Diddy Lawyers Request Gag Order for Accusers, Say Press Statements Jeopardize Right to Fair Trial
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ lawyers have asked a judge to impose a gag order on the rapper’s accusers and their counsel as the sex assault lawsuits continue piling up.
Lawsuits against Combs – ranging from sexual assault to racketeering – have been stacking in the weeks since his initial arrest. Combs’ lawyers say that his “right to a fair trial” is in jeopardy following statements made to the press by accusers and counsel.
“As the Court is aware, Mr. Combs has been the target of an unending stream of allegations by prospective witnesses and their counsel in the press,” a statement from his lawyers read. “These prospective witnesses and their lawyers have made numerous inflammatory extrajudicial statements aimed at assassinating Mr. Combs’s character in the press.”
The statement continued, “Each day that passes brings a fresh wave of publicity, often at the direction of accusers and their counsel, further prejudicing Mr. Combs’ right to a fair trial.”
It was not immediately clear when the judge overseeing the case would rule on the request. Combs is represented by Marc Agnifilo, Teny Geragos, Anthony Ricco, Alexandra Shapiro, and Anna Estevao.
Just last week he was hit with six sexual assault complaints – including one from a minor – by Houston lawyer Tony Buzbee and a separate woman claiming she was drugged and gang raped for blaming the rapper for Tupac Shakur’s death.
Ashley Parham alleged last week that the mogul engaged in a “violent gangbang style rape” that involved a TV remote being used on her after she made comments saying he “had something to do with the murder of rapper Tupac Shakur.”
An anonymous male victim claimed in a separate suit that Combs sexually assaulted him at the 1998 White Party when he was only 16 years old. Combs made it clear that he could make the victim a star despite not having a great voice and because he had the right look.
However, “Combs abruptly told John Doe that he needed to drop his pants. John Doe, caught completely off guard, confusingly asked Combs to repeat himself. Combs made himself clear. He instructed John Doe to drop his pants and expose his penis so that Combs could inspect it, explaining it was a rite of passage and the route to becoming a star, and also as a way to prove himself,” the suit alleges.
The assault allegations are far from his only legal troubles. Combs has a May 5, 2025 trial date already set for the separate federal charges on racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. He remains incarcerated at the Metropolitan Detention Center as all of his attempts to be released have been denied.
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