddy On Trial
What is sex trafficking?
From conspiracy theories to convictions, sex trafficking cases make headlines and trends on social media. But how much is known about the actual offense and the different forms it can take? So today, we're going to be hearing from a woman who helps survivors of sex trafficking and the lawyer who successfully prosecuted R. Kelly.
Diddy On Trial
What is sex trafficking?
One of the main questions people have is, you know, you didn't push for a conviction of your boyfriend or a charge of your then boyfriend. Why not?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
He's been in that jail, the Metropolitan Detention Center, since September 2024. And we're going to keep you up to date with what's going on with this federal case. We're keeping an eye on it. And we'll have Sean and Cheyenne here to explain. Something else that kind of caught everybody's eye recently was another civil case.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
And we remember we've had multiple civil filings going on in the ecosystem of the Diddyverse outside of the federal case. This one was a headline grabber. It was filed in Florida. Cheyenne, can you just talk me through just briefly who was involved in this or whose names were attached to this case?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
But the way this was covered by big publications, small publications, they led with Beyonce, Jay-Z, LeBron James, which I understand because you're going to get clicks, hits and views. But it made it seem like they were named as defendants in the civil case when they're not. Joseph Manzaro says that they were witnesses to some stuff that happened to him.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
This lawsuit lists Diddy, Brendan Poole, Emilio Estefan, Adria English and Eric Mejas as co-defendants. The plaintiff, Joseph Manzaro, alleges he was drugged and taken to the Estefan mansion, where he was then transported to Diddy's mansion, where the plaintiff believes Diddy's son, Christian Combs, was celebrating his birthday.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
Once there, he claims he was degraded, sexually assaulted and sexually maimed. Although the claim doesn't identify who allegedly sexually assaulted Manzaro, it claims that the abuse was directed by Diddy and English. It alleges the other defendants, along with Diddy and English, contributed by trafficking him, facilitating the abuse, and were involved in attempting to cover up what had happened.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
So what have Diddy's team told us about this lawsuit? They said... Now, like you mentioned, Cheyenne, Adria English, who also has a lawsuit accusing Diddy of sexual assault, is named as a defendant. I reached out to Adria English and she hasn't yet responded.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
It can also take stuff away, I believe, but that's not what we're dealing with here in this case. Cheyenne, what are the big differences in this new superseding indictment?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
Brendan Paul is named as a defendant and his lawyer says if someone seriously filed this lawsuit, the allegations against Brendan are 100% false and literally impossible to have occurred. And so far, we haven't been able to reach Eric Mayes for comment. Just a warning before we begin, this lawsuit does contain sexually explicit content.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
When it comes to Beyonce, Joseph Manzaro claims she saw him in a drug state and she exclaimed, what's this? What's this all about? Why is this half-naked man with a cock mask standing here in front of me? To which another defendant responded, Diddy wants to show him what happens to snitches.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
He says Gloria Estefan saw him in the mansion in a drug state and repeatedly asked for an ambulance to be called. He says that Jay-Z was next to Beyoncé when she saw Joseph. He also says that LeBron James, who was wearing a bath towel and brown shower shoes at the time, saw him in a drug state. But they're not actually listed as co-defendants.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
Now, in a statement to the BBC, Jay-Z's lawyer said he wasn't in Florida at the time. He was engaged in an easily findable public activity that proves he was not at this event. This is more nonsense that erodes the trust in our justice system. Now, it says... in the lawsuit that Joseph believed it to be Christian Combs' birthday. His birthday is on the 1st of April, so 1st of April, 2015.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
Jay-Z was in New York launching Tidal, if we remember. His streaming service was a big event. He was there with Beyoncé, Rihanna. I think Daft Punk was there, and they all sort of signed on to be co-owners of Tidal. Beyonce's rep hasn't yet commented, but there are pictures of her with Jay-Z at their early April Tidal streaming launch.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
Now, it doesn't specifically say that this party actually took place on the 1st of April in the lawsuit. LeBron James' camp have also firmly denied he was there, and they said that he was busy playing in the NBA playoffs with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
Emilio Estefan strongly denies the allegations and has issued a joint statement with his wife, Gloria Estefan, who's named as a witness, saying, "...the property in question was never a home where Gloria and Emilio resided, but it was rather a house they owned for a family use. There were no parties thrown there between 2012 and 2019, and they have the necessary documents to support these facts."
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
Sean, this lawsuit says that they've witnessed something that looks criminal, is potentially criminal, and they haven't done anything, called the police or tried to help the plaintiff. Why are they just in the lawsuit named as witnesses?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
But Cheyenne, the way the reaction to this online has been that it's been picked up a lot.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
And look, we'll keep our eye on these civil cases and these federal filings. Our eyes are firmly on the Diddyverse, which seems to be ever expanding at the moment. And we have with us, through the soul, holding our hands, Sean and Cheyenne. Thank you so much, both of you, for coming and explaining this. Thank you, Sean.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
And thank you, Cheyenne. Yeah, of course. That's it for this episode of Diddy on Trial with me, Anushka Matanda-Dowdy for BBC Sounds. Don't forget to subscribe and turn on your push notifications and please keep sending us your questions on WhatsApp at 0330 123 5551. That's 0330 123 5551. A man is shot dead on the streets of New York.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
So this was something I found confusing. We've seen these allegations before related to victim two. Why is it that they now, in effect, have their own paragraph, Sean?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
Because it's easy to think the grand jury met, concluded, and then we got the first indictment. But they can reconvene, they can reopen investigations, right?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
They've termed it a substantive count of sex trafficking and transportation for prostitution. Does that mean victims who could now spend more time up on the stand giving evidence or there'll be more scrutiny over what they're saying because they have their own couple of paragraphs?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
So make sure you subscribe and turn on those push notifications. Reminder, Diddy is accused of sex trafficking, transportation for prostitution and racketeering with conspiracy. He denies all the allegations. Today, Beyoncé, LeBron James, Gloria Estefan are named in a new lawsuit. Now, you might have seen this all over your timeline and thought they were accused of something.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
Cheyenne, there were other differences with Victim 2's addition.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
People have been asking on social media, does that mean that he was allegedly doing this alleged crimes up until the moment that he was arrested?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
We should say, obviously, Diddy disputes that. But in terms of the defence preparing a new way to go at this, their statement that they've put out are these are not new allegations or new accusers. This is what they said to CBS News, a BBC's US partner. These are the same individuals, former long-term girlfriends who were involved in consensual relationships.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
This was their private sex life defined by consent, not coercion. So once again, we're just going to have a trial of what did they consent to, what didn't they consent to, and trying to prove coercion on the stand, right?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
BBC Sounds. Music, radio, podcasts. Hello and welcome back to Diddy on Trial from BBC Sounds with me, Anushka Matanda-Dowdy. The flights are booked and we are prepped and ready to go out to New York for the start of this trial where we're going to be in court making sure we have those updates for you straight away so you never miss a thing.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
We've had some other interesting filings relating to the victims. Cheyenne, what's been the update on what Victim 1 has now decided to do?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
Actually, they're listed as witnesses, and we're going to get into that later. And we're going to take a look at victim one who has decided to go public. Well, you might have thought, like me, that in this period before the trial, it was going to be a kind of calm before the storm. Wrong. On April 3rd, the government released another superseding indictment. That's the third one we've had now.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
And when the government officially names that person, we will report it. So we've said before the testimony of victim one or the allegations from victim one closely aligned with those made by Cassie Ventura, the longtime romantic partner of Diddy.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
Just in terms of what that looks like in a court, Cheyenne, for somebody who's never sat in criminal proceedings or in a court, what does that mean for victim one?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
And they've said they both agreed to not use Rule 412, the previous sexual history, which I said last episode I was relieved about because it means you get less of that kind of, we're going to talk about your whole personal life outside of the limits of the date range that we speak about here. But if victim one is choosing to go use their name, walk into court, the press...
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
have made no such promise and they can go through and bring up people's past and dig things out as we have seen particularly like tabloid journalism there we've seen this happen a million times before so that's an even bigger consideration for somebody choosing to use their real name and identity.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
It says, OK, the defence can argue against this, right? So this hasn't been decided. The defence must, quote, demonstrate a particularised need for disclosure, which the court weighs against the risk to the witness. What reason can you come up for saying we need to know the place you're employed, your address, names of your family members, identifying details as the defence? What can you say?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
But this time it adds on two additional criminal counts against Diddy. And we're just over a month from opening statements. Why file it now? Does it leave the defence enough time to prepare? I have questions. Luckily, we have our dream team here to answer them. So joining me today is Rolling Stone senior investigative reporter, Cheyenne Roundtree. Hi, Cheyenne. Hi, how are you?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
And there are some other interesting findings as well that have come quite recently about, here we are again with 404B evidence and Rule 413. And it sounds confusing, but we know this is bringing up previous bad acts or now it seems alleged bad conduct. Because his lawyers have just filed this saying, quote,
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
And just 60 days before trial, the government suddenly announced that it intended to shore up its case with evidence of uncharged and uncorroborated crimes, including purported instances of sexual assault, all but one of which supposedly occurred decades ago.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
These incendiary allegations are substantially more serious than the charged offences, and if admitted, would make it impossible for Mr Combs to receive a fair trial.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
And logistically, this is a bit of a nightmare as well. Cheyenne, can you just remind us what time frame they've put on this trial?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
goes on to say about this, the one I was just reading from a minute ago, goes on to say, quote, these are entirely new, untested, uncorroborated and uninvestigated allegations. All but one of the alleged incidents happened over 20 years ago with the oldest dating to the 1980s.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
The allegations implicate dozens of unidentified witnesses and alleged co-conspirators around the world and some of the key witnesses to the supposed incidents are dead. Collectively, these new allegations require many months
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
And our resident criminal defence attorney, Sean Kent. Hi, Sean.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
if not years, to investigate, and if admitted, would require a series of mini-trials, certain to double the length of a trial the government originally said would last three weeks. That doesn't sound like eight weeks to me.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
So a bit of a reminder, we haven't had a superseding indictment for a while. Indictments, as Sean tells us, are just criminal lawsuits, a story or a list of accusations made by the government, in this case against Diddy. A superseding indictment replaces the original indictment. It usually includes extra charges, new counts or additional co-defendants.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy hit with additional charges, plus why are Beyonce and LeBron mentioned in a lawsuit?
And I mean, just a reminder that the 5th of May, we've got juries, we've got jury selection, we've got peremptory strikes on the 9th of May and then opening statements on the 12th of May. Like you said, this game of chicken is, I mean, it's back and forth filings almost daily now.
Diddy On Trial
The start of Diddy’s trial: What to expect
BBC Sounds. Music, radio, podcasts. Hello and welcome back to Diddy on Trial from BBC Sounds with me, Anushka Matandadauti. The trial is set to start in four days, and this week, inside the court in the Southern District of New York, the group of people responsible for making a decision about whether Diddy is guilty or not are being selected.
Diddy On Trial
The start of Diddy’s trial: What to expect
Do you have to prep? So, for instance, for Diddy, were you drawing old pictures of Diddy to just get him right before you went in? What prep do you do?
Diddy On Trial
The start of Diddy’s trial: What to expect
There was something with a gun charge. Yeah, the shine shooting in the nightclub. But Diddy was found not guilty in that one.
Diddy On Trial
The start of Diddy’s trial: What to expect
What's it been like for you covering the first trial in 2001, the shooting in the nightclub to this?
Diddy On Trial
The start of Diddy’s trial: What to expect
Who's been the hardest person to capture of the notable figures that you've sketched?
Diddy On Trial
The start of Diddy’s trial: What to expect
Have you had anybody reach out to you afterwards and say, you didn't draw me favorably enough?
Diddy On Trial
The start of Diddy’s trial: What to expect
So does the defense need to make it a bit more emotional, emotional?
Diddy On Trial
The start of Diddy’s trial: What to expect
Harvey Weinstein leaned over during the proceedings and said, give me more hair.
Diddy On Trial
The start of Diddy’s trial: What to expect
He asked you to make Donald Trump look sexy or him?
Diddy On Trial
The start of Diddy’s trial: What to expect
My goodness, you must be the best dinner party guest ever. These stories are just, this is insane. I mean, you've got a window into a world that no one really gets to see. What's the biggest thing that you've learned from doing this over four decades?
Diddy On Trial
The start of Diddy’s trial: What to expect
And when we started speaking, you spoke about capturing the vibe of the person. Does that mean you get a little bit of artistic license?
Diddy On Trial
The start of Diddy’s trial: What to expect
I should have asked, actually, is there anything from all of these trials you've covered that's like really stayed with you or shocked you? Any standout moments?
Diddy On Trial
The start of Diddy’s trial: What to expect
Jane, this has been absolutely fascinating. And hopefully we will see you in New York in that courtroom. Okay, well, I'll see you there. That was Jane Rosenberg, court sketch artist and author of Drawn Testimony. Before I go, I just want to mention a new BBC documentary, P. Diddy, The Rise and Fall. It's on BBC iPlayer now, so check that out for some more background on Diddy.
Diddy On Trial
The start of Diddy’s trial: What to expect
If you'd like to get in touch with us with your questions, as always, please WhatsApp them at 0330 123 555 1. That's 0330 123 555 1. That's it for this episode of Diddy on Trial with me, Anushka Mitandadouti. Make sure you subscribe and turn on your push notifications so you never miss a thing.
Diddy On Trial
The start of Diddy’s trial: What to expect
How much are you allowed to I'm searching for a better way of saying trash talk, but trash talk the other side.
Diddy On Trial
The start of Diddy’s trial: What to expect
So other than rambling on being a key mistake, what are some of the most common mistakes that people make with opening statements?
Diddy On Trial
The start of Diddy’s trial: What to expect
Reminder, Diddy is accused of sex trafficking, transportation for prostitution, and RICO. If convicted, he could end up spending the rest of his life behind bars. But he has consistently denied all the allegations. Soon, it will be the jury's turn to see all the evidence, hear weeks of testimony, witness careful cross-examinations, and finally... deliberate and decide.
Diddy On Trial
The start of Diddy’s trial: What to expect
So then in this case, a lot of Diddy's freedom, I guess, might be riding on his lawyer's abilities to emote.
Diddy On Trial
The start of Diddy’s trial: What to expect
You mentioned, obviously, there are visible tells, body language for the jury, who's engaging, who's not. I mean, some people might get upset. I don't know. Do you have somebody watching the jury and going, well, number three did this and number four did that?
Diddy On Trial
The start of Diddy’s trial: What to expect
So I'm a bit nervous for this, actually, because with all that being said, I've tried to come up with four points for the prosecution and defense that would potentially be added to their opening statements. This is based on stuff that they've said in filings, based on stuff that they've said in statements, based on public comments that they've made. Right.
Diddy On Trial
The start of Diddy’s trial: What to expect
So I'm not coming up with any of this myself. Sean, go easy on me. I'll do the... I will not.
Diddy On Trial
The start of Diddy’s trial: What to expect
I'll go straight into the prosecution who so they can speak a little bit more about evidence in their opening statement.
Diddy On Trial
The start of Diddy’s trial: What to expect
Right. OK. Number one, this man had absolute power, more power than the average US citizen will ever have. He had teams of people dedicated to getting him anything he wanted. And he abused this. He thought no one would stand up to him. So that would be number one, I guess, relating to the Rico charge. Number two, he...
Diddy On Trial
The start of Diddy’s trial: What to expect
He went on social media and protested his innocence and said that he'd never done any of the things that he was accused of. And then we all later saw evidence that he had in the video of him assaulting Cassie, which you are going to see or has been admitted into this trial.
Diddy On Trial
The start of Diddy’s trial: What to expect
Number three, talking about the bravery of the victims, how difficult it is to testify, what they've got on the line, how this is going to affect them for the rest of their lives.
Diddy On Trial
The start of Diddy’s trial: What to expect
Number four, I think they're going to tell you, as in the defense, are going to tell you that he's a father, he's a successful black man, that he's done a lot for his community, but that doesn't preclude him from also being all of these other things. How is that? OK. Three of four.
Diddy On Trial
The start of Diddy’s trial: What to expect
But before that, the first thing they will hear is opening statements from the prosecution and the defence. So if first impressions are everything, they better get this right. Joining me today to give us the recipe for the best opening statements is our criminal defence attorney, Sean Kent. Hi, Sean.
Diddy On Trial
The start of Diddy’s trial: What to expect
I can see why they pay you the big bucks, Sean.
Diddy On Trial
The start of Diddy’s trial: What to expect
I'll do the defence. Number one, there's been a media circus, a complete media circus around this man. It's been trialled by the public. I want you to forget everything that you've read and focus on what is actually very limited evidence. That is the first point. Number two, he admits that he had toxic relationships, but these relationships were built on consent, not coercion.
Diddy On Trial
The start of Diddy’s trial: What to expect
Number three, at the end of the day, he's a dedicated father, a successful businessman, a black entrepreneur, a pillar in the community. And seeing his reputation get torn apart has been really painful for him and his family. Number four, you wouldn't usually hear from the defendant, but Diddy has nothing to hide, so he will be taking the stand. Good? Bad? How do you feel about that?
Diddy On Trial
The start of Diddy’s trial: What to expect
I'm good. I mean, I spoke to you last night. I didn't realize this was your complete area of expertise and you teach other lawyers how to write opening and closing statements. First of all, before we get into the recipe for a great one, what makes a terrible opening statement?
Diddy On Trial
The start of Diddy’s trial: What to expect
Sean, thank you so much for this. I mean, we're going to be in touch with you throughout the trial and getting your analysis and definitely want to hear what you make of those opening statements that are going to be made on the 12th of May in that courtroom.
Diddy On Trial
The start of Diddy’s trial: What to expect
That was Sean Kent, criminal defense attorney from South Carolina. Now, we've told you before, Diddy's trial will not be televised and electronic devices are not allowed in court. So during the coverage of the trial, you'll be seeing a lot of courtroom sketches. And it's really what the public rely on to see what's going on inside the courtroom.
Diddy On Trial
The start of Diddy’s trial: What to expect
Now, we've seen some of those sketches of Diddy already. Today, we have an absolute courtroom sketch legend with us, Jane Rosenberg. Hi, Jane. Hi, how are you? I'm good, thank you. Jane, how long have you been doing this? Since 1980, so what is that, 45 years? And what are some of the big names that you've covered that we might know?
Diddy On Trial
The start of Diddy’s trial: What to expect
You've just listed off a bunch of names there that are household names, obviously Donald Trump being at the top of that list, Ghislaine Maxwell, now P. Diddy. We rely on you to show us what those big household names are looking like as they're going through these huge court procedures. What makes a good court sketch?
Diddy On Trial
The start of Diddy’s trial: What to expect
What makes a bad one? Do you ever look at other people's and go, God, that's not it?
Diddy On Trial
The start of Diddy’s trial: What to expect
How do you choose which part of the proceedings you're going to draw the sketch from?
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
BBC Sounds. Music, radio, podcasts. Hello and welcome back to Diddy on Trial from BBC Sounds with me, Anushka Matanda-Doughty. Make sure you subscribe and turn on your push notifications so you never miss a thing. We're here every week to bring you the latest news about Sean Diddy Combs in the build-up to his federal trial in May.
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
Is this the first lawsuit we've had filed against Janice?
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
Stephanie from Spain has sent us a voice note. She's just watched the Courtney Burgess and Ariel Mitchell speaking on News Nation from a few months ago. There is an interview of witnesses.
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
I don't get it. Okay, so that's Courtney Burgess' allegations made on News Nation that he has flash drives that include the freak-offs and he's seen what he believes to be minors in them. Cheyenne, can you just remind us, did he have responded directly to this interview that he did with Ariel Mitchell, his lawyer? What did he say?
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
And Sean, you've spoken before about how suing Diddy at the moment in a civil lawsuit isn't going to do you much good because we've got to get through the federal proceedings first. But Janice Combs, could she sit for a deposition?
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
Is it fair to say, sure, that if Courtney Burgess has handed over this evidence that he claims to have with minors in it, we would have maybe had a superseding indictment that added on a sexual assault charge with minors? I mean, surely if he had that, that would be evidence of that crime.
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
So as far as we know, it's only him who's seen these alleged tapes. I mean, they technically could not even exist at all. So him going on News Nation and saying that that's what he saw doesn't mean that's true in any way. And that's definitely what Diddy's defence team have reflected.
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
They told us that Ariel and Courtney have been fuelling a media frenzy, fabricating outlandish claims and stirring up baseless speculation, vying to outdo each other in a shameless competition to draw attention to themselves with no regard for the truth.
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
in this pitiful spectacle all pretense of objectivity has been abandoned as a global audience feasts at the all-you-can-eat buffet of wild lies and conspiracy theories. Defendants are among the worst perpetrators of this offensive scenario. I mean, most of us will remember that statement, especially feasting at the all-you-can-eat buffet. And they came down really hard on Ariel and Kourtney
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
And that was after they started to see some of the evidence that the federal government had. They then filed that lawsuit. So lots of people were then saying, well, maybe they saw what Courtney handed in. And it just absolutely verifiably isn't what he said on News Nation.
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
Yeah. And I will say I have seen a lot of AI images. I mean, usually I can see them and they look very fake. But some of them I put through like our BBC Verify AI team and they're like, yeah, this has layers and layers of AI generated photos in it or like stuff they've taken from award shows and put people's faces on top of. So there is a lot of content out there that is just fake.
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
And it's difficult to see, you know, if you don't have a team of people checking it for you, what's real and what isn't. So that's why we have a grand jury and that's why we have the federal government sort of dedicated to doing that. Our last question today is loving the pod. I've just listened to your episode Flown In for Sex.
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
So this was the BBC investigation that Rihanna Croxford and Larissa Kennelly did into the early working culture in Bad Boy. Now it says, I must say this was a record label called Bad Boy. Surely the clue is in the name. I don't think many people would think sex in the studio or workplace relationships would be unusual, unexpected or illegal.
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
And the reference to girls being flown into New York City, I know a lot of girls who would expect the millionaire rap star they are seeing to pay for that. Cheyenne, I think that this is still an important thing. I understand a lot of people have said this about 80s, 90s, early 2000s hip hop rap culture, studio culture.
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
But I think understanding the working practice is really important or the allegations that have been made about the culture at Bad Boy because we've heard other things that say it wasn't the most professional environment.
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
Diddy's legal team said that the BBC had failed to provide them with any substantive details about these accusations, and they said that these allegations lack context and credibility. They said it was impossible for Mr Combs to present any facts and counter what they described as fabricated accusations, saying that this story is clearly designed to push a one-sided, prejudicial narrative.
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
They also said that Mr Combs cannot dignify every publicity stunt or absurd claim with a response. And they said he has full confidence in the judicial process, but the truth will prevail, saying that these accusations are pure fiction. That's all we've got today for questions. Thank you so much both for joining us. And I'll see you again very soon.
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
I mean, right now, what are we waiting for, Sean? An Enterprise letter?
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
Yeah, yeah. Live streamed from TikTok. Honestly, yeah. Well, look, if we get a superseding indictment, if we get anything, if we get anything, we'll be here probably with an emergency episode. But right now we're still set for May 5th. I'll see you guys very soon. Thank you for joining me again today. Cheyenne, thanks for joining. Thank you so much. And lovely to see you, Sean. Speak to you soon.
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
Just before we go, I should say Diddy denies all the allegations against him and says he's never sexually assaulted anyone, adult or minor, man or woman. That's it from us today on Diddy on Trial with me, Anushka Matanda-Dowdy. But please keep sending us your questions on WhatsApp at 0330 123 5551. That's 0330 123 5551.
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
Don't forget to subscribe and turn on your push notifications so you never miss a thing.
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
Because they've said they began an investigation last year that brought these facts to light about Janice. Is that where they're getting creative?
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
He's also facing civil lawsuits and it's been a busy week for those. We also have a whole bunch of listener questions to work through. Joining me today is our resident criminal defence attorney, Sean Kent. Hi, Sean. Hey, guys. How are you all doing? And Rolling Stone senior investigative reporter, Cheyenne Roundtree. Hi, Cheyenne. Morning.
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
Well, look, we haven't had a response from Janice Combs directly about this lawsuit, but Diddy's team have told us this latest lawsuit filed by Kirk Burrows, filed by none other than Tyrone Blackburn, is another frivolous attempt to relitigate claims that have been repeatedly thrown out of court over the past 30 years.
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
Despite repeated dismissals, Burrows and Blackburn are intent on wasting the court's time and resources by refiling dismissed claims and now dragging Mr. Combs' 80-year-old mother into this. And that wasn't the only lawsuit we have filed. We also had one filed by Sarah Rivers, who was on the program, The Making of the Band. Cheyenne, can you just talk us through what she alleges happened to her?
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
So we've heard sort of similar allegations before that he's wielded his power to make the working environment difficult for other people so that they sort of do what he tells them to do. Sean, once again, we have corroboration of conduct there, right?
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
So this week, Cheyenne, you've been pretty busy covering the Oscars and Sean fighting many fires, no doubt. But it's been a relatively busy week for Diddy News in terms of new lawsuits being filed, one against his mum. Cheyenne, could you just talk us through what happened there?
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
So this is what Diddy's legal team have sent us about that. They've said this is yet another example of false claims being filed against Mr. Combs. No matter how many lawsuits are filed, it won't change the fact that Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted or sex trafficked anyone, man or woman, adult or minor. We live in a world where anyone can file for any reason.
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
With the deadline for New York's Gender Motivated Violence Act expiring, it's clear that opportunists are rushing to file last minute, meritless claims. Mr. Combs remains confident he will prevail in court. But now we have had listener questions racking up for weeks for Cheyenne and for Sean. I know you love the last classes in session.
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
We, of course, have a visiting lecturer today, Cheyenne, and we have Sean with us. We haven't been ignoring your questions. We've just been putting them all together. I'll go to our first question from Sophie in Australia. She says, thank you for providing an informative and interesting pod on this case. I'm hooked. This is a question for you, Sean.
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
I would like to ask, in light of the Jay-Z case being dropped, legally will this have implications for any others of Busby's cases against Diddy? Would this case being dropped implicate the other cases favourably or unfavourably? And is there any evidence to suggest he settled or the reasons around the case being dropped? That's quite a big one there.
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
So I guess, first of all, will it impact Busby's other cases that he's brought forward?
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
There's been a bit of a development there between Jay-Z and Busby's case. Didn't the judge come out and say something that indicated it might actually go to trial?
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
Yeah, and that's not all we've heard from Jay-Z this week because he's actually now also suing the anonymous woman who accused him of raping her at VMA's afterparty in 2000 and then, as we know, dropped the lawsuit. So he's claiming his new defamation action claims his representatives have recently made direct contact with the Jane Doe
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
And in the lawsuit, they claim she allegedly admitted that she made up her claim about Jay-Z and felt pressured by her legal team to repeat it during that interview she did with NBC. It goes on to say that the Jane Doe said it was her lawyer, Tony Busby, who pushed her to go forward with the false narrative of the assault by Mr. Carter in order to leverage a maximum payday.
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
Now, we asked Tony Busby for a statement and he said, this case is baloney and has no legal merit. This is just another attempt to intimidate and bully this poor woman that we will deal with in due course. And Shane, there's been a little bit more Busby news. He's filed a few other cases. Could you just quickly fill us in on what he's been up to?
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
We've got another question for you, Cheyenne. So I think this is in reference to the investigation that you did. Cheyenne said that Wild King Night parties were not quite the same as Freecoffs. Can you explain how they were different? Is it just a rebrand? Is Wild King Night a rebrand of the Freecoffs, which is consistent with Diddy's pattern of rebranding himself?
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
Yeah, so they are. You can sort of separate them out in terms of what people have said. But we haven't seen the federal government refer to a wild king night in the same way they've used the term freak-offs in their filings. Yeah, it's just been freak-offs. I mean, we might get another superseding indictment. I don't know at this point. I'm so baffled by what is going on.
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
on because I was expecting, you know, the date to be pushed back. But everything I'm seeing is like, no, we're still going for May. We're still going for May. One of the things in the lead up to the trial is, of course, picking the jury. Sean, you've had so many comments, particularly about when we spoke about a large portion of the evidence being essentially sex tapes.
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
People don't usually think about the jury. But if you were asked to be part of the jury on this and you said, I just don't want to sit down watching sex tapes all day, I'm not comfortable with that. Is that reason enough to be excused?
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
This is another thing I was going to say. I mean, the social media coverage of this outside of news coverage, the memes, people calling him the diddler, people making memes at Halloween about him, Jack Whitehall at the Brits making a comment. Jane, everyone.
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
Nikki Glaser at the Golden Globes making jokes.
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
If you'd simply, I don't know, like to comment on Instagram that said something or like to post one of these jokes, would it be enough to disqualify you as a juror? Because this could indicate that you you think he's guilty.
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay-Z sues woman who alleged rape
So they will comb through your social media presence and they will individually look at each juror's posts, et cetera, likes, reshares. Wow.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
BBC Sounds. Music, radio, podcasts. Hello and welcome back to Diddy on Trial with me, Anushka Matanda-Dowty. Subscribe and turn on your push notifications so you don't miss a thing, especially as we're going to be in New York covering every twist and turn of Diddy's federal trial, which starts in May.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
Well, this is obviously going to be a big thing, the picking of the jury and the makeup of the jury. There was questions about whether their identity would be kept a secret. They would be anonymized and referred to only by a number.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
Is that sort of to protect them from being, you know, press and book deals and all these people trying to go after them to find out what's going on behind closed doors?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
Yes, because when I was looking at the OJ, the 1995 OJ questionnaire for his trial, it said, what do you think about a juror writing a book about his or her experience on a case? That's not illegal for them to write a book or do interviews.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
Could you eliminate somebody from being a juror if they had suffered sexual assault?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
That's so interesting what's going to happen there. I just feel like we're going to see it for this is going to set a precedent for these kind of cases.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
There's all of this stuff about the jury, which is fascinating. There are some other things that have been filed, which I was like, oh, OK, this reference to not using Rule 412, 412, not using people's previous sexual history or previous... Or sexual proclivities as part of the trial.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
That, to me, read as a really good thing because it would be very uncomfortable for somebody's entire sexual history to come with them onto the stand, particularly people who may have been victimised.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
They've filed, the defense said, we're not going to use rule 412. And the prosecution said, we're not going to use it either. Did they say that because the defense said it? Or is that, is it just good practice?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
But they can't get into Diddy's sexual history as well, right? They can only speak specifically about the people who are involved in this trial.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
Yeah, this it doesn't look balanced.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
So another thing that's up for discussion is pseudonyms for the victims. So the victims not knowing who they are. Prosecution call them victims. We've spoken before that they're actually technically witnesses, alleged witnesses to a crime. And the defense have said we do not want them to use pseudonyms. But Diddy would be aware of who these people are.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
So why do they care whether we as the press and the public know who they are?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
We are edging extremely close to the beginning of the trial. So I do feel like, because they have said, if we do have pseudonyms for these victims, there are a lot of these victims' witnesses, there are a lot of logistical considerations around that.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
Sean, thank you so much for coming and explaining this.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
And that's it for this episode of Diddy on Trial from BBC Sounds with me, Anushka Matanda-Dowdy. Make sure you subscribe and turn on your push notifications so you never miss a thing. And keep sending us your questions on WhatsApp at 0330 123 5551. That's 0330 123 5551. Whether you want something fact-checked or you just want something explained, that's what we're here for. Thanks for listening.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
So immediately the question is, if the defense are bringing their own court experts and the prosecution are bringing their own court experts, who pays them?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
So if you're being employed by one side versus employed by another side, isn't there the possibility for expertise to be bought?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
He's charged with sex trafficking, transportation for prostitution and racketeering with conspiracy. He denies it all. As we build up to the trial over the next month, we'll be bringing you all the latest as the prosecution and defence get ready. And don't forget, you can always get in touch with us on WhatsApp at 0330 123 5551. That's 0330 123 5551 about any questions you'd like answering.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
And then Diddy's defense can bat that exact same argument back against any experts the prosecution brings. So what, it becomes like a credibility tennis match? And then the other thing that I keep seeing is this phrase rebuttal experts that kept popping up in different filings. I think in this case, the prosecution were talking about wanting a sex trafficking expert.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
So then the defense has a right to bring their own rebuttal sex trafficking expert.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
Who has the time for this? Surely this is extremely time-consuming in a trial that already we have, as you said, terabytes of information to get through, of discovery material to get through. Back and forth, he said, she said, with experts. That's unnecessary, right? Or that makes the whole process much harder?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
So like you've referenced there, you've referenced DNA and murder and even sex trafficking experts. It feels far more tangible. Sometimes you get experts talking about things or research that they've done on areas that are still evolving and we're still learning things about. I'm thinking here in the Ghislaine Maxwell case.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
A false memory expert took the stand and spoke about, you know, traumatic memories sometimes being influenced by media and a memory isn't something you retrieve, it's something that you sort of recompose and it can be influenced by many things. But they can make a massive impact.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
I mean, they can change the course of a trial if they're a particularly compelling expert and if they can go through things in meticulous detail.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
In the OJ trial, so the massive NFL player where he was accused of murdering his ex-wife and her friend, the expert that came in, Dr. Henry Lee, and spoke about blood spattering patterns and DNA and forensics, he did it in such meticulous detail that a lot of people said they felt that it sort of turned the tides.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
Today, we're taking a look at court experts, the back and forth over naming victims, the OJ jury questionnaires, and our Elsewhere in the Diddyverse, which is Busby, the Texan attorney who's filing civil cases for multiple alleged victims of Diddy. He's now going up against another high-profile name, the controversial social media figure, Andrew Tate.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
Now it's time for Elsewhere in the Diddyverse. Tony Busby, our Texan lawyer who claims to have over 150 victims that he could bring to court against the rapper P. Diddy, has filed a lawsuit against another high-profile defendant, this time controversial social media figure Andrew Tate.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
If you don't know Andrew Tate, he's a self-proclaimed misogynist with over 10 million followers on X. Busby is representing Tate's ex-girlfriend, Brianna Stern, who has claimed that he physically assaulted her and verbally abused her. In a statement to the BBC, Andrew Tate's attorney, Joseph McBride, dismissed the allegations and called the lawsuit a blatant cash grab.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
And the spotlight was back on Tony Busby as Mr McBride also attacked him, calling him a low-life bottom feeder. In a statement to the BBC, Busby said he's extremely proud to represent Brianna Stern. He also posted on Instagram saying, quote, And he claims that people were saying it's her own fault. That's Brianna's own fault for dating Andrew Tate. She should have known better.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
Busby's caption was accompanied by screenshots of alleged text messages from Andrew Tate to Brianna Stern, where he refers to her as Pookie Pumpkin Princess and sends her romantic, seemingly self-composed poems. Andrew Tate's attorney told the BBC these messages were doctored, edited and falsified. None of it is true. And he added on,
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
So we've just been talking about court experts, but it's not just court experts where there are updates. There's also some news on the jury front. I saw that they are saying that the jury is going to be sequestered when they receive their jury questionnaires and they go through and they strike people out. So Sean, if they're sequestered, does that mean they all live in a house together or a hotel?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
Joining me today is our resident criminal defense attorney, Sean Kent. Hi, Sean.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
Right. So they've got these jury questionnaires that they are going to meet up about on April 11th, meet and confer and come up with the questions. And then they're going to get 600 of them. They're going to be printed and distributed 28th, 29th, 30th of April and get the answers back. Then they've got these four lists that they present. Prospective jurists that both sides agree should be excused.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
And then ones that the defence but not the government want and ones that the government but not the defence want. How do you then come to sort of a coherent understanding of who's going to be your jurors?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
Sean, I'm looking at this docket every day. They are filing back and forth, right? One thing that stood out that I don't think we've spoken on the podcast before about is court experts.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
Do you say race neutral? It has to be race neutral. Not gender neutral?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
At first I read this and I thought it meant people who had expert knowledge of being in court, but it became clearer that they are, it's kind of when they bring people in with a specialty in one of the areas they're discussing, right? Can you bring a court expert in about Anything at all? Or is there specific areas you have to pick from?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
Once they've got them up there, they've gone through the lists and they've got the jurors there for the peremptory strikes, which is happening on May 9th. And they say, I don't want you and I don't want you. What is the basis for not? Are they researching these people? Are they doing background research or they just I don't like their vibe?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
I was looking at the Michael Jackson jury questionnaires for the involuntary manslaughter. I think it's Dr. Conrad Murray, if I remember correctly. Yeah, Conrad, Dr. Conrad. Gosh, I think, what was that, 2009? I remember, I was nine. I remember.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
I have a really clear memory of it. Not least then because Nicki Minaj came and did a verse saying like MJ's doctor, they're trying to kill me, which was just absolutely wild. These are my cultural references. But I was I've never looked at how they would have picked the jury for that, because obviously Michael was all over the press for good reasons, for bad reasons.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
I mean, he was arguably the most famous man on earth. Some of the questions on that questionnaire are, have you ever thought about Michael Jackson? What is your opinion of the Jackson 5 and then both Michael Jackson? If you said, yeah, you know, I really like some of the early Jackson 5 stuff, would they eliminate you or keep you? What's the point of those questions?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence want witnesses named - plus Buzbee and Andrew Tate
Because of course you've thought about Michael Jackson. He was everywhere.
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
BBC Sounds. Music, radio, podcasts. Hello and welcome to Diddy on Trial from BBC Sounds with me, Anushka Matanda-Doughty. We are the place to come to find out everything you need to know about Diddy and his upcoming trial. We're unpacking the unfolding story, we're myth-busting, we're fact-checking, and we're answering your questions.
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
Yeah, and like you say, there's a new version of him. It definitely is more family focused and it's way more family friendly. It is the Black Excellence Brunches. He opens a school in Harlem. He does a lot of philanthropic charity work.
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
He did this Instagram Live during COVID where loads of celebrities came on and LeBron comes on and Lizzo comes on and Lizzo's twerking while he's playing music and he shuts off the live because he's like, there are kids present. No, we can't have that. Which obviously now we know about sort of the raucous events he was hosting back in the day.
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
That just feels so bizarre that he was having these sort of family friendly Instagram lives where you dare not twerk, you dare not do any of these things. And that's the version of Diddy that lots of young people, people 15, 16 years old will know. Maybe not know him as brother love, but they'll know him as like a family man.
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
Okay. Thanks so much for stopping by again. See you soon, Sian. Bye. Thank you. Sean's just joined us again. He's very busy at the moment. Sean, are you allowed to say what you're doing at the moment?
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
So we're not going to take up too much of your time, but there are so many questions that I still have about the federal indictment that we've kind of missed because it's been bail hearings and then allegations about balcony incidents and then Jay-Z. So I just want to start by playing the actual press conference.
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
So we're going to take it back because people have heard of Bad Boy and he is instrumental in the success of this record label. Cheyenne, what is Bad Boy and what's it got to do with P. Diddy?
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
OK, so first of all, we've spoken about this before. The federal indictment is just a lawsuit. It's just a story. As you've told us many times, it doesn't mean these things are facts. And he's charged with three counts, sex trafficking, transportation for prostitution and racketeering with conspiracy. We know Diddy denies everything. We don't know that he's done any of the things he's accused of.
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
And he says he's never sexually assaulted anyone. We all know this now, man or woman, adult or minor. So this is the district attorney of New York who's reading this out?
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
And he is going to be working on the side of the government to take away Diddy's freedom?
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
In what we just heard, the District Attorney of New York says that when they did the raid of his house, they seized videotapes of the Freecoffs with victims on the tape.
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
And they also reference, they talk about the other evidence they found. I mean, we've all heard about the baby oil. And like you said, they did that on purpose so that we talk about it. The guns with the serial number scratched off, they reference that as well. Is that a crime to scratch the serial number off? Why would you do that?
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
Is that illegal to scratch the serial number off?
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
Picking up on what you said before about the indictment refers to adults who potentially were coerced into doing things they didn't want to do. Well, we've had allegations for minors now, people who were minors at the time, brought in civil lawsuits. Does that mean they're going to do an amended indictment
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
There's founding a record label and then there's founding Bad Boy, which he did in 1993. And one thing that they had was talent. I mean, they had musicians who went on to make history. Wasn't one of the first artists that they signed Biggie Smalls?
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
And once again, did he that Sean Combs denies the federal allegations in the indictment and he's pled not guilty. He says he's never sexually assaulted anyone, man or woman, adult or minor. Thank you so much for chatting today. We'll see you soon, Sean.
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
So that's it for us this week. But if you've heard something and you weren't sure whether it was true or you just want us to unpack it on the pod, please send us your questions on WhatsApp at 0330 123 5551 as 0330 123 5551. Or you can DM them to me or you can find us on socials at BBC Sounds. I'm Anishka Matanda-Doughty and you've been listening to Diddy on Trial from BBC Sounds.
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
In the first album that Biggie releases with Bad Boy, it's Ready to Die, I think, and it's gone down in the history books. I mean, it is a legendary album and that helps set the scene for who these guys are going to be. But it also sets the scene for this whole generation of rap music that was coming. We've got the East Coast, West Coast beef.
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
So how does that start up and how is it influenced by Bad Boy?
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
So technically, we only really launched less than two months ago, and it already feels like we've lived many lives in the Diddyverse. It's will he get bail or won't he get bail? It's old alleged victims and new alleged victims and bombshell balcony allegations and Busby and Spiro and PB&Js for Thanksgiving dinner and federal indictments and complainants and claimants.
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
And we have a bit of Biggie's final radio interview just before he died in 1997.
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
at the time? I mean, are they all in their early 20s, including Diddy?
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
Because we do see that quite a lot when people pass so young, they almost pass into myth and legend. In a way, many people have said gave him a sort of credibility that he was linked to that portion of history, that pure hip hop history, which a lot of people see as the golden age when it was kind of undiluted by huge commercial success. And it was all about lyricism and
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
flow and we had from that beef arguably I mean I'll say arguably some of the best diss records ever I mean I'm thinking there about Hit Em Up in particular I impartially say a favourite of mine but Biggie he credits vocally credits many, many times Diddy with supporting him, his rising star.
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
And it's interesting you say that sort of created the image of him because that's not, this isn't just a successful rapper. This is almost like he's fashioning a brand and he does it very successfully. He clearly is very skilled at doing that and then goes on to do that for himself. I mean, he creates his own brands. I mean, towards the end of the 90s, didn't he launch, is it Sean John Clothing?
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
And then the internet's asking, is this music's Me Too movement? And does hip hop have a problem? And then we get questions from you guys that reminds us that maybe we need to do a bit of a refresher course. I mean, there's a lot of information here. We got this one, and I'll just read it now. It says, okay, so I've slipped in and I'm hooked, but I have no background.
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
And it's taking something into the mainstream that I wouldn't say hip hop was ever on the fringes, but it was certainly something you had to be into. Whereas now I think you could say it dominates pop culture, what we class as pop culture. It leads the way.
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
So we've got this bad boy growing and developing throughout the 90s and into the early 2000s. It's not without its own share of scandal. I mean, there's that very famous nightclub shooting. Can you just talk through a little bit of what that was and what happened?
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
You said that after the long-term girlfriend dropped charges during the first program, but I was never that hooked on celebs, so I have no history of who the long-term girlfriend is. Can you do a brief history of Diddyism and what we know so far? And so here's our brief history of so-called Diddyism and what we know so far.
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
You mentioned this evolution, this change. Is this something that we see artists do a lot? Madonna famously, Nicki Minaj has about 75 different names that she goes by. Diddy does it and he does it pretty soon after the trial in 2001. He becomes P. Diddy and he leaves behind Puff Daddy.
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
This is where the money is being made in this next phase. We're talking real foundational generational wealth is being accumulated and business empires are being built because he has the clothing brand, which is doing really well. Bad Boy continues to flourish and signs multiple other artists throughout the 2000s. And then he's got this vodka brand.
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
And this is something that's quite new in the rap world, transitioning from rap star to rap mogul business, multiple business owner. He was a blueprint for so many people who then wanted to copy and say, in a country, particularly for the African-American community, in a country that have for so long been denied the opportunities to have generational wealth.
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
We're thinking here in the broadest sort of story of arrival on this land to say,
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
having things like land redistribution not allowed, to have young black men who have made successes of themselves, who have originated a genre of music and then became so wealthy that they are sort of securing future generations of their own family and other peoples, to have those people then face these allegations is quite sort of... It's uncomfortable for a lot of people.
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
I think a lot of people have been voicing that online.
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
And helping me unpack this, as always, is our resident senior investigative reporter from Rolling Stone magazine, Cheyenne Roundtree. Hi, Cheyenne. Hi. And our resident criminal defense attorney, Sean Kent. Hi, Sean.
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
And if we just go to the 2000s here, he continues to accumulate lots of wealth. He continues to establish himself as one of the pillars of hip hop on the business side and on the music side. He signs French Montana, Machine Gun Kelly, Janelle Monae and Cassie, of course. Now, lots of people have been asking, I know Cassie, but I don't really know Cassie.
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
And it's not fair to just know her as this woman who suffered this assault in a hotel hallway. Cassie was an R&B artist. She was extremely popular.
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
Throughout the 2000s there together and then into sort of the 2016s, 2017, we see another change. Diddy emerge. There's a new persona. We've seen him do it before, like you said, in 2001, but now there is love or brother love, which he, once again, makes a big point of announcing.
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
And it kind of coincides with his musical comeback. What's going on with this new era?
Diddy On Trial
The history of Diddy: What you need to know
We're going to be hearing from Sean a bit later because he's prepping for a murder trial at the moment. So we'll let him off. So yeah, a lot of questions have been coming in, particularly from younger listeners who are aware of who P. Diddy is or Puff Daddy or Puffy, but couldn't necessarily name any of his hit songs or don't really know what he's been up to in the past decade.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence: ‘He’s a swinger’, plus jury selection begins for trial
So we shouldn't take from that that there are going to be other celebrities taking the stand?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence: ‘He’s a swinger’, plus jury selection begins for trial
And I thought this one was quite funny. So honourable mention to this one, which is, do you watch Law and Order or CSI or other police dramas?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence: ‘He’s a swinger’, plus jury selection begins for trial
You trying to get rid of people who think that they're like amateur detectives and stuff?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence: ‘He’s a swinger’, plus jury selection begins for trial
Cheyenne, do you watch Law & Order and CSI? Not too much. Not too much anymore.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence: ‘He’s a swinger’, plus jury selection begins for trial
Well, thank you so much, both of you, for joining us again and keeping us up to date with this. That's criminal defense attorney Sean Kent. Thanks, Sean. Thank you for having me. And Rolling Stone senior investigative reporter Cheyenne Raunchy. Thanks, Cheyenne. Bye. Thank you. So it's jury selection from the 5th of May.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence: ‘He’s a swinger’, plus jury selection begins for trial
We're expecting that to take a week with opening statements planned for the 12th. Stay with us for all the latest through the trial. Thanks for listening to Diddy on Trial with me, Anushka Matanda-Dowdy from BBC Sounds. Make sure you subscribe and turn on your push notifications so you never miss a thing. And you can also find us on the BBC World Service YouTube channel.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence: ‘He’s a swinger’, plus jury selection begins for trial
And that was one moment we've all been waiting for to see whether the jury will be played this video. There was another sort of headline grabbing moment where Mark Agnifilo got up and made some comments about Diddy's sexual habits, practices, proclivities.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence: ‘He’s a swinger’, plus jury selection begins for trial
And Mark Agniflo got up and said, there's a lifestyle, call it swingers or whatever you will. He thought it was appropriate because it was common. Sean, swinging is being offered as a defense to the sex trafficking charges. Is that really a robust argument against the charges, which alleged he forced people into sexual activity?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence: ‘He’s a swinger’, plus jury selection begins for trial
Now, you already know we're going to be in New York bringing you the latest updates and you already know to turn on those push notifications and subscribe. But on the 25th of April, there was a pretrial court hearing in the Southern District of New York. And this gave us a really clear view of how Diddy's team are gearing up to fight those sex trafficking allegations.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence: ‘He’s a swinger’, plus jury selection begins for trial
But Shane, we've heard testimony and through your reporting as well. You've spoken to alleged victims who say Diddy took some drugs and came out of the bathroom and he was a different person or I didn't recognize the man that was in front of me. Sean, could that play into this line of defense then if we've got people taking the stand saying, actually, yeah, I didn't recognize him.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence: ‘He’s a swinger’, plus jury selection begins for trial
He lost control, et cetera, et cetera.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence: ‘He’s a swinger’, plus jury selection begins for trial
Another part of what the judge decided was, OK, you can say that Diddy was a swinger or he considered himself to be a swinger, but you cannot cite examples of other prominent swingers to sort of bolster the idea that this was common. Surely then, Sean, you're turning to the jury and you're saying it's common. Trust me. Just just trust me on that.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence: ‘He’s a swinger’, plus jury selection begins for trial
I'm not going to tell you how many other people do it in Hollywood because that's the implication here. It's common within the circles he ran in. I'm not going to tell you that. Just just take my word for it.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence: ‘He’s a swinger’, plus jury selection begins for trial
BBC Sounds. Music, radio, podcasts. Hello and welcome back to Diddy on Trial from BBC Sounds with me, Anushka Matanda-Doughty. 11 days till opening statements are expected in the trial of rapper Sean Diddy Combs. He is fighting for his freedom against federal charges of sex trafficking, transportation for prostitution, and racketeering with conspiracy, and Diddy denies them all.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence: ‘He’s a swinger’, plus jury selection begins for trial
Well, wait a second, because they've been sort of arguing against the sensationalisation of these multi-celebrity orgies and happening at these white parties and, you know, everything that social media was lit up with. Cheyenne, doesn't this line of argument just add fuel to the freak off fire?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence: ‘He’s a swinger’, plus jury selection begins for trial
In short, his lawyers told the court that he's a swinger and, quote, he thought it, it being the swinging, was appropriate because it was common. Also, later on, we'll be taking a look at the questions potential jurors are being asked, including ones you may not expect, like whether they're into crime shows. Don't forget you can send your questions in to WhatsApp at 0330 123 5551.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence: ‘He’s a swinger’, plus jury selection begins for trial
If they called you to the stand to say that, would you have to come, Sean, or could you just say, I'm not getting myself out there saying that?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence: ‘He’s a swinger’, plus jury selection begins for trial
In terms of what went down at this pre-court hearing, those weren't the only decisions that were made. They're perhaps the headline-making ones, but there was also a plea deal that was rejected?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence: ‘He’s a swinger’, plus jury selection begins for trial
That's 0330 123 5551. Joining me today is our resident Dream Team. We have criminal defence attorney, Sean Kent. Hi, Sean.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence: ‘He’s a swinger’, plus jury selection begins for trial
OK, given what we just spoke about at the top of the programme about potentially the state of his mental well-being or ability to understand what is criminal and what isn't. How could you potentially argue that he wasn't sane enough to make those decisions, but he is sane enough to make big decisions about these procedures and what to do in regards to his freedom?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence: ‘He’s a swinger’, plus jury selection begins for trial
And a lot of Sean's. Can I just say that's been a particular thing over here, making sure we're getting the right spelling of each Sean. So those were the main points of the precourt trial hearing. Cheyenne, there was just another conversation about a medical procedure that one of the victims may have undergone.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence: ‘He’s a swinger’, plus jury selection begins for trial
Now, the judge didn't rule on this, but can you just fill us in on what that was all about? And Sean, I'll come to you after that.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence: ‘He’s a swinger’, plus jury selection begins for trial
And Rolling Stone's senior investigative reporter, Cheyenne Roundtree. Hi, Cheyenne. Hi, morning. Cheyenne, can you just explain to us a little bit more about what was decided at this hearing?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence: ‘He’s a swinger’, plus jury selection begins for trial
Now, just before we go, because we've been talking a little bit about the prospective jury questionnaires that have been filed, here are some interesting ones that I picked up from the defence and prosecution side, or ones that I just found, some of them a bit comical. One of them for the defence was, do you believe that wealthy people get away with things that less wealthy people do not?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence: ‘He’s a swinger’, plus jury selection begins for trial
I mean, Sean, what are they asking the implication of that, that people have more access to resources and good lawyers if they're wealthy?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence: ‘He’s a swinger’, plus jury selection begins for trial
Wouldn't that rule everybody out? Because everybody would be like, well, that's the defense's questionnaire. So they'd be like, well, you're all obviously skewed against Diddy.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence: ‘He’s a swinger’, plus jury selection begins for trial
And the one from the prosecution that I thought really stuck out was, you may hear evidence that other individuals in addition to the defendant were involved in these alleged crimes. Those other individuals are not on trial here and you may not draw any inference, favourable or unfavourable, towards the government or the defendant from that fact.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s defence: ‘He’s a swinger’, plus jury selection begins for trial
You may also not speculate as to the reason why other persons are not on trial in this case. Do you have any concern that you could not follow this instruction? Well, surely that depends on who the people are. You're going to have those questions immediately.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s trial begins: What's it like at court?
Now his trial is the talk of New York City. Everywhere we've been people are talking about it. And it's fair to say there are lots of contrasting views on the streets.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s trial begins: What's it like at court?
Und es gibt Menschen, die zu Blut kommen, um ihre Unterstützung für Diddy zu zeigen, insbesondere dieser Mann, der sagt, er sei ein nächster Freund.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s trial begins: What's it like at court?
Du bist in Freepuff rausgekommen, mit Freepuff Bracelet, Hat und Jacket. Was bedeutet es für dich, dass er da ist?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s trial begins: What's it like at court?
I've also been speaking to legal analyst Candice Kelly, who remembers Diddy's trial in 2001, when he was found not guilty of shooting someone in a nightclub.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s trial begins: What's it like at court?
But what about the man himself, Sean Diddy Combs? Well, on Friday we got the opportunity to go in and see him for ourselves in court. You're not allowed to take in any audio or video recording equipment or even your phone. After the court session was done, we rushed to the BBC New York Bureau to let them know what went down. On the way, we recorded an audio diary. Here it is.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s trial begins: What's it like at court?
Als wir in die Stadträte gingen, war es wirklich ruhig und es war wie ein dunkles Holz. Du siehst aus, als wärst du in einem Filmset von jedem US-Stadträten, das du je gesehen hast. Aber du weißt nicht, wo er herkommen kommt, welcher Eingang. Wir schauten einfach nach vorne. Dann kam er von der linken Seite. Ich sagte, oh mein Gott, du solltest nicht sprechen. Ich sagte, oh mein Gott, laut.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s trial begins: What's it like at court?
Und dann sprachst du. Ich würde diesen Mann nicht kennenlernen, wenn er mir auf der Straße aufgehört hat. Ich würde diesen Mann nicht kennenlernen, wenn ich ihn auf der Straße gesehen hätte. Ich bin so gewohnt, ihn zu sehen, mit den dunklen Farben an und der Pufferjacket. Und all diese Fotos, die wir von ihm sehen, dieser Hip-Hop-Mogul und dieser Geschäftsmann und dieser Multimillionär.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s trial begins: What's it like at court?
Und dann sah der Mann, der vor mir stand, wie dieses fräule Grün. Seine Haare hatten nicht gekleidet. Er war in einem Softknit-Shirt und einem weißen Shirt unten. Er sah aus wie ein fragiler alter Mann. Er sah nicht aus wie der Diddy, den wir überhaupt kennen. Ja, das war wirklich schockierend.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s trial begins: What's it like at court?
Für eine sehr lange Zeit, als wir diese Episoden gemacht haben und darüber gesprochen haben, war es etwas, was da drüben war und etwas wirklich Großartiges und etwas, was den ganzen Hip-Hop und den ganzen Musikindustrie betrifft. Und heute war es so, oh, das geht um Sean Combs. Und das ist ein Mann, der vor mir stand. Er...
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s trial begins: What's it like at court?
Als er reingekommen ist, hat er das Zimmer gescannt und ich habe gehört, dass er das tun wird, weil andere Mitglieder der Presse uns gesagt haben, dass er in dem Zimmer neue Gesichter suchen muss. Aber er hat nicht nur einmal geschaut. Er hat sich umgekehrt und hat sieben Mal geschaut. Und er hat deine Augen geschlossen. Er hat sich wirklich in deine Augen geschaut und bleibt einfach da.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s trial begins: What's it like at court?
BBC Sounds. Musik, Radio, Podcasts. Hallo und willkommen zu Diddy on Trial von BBC Sounds mit mir, Anushka Matanda-Dowdy. Wir sind in Lower Manhattan, außerhalb der Federal District Court Room, zusammen mit Dutzenden von Medien-Outlets aus dem ganzen Welt. Es ist der erste Tag des Trial von Sean Diddy Combs. Heute ist es vollgepackt. Zuerst wird die Jury ausgewählt.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s trial begins: What's it like at court?
Nicht herumdarteln, nicht überrascht werden oder schade sein oder wegschauen, sondern einfach tot auf dich schauen und dann wieder umdrehen und dann wieder umdrehen und dann wieder umdrehen und dann wieder umdrehen und dann wieder umdrehen und dann wieder umdrehen und dann wieder umdrehen und dann wieder umdrehen und dann wieder umdrehen und dann wieder umdrehen und dann wieder umdrehen und dann wieder umdrehen
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s trial begins: What's it like at court?
Now Diddy's appearance wasn't the only interesting thing from Friday in court. We were also given some new details about the case. I caught up with Rolling Stone's senior investigative reporter, Cheyenne Roundtree, who was in the room with us.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s trial begins: What's it like at court?
Wir sind sehr nah am Anfang der Zeit, in der wir die sogenannte kriminelle Unterhaltung betrachten, die 2004 bis 2024 war. Es gab noch andere interessante Dinge. Es gab kein Regeln darüber, also müssen wir vorsichtig sein, wie wir darüber reden.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s trial begins: What's it like at court?
Aber es war interessant zu hören, weil es eine Beleuchtung gab, wie sie, wie in der Verteidigung, die Charaktere von Victim 1 erstellen oder versuchen werden. Können Sie mich bitte darüber erzählen?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s trial begins: What's it like at court?
Dies sind zwölf tägliche Amerikaner, die dafür verantwortlich sind, ob Diddy schuldig ist oder nicht. Dann gibt es die Eröffnung der Statements. Das ist, wo die Prosekution und die Verteidigung versuchen, den Jury an die Seite zu bringen. Und dann, wenn es Zeit gibt, werden sie vielleicht einige Anwesende anrufen. Wir haben alle Updates, sobald sie hier auf dem Podcast passieren.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s trial begins: What's it like at court?
Ich fand es wirklich interessant, mit Judge Arun Subramaniam zu sprechen. Er ist ein ziemlich entspannter Kerl. Ich meine, er machte Lachen. Es gab ein bisschen Witz in der Stadthalle. Es war sicherlich eine Gleichberechtigung von uns, die Sicherheit durchgingen und es ziemlich nervig war. Und dann war er schmierig, er hat geredet.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s trial begins: What's it like at court?
Aber wenn er sprechen und stark sein musste oder, sagen wir mal, den Punkt bekommen oder klar sprechen, dann hat er das gemacht. Und das war ein Moment da, wo er einfach gesagt hat, das ist ein Ausdruck. Du meinst, dass Leute, die Verletzungen hatten oder Leute, die, was ist das exakte Wort, das er benutzt hat, unabhängig und stark sind, nicht verletzt werden können.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s trial begins: What's it like at court?
Sie haben die Präventivstreiks am Morgen des Montags gedreht. Agnifilo sagte, es würde 10 bis 15 Minuten dauern, um ihre Präventivstreiks zu machen.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s trial begins: What's it like at court?
Das war Cheyenne Roundtree, Senior Investigative Reporter von Rolling Stone Magazine. Also hat jeder ihr Wort gesagt, aber was sagt Sean Diddy Combs? Er hat im September 2024 eine Notgültigkeitsverleihung eingeführt und hat die ganzen Angelegenheiten gegen ihn ständig verurteilt. Das war's für dieses Episode von Diddy on Trial von BBC Sounds.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s trial begins: What's it like at court?
Also macht sicher, dass ihr abonniert und eure Push-Notifikationen drücken, damit ihr nichts verpasst. Aber was passiert jetzt? Nun, die Leute haben seit dem Krack der Donnerstunde außerhalb der Geräte gekeult, um reinzukommen. Media companies are paying people to be line sitters to guarantee entry into the first come, first serve trial.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s trial begins: What's it like at court?
Schaut uns nächstes Mal für die Eröffnung der Statements und der Beurteilung der Beurteilung an, als beide Seiten es ausüben, um den Jury zu gewinnen.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy’s trial begins: What's it like at court?
One of them, a man called Tim, told me he'd been paid $500 to sit here since 11pm. Reminder, Sean Diddy Combs is accused of sex trafficking, transportation for prostitution and racketeering with conspiracy. He denies all the charges and says he's never sexually assaulted anyone. Man or woman, adult or minor. If found guilty, he could end up spending the rest of his life behind bars.
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay Z denies civil suit allegation
Is there any indication as to who Celebrity B is?
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay Z denies civil suit allegation
Hello and welcome to this special episode of Diddy on Trial with me, Anushka Matanda-Dowity. Make sure you're subscribed to BBC Sounds and have your push notifications turned on so you never miss a thing. So today we knew we had to bring you the latest news about the US rapper Jay-Z and the allegations of sexual abuse made against him.
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay Z denies civil suit allegation
And is there any indication as to why it was filed once and then refiled, providing Sean Carter's name?
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay Z denies civil suit allegation
And he also, in his statements, he references his family. He's very famously married to Beyoncé. What does he say about his family?
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay Z denies civil suit allegation
And the BBC have contacted Jay-Z's lawyer for a comment. They've already provided a comment to NBC. Do you have that to hand?
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay Z denies civil suit allegation
Thank you so much for coming and chatting to us today. I'm sure this is going to make absolute waves on social media. What kind of stuff are you seeing online since this has dropped?
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay Z denies civil suit allegation
Yeah, because he really is from that sort of what you describe as the creme de la creme of rappers. It's that upper echelon, black billionaires clubs. I mean, he is associated with so many positive things within the African-American community, within the music community, that this is particularly difficult to digest for a lot of people. But Diddy's team have responded. What have they said?
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay Z denies civil suit allegation
Er wurde in einer zivilen Begründung genannt, die belegt, dass er zusammen mit Sean Diddy Combs eine 13-jährige Mädchen verabredet und verabredet hat, während einer Party im Jahr 2000. In a statement, Jay-Z, whose real name is Sean Carter, dismissed the legal action as a blackmail attempt. The BBC's investigations correspondent Rihanna Croxford is with me. Hi Rihanna. Hi, thanks for having me on.
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay Z denies civil suit allegation
Yeah, well, as Mr. Busby said, they're going to let that play out and have it stay in court. And that's all he's going to say on the matter now. Rihanna, thank you so much for coming on and talking to us about this. We really appreciate it. And see you soon, no doubt. See you soon. Thanks for having me.
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Jay Z denies civil suit allegation
Thanks for listening to this special episode of Diddy on Trial with me, Anushka Matanda-Dowity from BBC Sounds. If you've been affected by any of the issues mentioned in today's programme, you can find support by searching BBC Actionline.
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Prosecutors add more women to Diddy indictment
And you mentioned there about adding new victims. That's victim two and victim three referred to in this indictment. But we already had a victim. We had victim one. They're still in it?
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Prosecutors add more women to Diddy indictment
And it says about these three victims now, Combs and other members and associates of the Combs Enterprise wielded the power of the Combs Global Enterprise to intimidate, threaten and lure female victims into Combs orbit, often under the pretense of a romantic relationship.
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Prosecutors add more women to Diddy indictment
Combs then used force, threats of force and coercion to cause victims, including but not limited to three female victims, one, two and three, to engage in commercial sex acts. In connection with the commercial sex acts, Combs provided the victims with among other things, Now Didi's team have directly responded to this allegation. Mark, what have they said?
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Prosecutors add more women to Diddy indictment
Das ist nicht ganz das, was die Leute erwarteten, als wir über das vorgesehene Entschuldigungsgesetz gesprochen haben. Wir dachten, dass andere Dinge passieren werden. Was haben wir uns vorgestellt?
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Prosecutors add more women to Diddy indictment
Are they doing that properly so that they don't disturb the May 5th trial start date?
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Prosecutors add more women to Diddy indictment
Hello and welcome back to this special episode of Didi on Trial with me, Anushka Matanda-Dowati. We have some breaking news for you. It's here. Last night, the federal government released the new indictment. If you've been with us for a while, you know we've been waiting for this.
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Prosecutors add more women to Diddy indictment
So you've told us about the expansion of the timeline from 2004 to 2024, which is now where the alleged crimes have taken place. You told us about adding on two extra victims. Are there any other details in the superseding indictment that are new?
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Prosecutors add more women to Diddy indictment
Mark, thank you so much for coming and breaking that down for us today. We really appreciate it.
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Prosecutors add more women to Diddy indictment
That was Mark Savage, the BBC's music correspondent. And that's it from us for this special episode of Diddy on Trial. Make sure you subscribe and turn on your push notifications so you never miss a thing. We'll be back with you soon. And if you want to ask us a question or send us something for the pod, you can WhatsApp us on 0330 123 5551. That's 0330 123 5551.
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Prosecutors add more women to Diddy indictment
But if you're just joining us, Diddy was charged last September with three counts, one sex trafficking, one transportation for prostitution and one racketeering with conspiracy. He denies them all. But now another indictment has been released, a superseding indictment. Mark Savage, der BBC-Musik-Korrespondent, ist hier, um es zu brechen. Hi Mark.
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Prosecutors add more women to Diddy indictment
Mark, zuerst einmal, was genau ist ein überstehendes Verurteilung?
Diddy On Trial
Breaking: Prosecutors add more women to Diddy indictment
Was ist neu, was ist anders in diesem überstehenden Verurteilung?
Diddy On Trial
Cassie: ‘I'd give back $20m settlement to undo freak-offs’
Waren sie auf die gleiche Art von Taktik wie gestern?
Diddy On Trial
Cassie: ‘I'd give back $20m settlement to undo freak-offs’
Und diese gemeinsame Aggression, die sie in den ersten Statementen besprochen haben, und die gesellschaftliche Gewalt und die gemeinsame physische Aggression, haben sie ein Audio gespielt, um das zu bemerken?
Diddy On Trial
Cassie: ‘I'd give back $20m settlement to undo freak-offs’
Und abgesehen von der Aggression, ist es etwas anderes, was sie gestern begonnen haben. Sie haben die Beziehung als eine liebevolle Beziehung zurück und zurück gezeigt.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie: ‘I'd give back $20m settlement to undo freak-offs’
Es gab ein paar verschiedene Punkte während ihres Testaments und ihrer Überprüfung, wo sie ziemlich emotional war. Einer davon kam heute in Redirekt. Also nachdem sie ihre Überprüfung durch die Verteidigung gemacht hat, haben sie Redirekt von der Verwaltung, wo sie auf einige der Punkte, die die Verteidigung zu dem Gericht bezeichnet hat, aufnehmen können.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie: ‘I'd give back $20m settlement to undo freak-offs’
Und wir haben nicht direkt von Cassie gehört, aber ihr Arbeiter ist rausgekommen. Außerhalb des Gerichts haben sie einen kleinen Platz gesetzt, um ihm die Statements auf dem Mikrofon zu geben. Was hat er gesagt?
Diddy On Trial
Cassie: ‘I'd give back $20m settlement to undo freak-offs’
Hallo und willkommen zu Diddy on Trial von BBC Sounds mit mir, Anushka Matanda-Dowdy. Es ist das Ende der ersten Woche von Sean Diddy Combs' Trial hier im Federal Court Room in Lower Manhattan, New York. Nur eine Warnung, dieser Episode enthält Deskriptionen von Gewalt, sexueller Gewalt, insbesondere Rape und grafische Deskriptionen von Sex.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie: ‘I'd give back $20m settlement to undo freak-offs’
But that wasn't all that happened today. There was a very short period of time where we got introduced to the next witness that the prosecution have called. Regular listeners will recognize the name Dawn Richard. She followed her own civil suit last year and she kind of came in for a very brief amount of time.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie: ‘I'd give back $20m settlement to undo freak-offs’
Für die letzten vier Tage hat Cassie Ventura in der Court Room hinter mir gesessen. Als Diddys ehemaliger Partner von mehr als zehn Jahren, ist sie die Hauptwissendin der Prosekution und hat die letzten zwei Tage von der Gefängnis überprüft.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie: ‘I'd give back $20m settlement to undo freak-offs’
Neda, danke dir so sehr, dass du uns heute mitfüllst. Absolut. That's it for this week. You've been listening to Diddy on Trial from BBC Sounds with me, Anushka Matanda-Doughty. Please keep sending in your questions on WhatsApp at 0330 123 5551. Make sure you subscribe and turn on your push notifications so you never miss a thing.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie: ‘I'd give back $20m settlement to undo freak-offs’
And details of organizations offering information and support with some of the issues raised are available at bbc.co.uk forward slash action line.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie: ‘I'd give back $20m settlement to undo freak-offs’
Sie haben versucht, in ihr Vertrauen zu reißen, aber die nächste Person, die den Stand aufgenommen hat, sagt, dass sie die Rage von Diddy zuerst gesehen hat und das physische Verbrechen, das Cassie beschrieben hat. Nun, Sean Diddy Combs ist verurteilt von Sexverbrechen, Transportation für Prostitution und Racketeerung mit Verbrechen.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie: ‘I'd give back $20m settlement to undo freak-offs’
Er verurteilt alle Angelegenheiten und sagt, dass er niemanden sexuell verabschiedet hat, Mann oder Frau, Adult oder Minor. Wenn er sich verurteilt hat, könnte er den Rest seines Lebens hinter den Bars verbringen. So, es ist 5 Uhr, wir sind außerhalb des Geräts. Ich bin hier mit der BBC-New York-Korrespondentin Neda Tawfiq. Neda, wir haben uns wieder mit Cross-Examination eingeladen.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie asked about explicit texts to Diddy
BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts. Hello and welcome back to Diddy on Trial from BBC Sounds with me, Anushka Matanda-Doughty, here at the Federal Courthouse in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Just a warning, this episode contains descriptions of violence, sexual violence, including rape, and graphic descriptions of sex.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie asked about explicit texts to Diddy
We've got a great question here that said, it might be obvious, but I've been wondering, if the prosecution has compelling, say, video evidence of victims being forced into sexual acts or drugs, would the defence be well aware of that beforehand? And if they have a kind of ace up their sleeve of somebody being forced or frauded into sex trafficking on tape, wouldn't, did he have taken a plea deal?
Diddy On Trial
Cassie asked about explicit texts to Diddy
Or is, they ask, is that too logical, too simplistic of a thought pattern? So this is from Laws in Australia.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie asked about explicit texts to Diddy
And I'm here with Madeleine Halpert, who's been inside the court digitally reporting for the BBC in New York. Madeleine, how did the cross-examination begin today?
Diddy On Trial
Cassie asked about explicit texts to Diddy
Yeah, I find it confusing, though, because when we had that initial press conference with the attorney general and they spoke about finding video materials in the March raids on Diddy's properties that they say showed people being victimized on tape. So where did that go or did they misinterpret it?
Diddy On Trial
Cassie asked about explicit texts to Diddy
There has been discussion on social media about some of the stuff that we heard in opening statements and in Cassie's Direct that the jury are presumably going to be so disgusted by stuff that they've heard, whether it will cloud their judgment of whether they think it's sex trafficking or not.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie asked about explicit texts to Diddy
But we had a chat the other day and you brought something up about them being everyday Americans, private individuals with their own proclivities. And I hadn't considered that before.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie asked about explicit texts to Diddy
I just picked up on this thing that was said today. And I guess it's because we've done so many episodes of Diddy before he was ever even on trial. And we've covered so many of the civil cases. The defense's cross-examination of Cassie has been reported by lots of different sources. and by our own reporters as being quite jumpy. It jumped around different timeframes.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie asked about explicit texts to Diddy
It jumped about different topics. And members of the public in there, in the room that I was in, were like, this is tricky to follow. At one point, they asked Cassie... about the baby oil, of course. And then they said, were there ever any drugs in the baby oil? Have you said there were drugs in the baby oil? She said, I've never said there were drugs in the baby oil.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie asked about explicit texts to Diddy
And it was kind of just thrown in there. And nobody has spoken about drugs in the baby oil, apart from in civil lawsuits.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie asked about explicit texts to Diddy
Thank you so much for coming on and talking to me about this today. We'll see you again next Thursday for our next analysis episode. Guys, keep sending in your questions. Sean is obviously, it's a masterclass every time we speak to you. Thank you all for having me. We'll see you next Thursday. That was our resident criminal defense attorney, Sean Kent from South Carolina.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie asked about explicit texts to Diddy
And that's it for this episode of Diddy on Trial from BBC Sounds with me, Anushka Matanda-Doughty. Please keep sending us your questions. You can get us on WhatsApp at 0330 123 5551. That's 0330 123 5551.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie asked about explicit texts to Diddy
The narrative offered about free coughs was very different from the one yesterday that Cassie spoke about. What were they sort of establishing about free coughs, the defense's version of free coughs?
Diddy On Trial
Cassie asked about explicit texts to Diddy
And in Cassie's Direct, it was about establishing coercion and that speaks to the force, fraud or coercion element of the sex trafficking charge. So with this, they're focusing on her ability to consent and then her written consent. Did she speak to the text even more and say, well, I said that because of this or that's the reason I wrote that?
Diddy On Trial
Cassie asked about explicit texts to Diddy
There was another thing running alongside this. We know there's a time pressure with Cassie. She's very visibly pregnant in her third trimester. And at one point, the judge expressed some frustration with the length of time the defense are planning to take.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie asked about explicit texts to Diddy
Cassie Ventura has been in the courtroom behind me all day answering questions from Sean Diddy Combs' defence lawyer. She was Sean Combs' partner for more than a decade and she's been the prosecution's main witness for this case.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie asked about explicit texts to Diddy
Did we hear much from them? I mean, we heard a few objections from the defense before, but not that many during Cassie's direct testimony. What was it like for the prosecution today?
Diddy On Trial
Cassie asked about explicit texts to Diddy
And I just want to pick up on one more thing that was in Cassie's direct, which was, quote, insane jealousy that she experienced during the relationship. And if you're a casual observer and you listen to her, you might be like, why did why did they just do that? And self-contained moment about her insane jealousy. Did the defense pick up on that and question her about that today?
Diddy On Trial
Cassie asked about explicit texts to Diddy
Now remember, after making her testimony yesterday, Cassie wasn't allowed to receive any advice from the prosecution before facing questions from the defence, whose aim it is to pick holes in what she said. But before we dig into the detail, I wanted to just take a moment to tell you a bit about who's been coming into the court to watch the trial this week.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie asked about explicit texts to Diddy
And finally, a cross-examination is not an easy thing for anybody. The whole purpose of it is to kind of pull apart the previous narrative that's been offered. How was Cassie's mood in answering the questions?
Diddy On Trial
Cassie asked about explicit texts to Diddy
And if you were checking social media while this was going on, as a lot of people were, you would be seeing different celebrities' names popped up. What was going on with that?
Diddy On Trial
Cassie asked about explicit texts to Diddy
Madeline, thank you so much. Thank you. It was great to chat. That was Madeline Halpert, the BBC's digital reporter in New York. Okay, it's time for me to rush back to our New York studio. I've got a lot of questions, so you know it's time. I better call Sean. Our regular criminal defense attorney from South Carolina, Sean Kent, is joining me today.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie asked about explicit texts to Diddy
Sean, it's Diddy on Trial and Diddy's actually on trial now in New York. Me and you have been catching up every day and debriefing. You're keeping me sane and keeping up with the trial. Most of this week has been about Cassie's testimony and now her cross-examination. What did you make of her direct testimony?
Diddy On Trial
Cassie asked about explicit texts to Diddy
In the US, federal court proceedings are generally open to the public. It means you've got journalists like me, but then you have social media influencers, people referring to themselves as citizen journalists, and then everyday ordinary Americans who are simply interested in finding out what's been going on.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie asked about explicit texts to Diddy
So I actually think they did a good job. I've told you this. Maybe I haven't said it to the listeners. This is the first trial I've covered. So when I came in, I did kind of expect violence. bombshell allegation after bombshell allegation. And a lot of it was really spent taking us into the beginning of the relationship and setting the scene.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie asked about explicit texts to Diddy
And then in the second day came a lot more emotion from Cassie and far more sort of bombshell moments. Definitely what social media has classed as bombshell moments. There were some prominent critiques from legal analysts and everybody who has an opinion on the Diddy trial.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie asked about explicit texts to Diddy
And they were saying, OK, the prosecution has done a really good job of presenting Diddy as a bad person, presenting Diddy as somebody who may have sexually assaulted Cassie. But how does that build the sex trafficking charge?
Diddy On Trial
Cassie asked about explicit texts to Diddy
Yeah, because they did a lot on geography. They did states, but they also did like, oh, Turks and Caicos, Ibiza, Greece. So that's like foreign as well, because it's interstate and foreign, right, on the indictment.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie asked about explicit texts to Diddy
There was one moment where a lady had to be escorted out of one of the overflow rooms after shouting her disgust in the direction of the TV monitor, which was showing a live feed of the courtroom. She shouted that Cassie was going to go into labour on the stand. And outside the courtroom, Diddy's supporters had been playing his music non-stop.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie asked about explicit texts to Diddy
So you touched there about they're going to say it's domestic violence. And I mean, the defense team, they came out and said that in the opening statement. We knew that they were going to say this was domestic violence and there was mutual back and forth physical aggression. People have pointed out a lot about the CNN video.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie asked about explicit texts to Diddy
I'm talking there about the assault in the hallway in 2016 that was leaked by CNN. That was played very early on and it's been played multiple times. And Cassie walked the jury through it step by step from her recollection. We've got a question for a listener. PJ says, thanks for keeping us up to date, hearing the testimony and the history of the two witnesses so far.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie asked about explicit texts to Diddy
I haven't heard a lot about the allegations. I've just heard that he's a horrible person, but that isn't illegal. Have I missed something? When will they start talking about drug trafficking and the other RICO allegations be asked by the prosecution? In my opinion, I haven't heard much. And that's reflected in some of the commentary online.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie asked about explicit texts to Diddy
We're talking a lot about this CNN video, but that's not RICO. What do you say to that?
Diddy On Trial
Cassie asked about explicit texts to Diddy
Yeah, and then that's come up with prosecution in some of the transcripts with the judge. And also the judge got quite sort of firm today. You need to finish with her by this week. The prosecution are worried that she's going to go and leave interlabor over the weekend. So that's been voiced. But you speak there about if they can convict him of force.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie asked about explicit texts to Diddy
So doesn't that all hinge on whose recollection of that CNN video you believe? Because Cassie says she was fleeing a freak off. And then he's dragging her back. That is directly, it was forcing her into do it in black and white. He says, she stole my phone and I wanted my phone back. So let's say he said, she said situation, right?
Diddy On Trial
Cassie asked about explicit texts to Diddy
Sean Diddy Combs is accused of sex trafficking, transportation for prostitution and racketeering with conspiracy. He denies all the charges and says he's never sexually assaulted anyone, man or woman, adult or minor. If found guilty, he could end up spending the rest of his life behind bars. It's 4pm and it's the end of the day.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie asked about explicit texts to Diddy
Let's touch on the cross-examination. Now, you've got the crystal ball, you told the future, it was all going to come down to consent. You've told us this pretty much from episode one of this, from program one of this podcast.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie asked about explicit texts to Diddy
And a lot of it hinged on going through multiple text messages, emails, correspondence between Didi and Cassie, where Cassie puts in writing, I am looking forward to this, freak off. we can freak off anytime. I love it when we freak off and we both want to freak off. Multiple messages where she seems to express that she wanted to participate in the freak off. Now,
Diddy On Trial
Cassie asked about explicit texts to Diddy
She responded to that saying, you know, these are just words. And she also later on said, sometimes I just say it so he leave me alone. Sometimes I do stuff to kind of mitigate against him asking me to do it.
Diddy On Trial
Cassie asked about explicit texts to Diddy
But when you're talking about the sex trafficking, doesn't that mean if she's putting stuff in black and white in text, how could he, beyond a reasonable doubt, think that she had withdrawn her consent?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy in court says ‘not guilty’ to forced labour claims
bbc sounds music radio podcasts Hello and welcome back to Diddy on Trial from BBC Sounds with me, Anushka Matandadaosi. This is the place to come to find out everything you need to know about Diddy and his upcoming trial. Don't forget to subscribe and turn on your push notifications so you never miss a thing.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy in court says ‘not guilty’ to forced labour claims
This is the first time we've seen him publicly in a while. Why? What was so striking about his appearance?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy in court says ‘not guilty’ to forced labour claims
Sean Diddy Combs is charged with sex trafficking, transportation for prostitution and racketeering with conspiracy. He denies all the charges. And we're recording this on Friday straight after Diddy's pre-trial court hearing at the US District Courthouse in New York City. The BBC's New York correspondent, Neda Taufee, was in court. Hi, Neda. Hi.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy in court says ‘not guilty’ to forced labour claims
between them um just the son who looked very much like him kind of a younger version of him if you will it also kind of added to this feeling that that he had very much aged and what exactly were they doing today because i mean for people following along the case we've had the original three charges and then we had one superseding indictment and then we had a second second superseding indictment so what was today all about
Diddy On Trial
Diddy in court says ‘not guilty’ to forced labour claims
First of all, talk me through what the environment was like inside the atmosphere.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy in court says ‘not guilty’ to forced labour claims
The CNN video there we're talking about is the footage from 2016 that was leaked by CNN of him attacking a woman we believe to be Cassie Ventura in the hallway of a hotel.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy in court says ‘not guilty’ to forced labour claims
How was Diddy when that was being discussed?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy in court says ‘not guilty’ to forced labour claims
What was the atmosphere like with his legal team? Because as we know one of them recently requested to be removed from the case, Anthony Rico. So how were the lawyers interacting with each other?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy in court says ‘not guilty’ to forced labour claims
And it's interesting you've said that. Did you say jury selection will start on May 5th? Both sides have decided on that now.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy in court says ‘not guilty’ to forced labour claims
What happens now? We've had this hearing. What's the next thing?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy in court says ‘not guilty’ to forced labour claims
Neda, thank you so much for covering this for us. And we'll definitely be speaking to you soon. My pleasure. Thank you. That was Neda Tawfiq, the BBC's New York correspondent. And that's it for this episode of Diddy on Trial with me, Anushka Batanda-Doughty. Make sure you subscribe and turn on your push notifications so you never miss a thing.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy accused of threatening employees and forcing one into sex act
BBC Sounds. Music, radio, podcasts. Hello and welcome back to Diddy on Trial from BBC Sounds with me, Anushka Matandadauti. Make sure you subscribe and turn on your push notifications so you never miss a thing. So we have another superseding indictment issued by the prosecution on Thursday, the 6th of March. Reminder, what are indictments?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy accused of threatening employees and forcing one into sex act
So under the umbrella of Rico racketeering with conspiracy, we have this new allegation of forced labour. It's not a brand new charge, but it sort of adds to the Rico charge.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy accused of threatening employees and forcing one into sex act
Now, we don't know who these new people are that the grand jury has spoken to who've alleged this, but it is sort of in line with allegations we've heard from other people who were employees of Sean Combs. Specifically, I'm thinking someone like Phil Pines, who we heard from in the Discovery investigation, who said similar things.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy accused of threatening employees and forcing one into sex act
Diddy's team have responded to Phil's lawsuit. They say he denies the accusations and he's never sexually assaulted anyone, man or woman, adult or minor. Once again, I sound like a broken record here, but this is not quite what we were expecting from another superseding indictment, a second superseding indictment, in that we have no new charges and no co-defendants added on once again.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy accused of threatening employees and forcing one into sex act
Indictments are lawsuits filed by the government detailing all the crimes they allege P. Diddy has committed. First indictment came in September 2024, charging him with sex trafficking, transportation for prostitution and racketeering with conspiracy. He pled not guilty and says he's never sexually assaulted anyone, man or woman, adult or minor.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy accused of threatening employees and forcing one into sex act
And we contacted Diddy's team for a statement on this new superseding indictment and they sent us this. Mr. Combs has said it before and will say it again. He vehemently denies the accusations made by the Southern District of New York. He looks forward to his day in court when it will become clear that he has never forced anyone to engage in sexual acts against their will.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy accused of threatening employees and forcing one into sex act
Many former employees stand by his side, prepared to attest to the dedication, hard work and inspiration they experienced while helping build groundbreaking, award-winning businesses. There's also a letter that's been filed to the judge that sort of commits to following the same schedule promising that May 5th start date.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy accused of threatening employees and forcing one into sex act
And we've got that March 14th court appearance from Diddy and they're saying, can he just be arraigned on this second superseding indictment then?
Diddy On Trial
Diddy accused of threatening employees and forcing one into sex act
Cheyenne, thank you so much for joining me today. Thanks for having me. That's it for this episode of Diddy on Trial from BBC Sounds with me, Anushka Matandadauti. Make sure you subscribe and turn on your push notifications so you never miss a thing.
Diddy On Trial
Diddy accused of threatening employees and forcing one into sex act
Our first superseding indictment came in January 2025, which added two extra victims. Joining me today to go through our latest one is Rolling Stone senior investigative reporter Cheyenne Roundtree. Hi, Cheyenne. Hi. So this was filed on Thursday. What's new in this superseding indictment?