Sean “Diddy” Combs’ attorneys promptly concluded their case on Tuesday, soon after filing a motion requesting the judge to independently declare Combs not guilty.
NBC reported that the defense invoked Rule 29, which permits the judge to acquit Combs if prosecutors have not sufficiently proven his guilt. The defense then rested its case — but not before presenting several texts as evidence between Combs and Cassie Ventura, suggesting Combs was in affectionate relationships with his alleged victims.
Judge Arun Subramanian asked Combs how he felt before Combs confirmed he would not testify.
“I am doing great, thank you, your honor,” Combs said, per NBC. “You are doing an excellent job.”
Closing arguments will begin on Wednesday.
Three women testified, accusing Combs of physical or sexual abuse. Ventura, who was in a relationship with Combs from 2007 to 2018, testified that Combs “stifled” her music career and forced her into “freak offs,” which often involved her having sexual encounters with other men while Combs watched. Ventura described these drug-induced scenarios as leaving her sleep-deprived and dehydrated, as they continued for days without interruption.
nother victim, who used the alias “Mia,” worked as Combs’ assistant for eight years. She accused Combs of forcing her to perform oral sex and sneaking into her bed to penetrate her without her consent. She also claimed Combs hurled objects at her and threw her against a wall.
A third woman, who used the pseudonym “Jane,” dated Combs from 2021 to 2024. She testified about “hotel nights,” which allegedly were sexual rendezvous arranged by Combs. Combs reportedly watched these encounters, which Jane said she had to be under the influence of drugs to participate.
Combs was arrested on September 16, 2024, outside a Manhattan hotel on federal charges of racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs has been denied bail three times, as Judge Andrew L. Carter determined there was a “serious risk” of witness tampering in this case.
Federal authorities raided Combs’ homes in Holmby Hills, California, and Miami in March 2024. Reports indicated that the raids were connected to an ongoing sex trafficking investigation that resulted in his arrest months later.
The raids also occurred four months after Ventura accused him of sex trafficking and abuse. In a multimillion-dollar lawsuit, she alleged that Combs drugged her and forced her to have sex with other men. The pair settled the lawsuit a day after its filing.
However, in May 2024, CNN publicized hotel surveillance footage allegedly showing Combs assaulting Ventura. Two days later, Combs released a video expressing remorse for his behavior.
“I went and I sought out professional help. I got into going to therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry. But I’m committed to be a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry,” he said.
Two more accusers came forward a week after Ventura’s lawsuit. One of the women claimed Combs drugged and raped her at Syracuse University in New York in 1991. Combs denied those allegations before a third accuser, Liza Gardner, levied similar allegations against him.
Days after footage of the Ventura assault was publicized, two more women filed lawsuits against Combs. One of those women was April Lampros, a New York Fashion Institute of Technology student who reportedly met Combs in 1994. Lampros accused Combs of sexually assaulting her on four occasions between the mid-1990s and the early 2000s.
Combs has been accused of committing or facilitating sexual abuse in at least 30 other lawsuits — including one, filed in October, which alleges he and Jay-Z raped a 13-year-old girl in New York in 2000. The accuser in that case had her lawsuit dismissed in February.
Combs turned down a plea deal days before standing trial.
[Feature Photo: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP]
