Prosecutors in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ ongoing lawsuit have denied intentionally leaking footage of the disgraced rapper physically assaulting his now-ex Cassie in 2016.
In court documents filed on Wednesday, October 30, and obtained by Us Weekly, prosecutors opposed Diddy’s requests for a gag order related to the video.
“The Court should deny the Leak Motion for the simple reason that the defendant fails to show the leak of any grand jury material,” the court documents read. “Without any factual basis, the Leak Motion seeks to suppress highly probative evidence — a video of Combs brutally physically assaulting a victim in March 2016 that was published by a media outlet in May 2024 — by claiming that it was grand jury material leaked by Government agents to CNN.”
The motion adds, “But, as the defendant is fully aware, the video was not in the Government’s possession at the time of CNN’s publication and the Government has never, at any point, obtained the video through grand jury process.”
Diddy’s trial is currently scheduled to begin in 2025 with his attorneys attempting to keep the CNN footage out of court.
“The defendant is grasping at straws. Because the defendant cannot show that the information in the Cited Articles is grand jury material, and because he cannot show that Government agents with access to grand jury material leaked the information, he cannot make the prima facie showing required for the relief he seeks,” prosecutors add in the court documents, denying leaking other sensitive materials to other news outlets. “Moreover, even if any of the information in the Cited Articles could be considered non-public information improperly disclosed, the defendant’s request for relief under Local Criminal Rule 23.1 is mooted by the order entered by this Court on October 25, 2024.”
In the docs, the attorneys also expressed “serious concerns” about Diddy’s alleged victims and trial witnesses.
“Here, as detailed in the indictment and at the bail hearings, the defendant has a significant history of violence and obstruction,” the filing states. “Indeed, Judge Carter found by clear and convincing evidence at the conclusion of the second hearing, the defendant ‘is a danger regarding obstruction of justice and witness tampering’ and ‘is a danger to the safety of others in the community more generally.’ Due to the defendant’s history, the Government has serious concerns about victim safety and the possibility of witness tampering if a list of victim names were provided to the defendant.”
CNN obtained and published a video in May that showed Diddy, now 54, grabbing Cassie, now 37, by her neck, shoving, dragging and kicking her repeatedly while at a Los Angeles hotel. The footage was time-stamped from 2016.
Within hours, Diddy issued an apology for his actions without mentioning Cassie (full name Casandra Ventura) directly.
“It’s difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, sometimes you gotta do that,” he said in an Instagram video. “I was f—ed up. I mean, I hit rock bottom but I make no excuses. My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I’m disgusted.”
Diddy added, “I went and sought out professional help. I’ve been going to therapy, going to rehab. Had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry, but I’m committed to being a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry.”
Diddy and Cassie dated on and off between 2007 and 2018. Five years later, Cassie sued the music mogul in November 2023 for sexual assault and physical abuse that she alleges occurred over a 10-year period. Diddy vehemently denied all allegations before he and Cassie settled the lawsuit within one day.
Diddy was indicted by a grand jury in September, shortly before being arrested and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering, conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution. A 14-page indictment, which also cited the CNN video of Diddy and Cassie, claimed that the rapper allegedly “abused, threatened and coerced women and others around him” for decades.
Diddy pleaded not guilty to the charges before a judge denied him bail on three separate attempts. He was remanded to Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center until his trial.
“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” Diddy’s attorney Marc Agnifilo told Us Weekly in a statement earlier this month. “Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man and proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, adoring his children and working to uplift the Black community. He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Read the full article here
