The trial of hip-hop artist Sean Diddy Combs began on Monday, May 5, and is expected to take several weeks. The music mogul has been held in custody without bail on multiple charges, including sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and transporting to engage in prostitution. Jury selection has begun and is continuing through the week. Opening statements are expected to begin on May 12. Still, there has been no shortage of surprises just two days in.
Diddy Faces Judge and Prospective Jurors
Sean “Diddy” Combs was in court both Monday and Tuesday, as the jury selection began in his sex trafficking trial. He faces five criminal charges: racketeering conspiracy, two charges of sex trafficking, and two charges of transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs has pleaded not guilty to all charges and has denied any wrongdoing. Last month, he was indicted on two additional charges by a grand jury. Lawyers for the hip-hop mogul requested a trial delay to respond to the new charges, but a judge denied the petition.
On the first day of trial, Judge Arun Subramanian allowed Diddy to dress in his street clothes after having been detained in federal prison since September 2024. At one point on the first day of selection, he requested a break to use the restroom, which was initially denied. Combs then responded by telling the judge, “I’m sorry, your honor, I’m a little nervous today,” at which point the request was granted. Aside from this moment, the music tycoon did not say much throughout the two days. Instead, it was his lawyers who made the most of the waves.
One of the main foundations of the state’s case is a video of Diddy attacking and dragging his former girlfriend, Casandra Ventura, in a hotel hallway. Prosecutor’s claim, as reported by NBC News, that before this video was taken, “Ventura, who was signed to Combs’ music label as Cassie, had been trying to escape the hotel room and that the events of that day ‘are powerful evidence of trafficking’ and of Combs’ ‘use of force in connection with a freak off,’ which they allege preceded the assault.”
Federal prosecutors believe that the jury selection will only require three days, and that they will be able to determine 45 qualified jurors in that time out of the pool of 150. The defense will have an uphill battle in its effort to undermine alleged victims and witnesses in the case.
Prospective Diddy Trial Jurors Questioned
On day one, jurors were questioned on this video and whether they had seen it. Many admitted to having seen it, with one juror describing it as damning evidence, and was dismissed, with another claimed it was disturbing but she could remain impartial. The topic of the HBO documentary “The Fall of Diddy” was also broached. Additional commentary revolved around the history of theft as well as social media interactions around the defendant’s actions and jokes made at his expense.
Day two saw even tougher lines of questioning. Potential jurors for the Diddy trial were repeatedly asked about their history of sexual violence. These included whether they, a family member, or a friend had been a victim of sexual assault, sexual harassment, or domestic violence, and whether they or someone close to them had been charged with any sexual or physical crimes.
One specific question that was asked in regards to social media activity around Diddy was, “Have you communicated to others, posted your opinion on social media or online, or ‘liked’ any social media posts about Mr. Combs? If so, when and where did you post or state your opinion?” Additional lines of questioning were also brought up regarding views on law enforcement and jurors’ personal music tastes and beliefs. It is expected that the defense will also ask jurors about their opinions on alternative sexual lifestyles.
At the end of day 2, 39 jurors had faced questioning, with 16 of them being moved on to the next phase, including 10 men and six women. According to USA Today, “Their ages ranged from 38 to 87, and their occupations included an American Airlines pilot, social worker, kitchen designer, physician assistant, and more. Three mentioned liking hip-hop music. Some in the group said they get their news from The New York Times and NBC, while others cited YouTube and other social media platforms.
If juror selection concludes by Wednesday, May 7, as expected, the legal teams will then have the rest of the week to prepare opening statements before the start on May 12. Diddy will remain in custody for the duration of the trial.
Diddy Lawyers Already Under Fire
The legal team for Diddy is quite large, each representing the hip-hop artist in a variety of ways. Most recently, Nicole Westmoreland of Westmoreland Law LLC filed a notice with the court on May 6. Combs’ defense team is headed up by Marc Agnifilo and Tony Geragos, partners at Agnifilo Intrater. Brian Steel, the famous lawyer who also represents Young Thug, is also working with Combs, as is Mark Geragos, attorney for the Menendez brothers. Additional members of the attorney team include Alexandra Shapiro, Xavier R. Donaldson, Anna Maria Estevao, and Jason Driscoll.
Mark Geragos, specifically, has already managed to draw scorn from the Judge presiding over the Diddy trial. In a behind-closed-doors meeting, Judge Submaranian scolded the attorney for comments he made on a podcast, as shown in a court transcript of the meeting. “When you say things on a podcast like ‘six women, all white, my understanding is you’ve got a six-pack of white women. Like that’s not — that’s something that you shouldn’t — that no one should be saying as an officer of the Court and a member of the bar, right?”
Submaranian was deemed to have violated court rules, in this case by making extrajudicial comments about lawyers that are currently involved in legal preseedings. Gregaros defended his position by saying that prospecutors subvert the rule and unfairly predudice audiences against defendents. The disucssion ended up getting fairly heated, according to reports.
“I think when you’ve got a black man who’s being prosecuted and the client feels like he’s being targeted, it’s a — it’s an observation,” Geragos said. “I think this is ridiculous,” Submaranian snapped back. “I think referring to the prosecution in this case as ‘a six-pack of white women’ is outrageous.” The judge said he will be listening for any additional comments made on the podcast regarding the case.
Final Thoughts
This is not the start that Diddy and his attorneys would like to have, as the team already faces a tough road ahead. The trial is expected to last weeks, and many difficult days are in store. Besides the video mentioned before, additional witnesses and alleged victims are expected to testify, as well as other evidence of violence and sexual misconduct. As the trial continues, the story will receive updates. On Wednesday, the jury is expected to be finalized and will be updated accordingly, with opening statements beginning next week.
