Diddy’s legal team faced another setback at his pretrial hearing on Friday, leaving them furious after the judge ruled in favor of granting anonymity to three of his accusers.

And their request for a two-month extension in his infamous sex trafficking case was denied by Judge Arun Subramanian, claiming it was filed too close to trial. Jury selection is scheduled for May 5 and opening statements on May 12.

Gray-haired Diddy sat in court wearing a tan prison top and pants. He hugged his team of lawyers when he came into the court and occasionally shook his head in disagreement during the hearing.

One of the two decisions made by Judge Subramanian, that went against Diddy’s favor, was the judge’s decision to grant sex abuse victims 2, 3 and 4 anonymity.

Diddy became animated at this ruling as his defense claimed Victim 3 said ‘meh’ when asked if she wanted to be anonymous. In response, he handed his lawyer Marc Agnifilio a note to address the judge.

Teny Geragos, another of Diddy’s attorneys, said that Victim 4 had already been ‘putting herself out there’ and her law firm had been contacted by former Diddy employees saying: ‘I can’t believe they (Victim 4) are saying (this)’.

Diddy at his pretrial on Friday, sat alongside lawyers Marc Agnifilio and Teny Geragos. He wore a tan prison top and pants and occasionally shook his head in disagreement during the hearing

Diddy became animated at the judge’s ruling to grant anonymity to Victim 2, 3 and 4 as his defense claimed Victim 3 said ‘meh’ when asked if she wanted to be anonymous

Judge Arun Subramanian also denied Diddy’s legal team’s request for a two month extension, as he said it was too close to the trial date that’s set to kick off on May 5

Geragos said: ‘It’s really concerning for us, this particular person’.

Assistant US Attorney Maurene Comey said that Victim 3 has not disclosed the full extent of her abuse at the hands of Diddy or the ‘very personal and explosive details’ of her treatment.

The judge asked Comey to check with Victim 3 if she still needed anonymity and the prosecutor agreed.

The defense recently filed a request to postpone the trial by two months on Wednesday in response to the prosecution slapping additional new charges on April 4. Diddy’s lawyer Marc Agnifilo also said the defense needed more time to review emails it wants an alleged victim to turn over.

But the judge denied it first thing once the pretrial hearing kicked off. 

A win for Diddy’s side came when the judge ruled that Warner Brothers must hand over outtakes of interviews with two alleged victims – featured in the Investigation Discovery documentary, which premiered on January 27 – to the defense.

Janice Combs, mother of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, arrives at the Southern District of New York Federal Court for his pretrial hearing on Friday

Diddy’s son Justin Dior Combs arriving at his Friday hearing. At the end of the hearing, he told both Justin and his mother he loved them and put a hand to his heart

The judge ruled that Warner Brothers must hand over outtakes of interviews with two alleged victims – featured in the Investigation Discovery documentary – to the defense

A lawyer for the media giant who was present in court said it would need a few days to get the footage together.

The battle continued between both sides, as Diddy’s lawyers objected to the prosecution’s request to call as an expert witness a clinical psychologist who gave evidence for Amber Heard in her trial against Johnny Depp.

During that trial. Dr. Hughes testified that she had diagnosed Heard with PTSD after her alleged abuse at the hands of Depp.

Diddy’s lawyer Alexandra Shapiro said that Dr. Hughes’ definition of ‘coercive control’ was ‘so broad and amorphous as to be completely meaningless’.

Dr. Hughes said that even ‘love bombing’ could be a tactic of coercive control, as could using affection.

‘Basically anything counts’, Shapiro said. ‘Her testimony is so meaningless as to be useless to the jury’.

Brian Steel, who represented rapper Young Thug in his RICO trial, appeared at the federal court building to join Diddy’s defense team

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, 55, trial is set to begin on May 12 with jury selection starting a week before. He’s pled not guilty to five counts of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution

In an apparent allusion to the Depp vs Heard trial, Shapiro said that with Dr. Hughes ‘if you allow her to talk about this topic it will be very difficult to restrain her from (saying) anything else that comes into her head.’

Judge Arun Subramanian said he would rule later, but would likely limit Dr. Hughes’ testimony and exclude any mentions of coercive control.

At the end of the hearing, Diddy put his hand on his heart and waved at his mother and son Justin in the public gallery.

A security guard wearing a black hoodie which said ‘Free Puff’ stood next to them.

Diddy turned his chair around and sat down so he faced his mother and son before smiling and giving them a thumbs up. He could be heard saying: ‘I love you all’.

Justin put his hand on his heart as his father blew him a kiss and waved, then walked out of a side door.

Diddy’s legal team is demanding for his ex Cassie Ventura to turn over her memoir in hopes it will  provide a ‘different from the story she has provided the government’ that ‘undermines her allegations’

Diddy’s trial is set to kick off on May 5, with jury selection starting a week before. On May 12, opening arguments will begin. 

The 55-year-old, whose real name is Sean Combs, has pleaded not guilty to five counts of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. 

And with less than three weeks for Diddy’s defense to get prepare their arguments, it’s no surprise that court documents were filed earlier this month by Diddy’s team demanding that his ex, Cassie Ventura, hand over documents related to the memoir she allegedly wrote about the disgraced rap mogul. 

Diddy hopes that the memoir will provide a ‘different from the story she has provided the government’ that ‘undermines her allegations’ that  he subjected her to years of rape and abuse. But Ventura’s lawyers are resisting the request to hand it over, calling the defense’s subpoena that was sent to her on March 19 a ‘fishing expedition’.

Meanwhile, the prosecution submitted a motion on Thursday, revealing the ‘physical evidence’ taken from his Miami and Los Angeles homes during raids last year – including ‘items for use during Freak Offs’, or sex parties – could be shown to the jury.

That includes Diddy’s baby oil stash – his victims shockingly claimed he would use an entire bottle of it in less than five minutes during sex.

The video which led to Diddy’s downfall – which was published by CNN in May 2024 – shows Combs, wearing only a white towel, punching, kicking and throwing Ventura to ground 

Ventura’s lawyer Douglas Wigdor called the request for her memoir and her bank statements from the past 10 months an ‘impermissible fishing expedition’ and should be rejected 

Homeland Security agents seized more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant from the properties in May 2024. 

Ventura sued Diddy last year in a shocking civil case which accused him of rape and years of abuse. A video of him beating her up at a hotel in 2016 – which was leaked to CNN last year – was a major factor in his downfall.

In court filings, Diddy’s lawyers revealed they are seeking 10 months of Ventura’s bank statements and any documents or drafts related to the memoir.

The highly-redacted request also seeks diaries or journal entries written by Ventura, who dated Diddy for more than a decade before splitting with him in 2018.

They claim that it is ‘important exculpatory information in her possession’ and accuse her and prosecutors of trying to ‘conceal copies of her draft memoirs and other writings that memorialize a version of events that is markedly different from what she has told the government and will testify to at trial’.

Ventura’s lawyer Douglas Wigdor called the request an ‘impermissible fishing expedition’ and should be rejected.

Court documents filed earlier this month revealed the disgraced hip hop mogul’s lawyers are seeking any documents related to a book being written by Ventura, his ex-girlfriend

The prosecution submitted a motion on Thursday, revealing the ‘physical evidence’ taken from his Miami and Los Angeles homes during raids last year – including ‘items for use during Freak Offs’, or sex parties – could be shown to the jury

Diddy’s Miami mansion which was raided in May 2024 by Homeland Security. They seized ‘physical evidence’ of his ‘freak off’ parties there

The prosecution backed Wigdor in their own reponse to the original supoena saying the defendant’s request for her bank statements served to ‘cast doubt’ on her ‘financial incentives’ and that the defense’s push for her writings was a ‘wholly improper use of a subpoena’.

Judge Arun Subramanian, who is overseeing the case, will have to decide on whether the evidence should be used.

Prosecutors said in their filing from Thursday that during the trial the jury will see ‘physical evidence seized from the defendant’s properties – including firearms, narcotics and items for use during Freak Offs’.

That indicates dozens of bottles of baby oil are likely to be brought into court in a dramatic moment that may well resonate with the jury.

Diddy’s victims have claimed that he used to use an entire bottle of baby oil in just five minutes, with one woman called ‘Nicole’ telling Rolling Stone that after being given two pills that made her black out, she woke up several hours later in a room surrounded by empty bottles of baby oil, towels and wine bottles.

Other evidence which could come up at trial is a diary kept by a former employee of Diddy, along with texts between him and a number of his victims. 

Photo of a shelf full of baby oil. Diddy’s victims have claimed that he used to use an entire bottle of baby oil in just five minutes

Law enforcement removing boxes of evidence and a laptop from Diddy’s Star Island mansion in Miami Beach during the 2024 raid

Prosecutors revealed that their main witnesses have considerable baggage which Diddy’s lawyers are likely to use to try and discredit them.

Some of them have DUIs, have used illegal drugs, committed illegal sex acts, tax offenses and one even has a felony – prosecutors said Diddy should be barred from asking about them all as they are not relevant.

Nor should Diddy’s lawyers be allowed to ask about prior domestic violence incidents.

Some of the law enforcement officers who could testify have prior misconduct cases against them – another line of attack for Diddy.

Another court document refers to a ‘minor victim, a sign that they may either testify or be referred to during the trial: allegations of abuse involving children are among the most serious he faces.

Prosecutors are seeking to allow three of the four main accusers to testify anonymously but Diddy’s lawyers are strongly objecting to that.