By Stacy M. Brown
BlackPressUSA.com Senior National Correspondent
Sean “Diddy” Combs is preparing to argue that heavy drug and alcohol use left him mentally incapable of forming criminal intent, a defense that prosecutors are moving swiftly to block ahead of his looming federal trial. Media Take Out, the entertainment blog that focuses primarily on African Americans in the entertainment industry, reported that Diddy’s legal team plans to call a Columbia University professor to testify about the music mogul’s alleged impaired mental state during the time of the alleged offenses. Prosecutors have filed motions opposing the testimony, calling it improper and irrelevant. They argue that Diddy’s defense failed to provide proper notice under the law and noted that the professor never personally evaluated him, meaning any testimony would rely on general expertise rather than clinical observation. According to newly filed documents, Diddy’s attorneys hope to argue that substance abuse impaired his ability to control his actions. Prosecutors counter that whether Diddy was “lucid” during the alleged incidents does not excuse or diminish his legal responsibility.
The defense also faces another major setback. During the latest hearing, Judge Arun Subramanian ruled that graphic surveillance video showing Diddy allegedly attacking ex-girlfriend Cassie at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016 will be allowed as evidence during the trial. None of Diddy’s attorneys responded to comment requests from Black Press USA. Prosecutors declined to comment. The trial is set to begin with jury selection on May 5. In preparation, Diddy’s legal team submitted 30 questions for potential jurors, TMZ reported. The proposed questions probe prospective jurors’ views on drug use, celebrities, group sex, cheating in relationships, and opinions about hip-hop culture. One question asks whether hearing about “people engaging in sexual relations with multiple sexual partners” would impact a juror’s ability to be fair. At the same time, another addresses whether jurors believe wealthy individuals are treated differently by the justice system.
Diddy’s legal team is stacked with high-profile attorneys, including lead lawyer Marc Antony Agnifilo, who previously represented NXIVM leader Keith Raniere, former Goldman Sachs banker Roger Ng, IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, and “Pharma Bro” Martin Shkreli. He is joined by Teny Geragos, a partner with experience in defending sexual misconduct allegations and the daughter of famed attorney Mark Geragos. Other defense team members include Alexandra Shapiro and Brian Steel, who recently defended rapper Young Thug in Georgia’s longest-running criminal trial. The prosecution team features eight lawyers, with five designated as leads: Emily Anne Johnson, Madison Reddick Smyser, Mary Christine Slavik, Meredith Foster, and Mitzi Steiner. Prosecutor Maurene Comey, daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, will also play a major role, having previously helped secure the conviction of British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell.
Prosecutors are expected to call forensic psychologist Dawn Hughes, who testified during the R. Kelly criminal trial and the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation case. Meanwhile, Diddy’s former chief of staff, Kristina Khorram is facing at least three civil lawsuits alleging that she helped cover up Diddy’s alleged behavior. She has not been charged with a crime. Judge Subramanian, who once clerked for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and practiced at the prestigious Manhattan firm Susman Godfrey, is presiding over the case which NBC News said is the most high-profile assignment of his career to date.
