Diddy’s lawyers say his trial is on the verge of chaos after prosecutors blindsided his team with what he calls a calculated smear job.
His lawyers claim the feds plan to use a list of decades-old, uncharged sexual assault allegations just 60 days before the courtroom showdown.
“These incendiary allegations are substantially more serious than the charged offenses and if admitted, would make it impossible for Mr. Combs to receive a fair trial,” his lawyers wrote in a motion filed this week
The move caught Diddy’s defense off guard.
Prosecutors waited until the last possible moment to roll out the accusations—many from unknown accusers, with no witnesses, no corroboration, and some dating back to the 1980s.
Last week, the feds also rolled out a third superseding indictment with no new victims – but new criminal charges stemming from the alleged abuse of his ex’s.
“These are entirely new, untested, uncorroborated, and uninvestigated allegations,” the filing states. “Some are truly unknown to the defense… and some of the key witnesses… are dead.”
Until now, Diddy had been preparing to fight charges centered on alleged abuse or manipulation inside long-term relationships. Then came what his lawyers say is a total curveball.
“Collectively, these new allegations require many months if not years to investigate,” the motion states, adding that the trial—initially estimated to last three weeks—could now balloon far beyond that.
Making matters worse, Diddy isn’t even allowed to see who some of his accusers are until April 18. That leaves barely a month to investigate claims that, in some cases, are older than some of the jurors likely will be.
His legal team slammed the government’s evidence as “scant,” accusing prosecutors of recycling claims from civil lawsuits aimed at pressuring him in other venues.
“Not one of the alleged assaults resulted in any criminal complaint or criminal charges,” they wrote.
The defense insists these claims were intentionally timed to throw off preparation.
His lawyers want the court to toss the accusations entirely, warning that if jurors hear them, it will be impossible to un-hear them.
“No limiting instruction could cure such prejudice,” they wrote, adding that “a mistrial would be required” if the evidence slips in.
They also asked the judge to hold a special hearing to see if any of the claims can be backed up.
“The Court should require the government to try the case it charged and prove that case to the jury beyond a reasonable doubt. The government should not be permitted to pollute the trial with decades of dirt and invite a conviction based on propensity evidence with no proper purpose by painting Mr. Combs as a bad guy who must have committed the charged crimes,” Diddy’s lawyers fumed.
The trial is still scheduled for May.