Plaintiffs in 14 lawsuits call Sean Combs a rapist, including eight who filed lawsuits in the past two weeks. Having a credible plaintiff could help prosecutors win Combs' criminal case, legal experts say. Mr. Combs' camp has already painted the plaintiffs as economic opportunists who should not be killed. I believed it.
Thank you for registering!
Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed on the go. Download the app
By clicking “Sign Up”, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You can opt-out at any time by visiting our settings page or by clicking “unsubscribe” at the bottom of the email.
The sex trafficking indictment against Sean “Diddy” Combs mentions one cooperating accuser, a longtime ex-girlfriend, referred to only as “Victim-1.”
Legal experts believe she won't be alone for long.
Veteran New York defense attorneys say the plaintiffs in Combs' growing number of sexual abuse lawsuits are likely to join her in new indictments as “Victim-2,” “Victim-3,” and more soon. It is predicted that there will be a
“There's no doubt that the U.S. Attorney's Office is meeting with the client, if not the client himself,” said Michael Farkas, a former Manhattan prosecutor.
A strong civil whistleblower—one who provides evidence, corroboration, and reliable testimony—helps prosecutors win criminal cases. Their financial stake in the outcome of the case also makes them vulnerable to cross-examination.
“If they are reliable, they could represent very strong evidence against Mr. Combs, either as an additional charge or as a witness called to the stand to show a pattern,” Farkas said. .
“But U.S. attorneys will be wary of all these plaintiff interviews, at least keeping in mind the possibility that these are claims of opportunity,” he said.
Defense attorneys have already indicated that this will be a line of attack against “Victim 1.”
Although she is not named in court documents, the indictment details a swift settlement of a $30 million lawsuit filed in November by rap mogul Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura. is consistent with
Ventura's attorney, Douglas Wigdor, declined to comment for this story.
Related articles
Combs' attorney, Mark Agnifilo, told the judge during bail arguments last month that there were “30 million reasons” to doubt her credibility. “One for every dollar being sued.”
Stacey Richman, a Bronx-based attorney who has represented rappers such as Jay-Z, Lil Wayne and J.Rule, believes any damage to a witness' credibility can hurt a case. He said that there is a sex.
“Jurors may disregard a witness's testimony in its entirety if they believe the witness intentionally gave false testimony about a material fact,” Richman said. “And if there's enough momentum with multiple witnesses, the whole case can become unstable.”
Mr. Farkas, Mr. Richman and other criminal defense attorneys with federal experience have filed BI lawsuits in the most serious of 24 civil cases filed this year since Mr. Ventura's case opened the floodgates for Combs litigation. He said prosecutors would be particularly interested.
So far, 11 women and three men have claimed that the music mogul raped them after beating and drugging them at parties he has hosted in Manhattan, Los Angeles and Las Vegas over the past three decades. I am doing it. More than a dozen other plaintiffs allege sexual abuse without using the word rape.
In a lawsuit filed this week, Alabama Jane Doe claims she was 13 when she was raped by Combs and an unnamed “Celebrity A” at a 2000 MTV Video Music Awards afterparty. He said it was.
The lawsuit was one of 13 filed by the Buzbee Law Firm in Houston over the past two weeks. Founding attorney Tony Buzbee says he intends to file a total of 120 lawsuits.
“We plan to file a lawsuit each week against Mr. Combs and others as defendants, as we continue to gather evidence and prepare for submissions,” he told BI.
Mr. Combs remains in a federal prison in Brooklyn after refusing bail, awaiting trial. His indictment alleges that he committed decades of physical and sexual violence, including elaborate sex acts over several days known as “freak-offs.” He has maintained his innocence, and his lawyers say the acts he is accused of were consensual.
In court documents related to the criminal case, defense attorneys use the words “false” and “totally unreasonable” to describe the claims in the lawsuit. Members of the defense team declined to comment on the matter.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office also declined to comment.
Judging will be tough
During the Manhattan firearms and bribery trial that ended in Combs' acquittal in 2001, Michael Buckner, a former New York prosecutor and member of Combs' defense team, vetted federal witnesses from these potential plaintiffs. said it would be strict. .
“They're going to want to know, is there any corroboration or evidence?” Buckner said of federal prosecutors. “Many of these allegations are decades old. Are there hospital records? Is there an explanation for a 13-year-old girl going to a VMA party? Why was she alone? ”
This review is already well underway.
Defense attorneys recently complained that federal prosecutors have been interviewing the plaintiffs in private for months, and asked a Manhattan judge in Combs to keep potential witnesses and their attorneys quiet.
Combs' producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones filed a $30 million lawsuit in February alleging sexual assault and harassment, which Combs denies and is seeking to dismiss.
Last week, Jones' attorney Tyrone Blackburn told a federal judge in Manhattan that Jones and his client met repeatedly with prosecutors and that Jones drew a map of Combs' home, according to Section 360 of the law. , said he shared the photo.
Mr. Blackburn, who also represents Combs' accuser Lisa Gardner, did not respond to a request for comment.
Blackburn dropped Jones' lawsuit against UMG Recordings, Motown Records and Universal Music Group in May after the music companies' lawyers complained of inconsistencies in the lawsuits.
A separate Combs lawsuit filed in July by adult film actress Adria English was similarly dismissed this month by her lawyers, citing “irreconcilable differences” with English, according to court filings. It successfully requested its withdrawal and similarly found itself in a legal predicament. Lawyers did not respond to requests for comment.
Experts said Combs' legal team will seek to implicate financial motives not only on the plaintiffs who will take the stand in May, but also on their lawyers.
In a motion for a gag order last week, the defense accused the plaintiffs' lawyers of using “publicity stunt” tactics to stir up “a torrent of suspicion.”
They tapped Buzbee to livestream a press conference last month where anyone with complaints was encouraged to call a “1-800” number. He told the New York Post that the hotline received 12,000 calls in the first 24 hours.
“We will let the allegations in the complaint as filed speak for themselves and will work to see that justice is served,” Buzbee told BI this week.
