Lawyers for Sean “Diddy” Combs asked a New York judge Tuesday to force prosecutors to disclose the names of his accusers in his sex trafficking case.
The lawyers wrote in a letter to a Manhattan federal court judge that the hip-hop music maker needs to know the identities of his alleged victims so he can prepare adequately for trial.
Last week, a May 5 trial date was set for Combs. He has pleaded not guilty.
A spokesperson for prosecutors declined comment.
Combs, 54, remains incarcerated without bail after his Sept. 16 federal sex trafficking arrest. His lawyers have asked a federal appeals court to let him be freed to home detention so he can more easily meet with lawyers and prepare for trial.
So far, judges have concluded he is a danger to the community and cannot be freed.
The request to identify accusers comes a day after six new lawsuits were filed against Combs anonymously to protect the identities of the alleged victims. Two of the accusers were identified as Jane Does while four men were listed in the lawsuits as John Does. The lawsuits claimed he used his fame and promises of boosting their own prospects in the music industry to persuade victims to attend lavish parties or drug-fuelled hangouts where he then assaulted them.
The plaintiffs in Monday’s lawsuits are part of what their lawyers say is a group of more than 100 accusers who are in the process of taking legal action against Combs.
In their letter Tuesday to Judge Arun Subramanian, lawyers for Combs said the case against their client is unique in part because of the number of accusers. They attributed the quantity to “his celebrity status, wealth and the publicity of his previously settled lawsuit.”
That reference appeared to cite a November lawsuit filed by his former girlfriend, Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura. Combs settled the lawsuit the next day, but its allegations of sexual and physical abuse have followed him since.
The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly, as Ventura did.
Combs’ lawyers said the settlement of Cassie’s lawsuit, along with “false inflammatory statements” by federal agents and Combs’ fame have “had a pervasive ripple effect, resulting in a torrent of allegations by unidentified complainants, spanning from the false to outright absurd.”
They said the lawsuits filed Monday, along with other lawsuits, and their “swirling allegations have created a hysterical media circus that, if left unchecked, will irreparably deprive Mr. Combs of a fair trial, if they haven’t already.”
The lawyers wrote that the government should identify alleged victims because Combs has no way of knowing which allegations prosecutors are relying on in their accusations in an indictment.
“To the extent Mr. Combs is forced to mount a defence against criminal allegations that the government does not seek to prove at trial, he is entitled to know that,” the lawyers said.
The indictment alleges Combs coerced and abused women for years, with the help of a network of associates and employees, while using blackmail and violent acts including kidnapping, arson and physical beatings to keep victims from speaking out.