Jury selection is nearing its conclusion in the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs. The court must seat a panel of 18 New Yorkers — 12 jurors and six alternates.
Judge Arun Subramanian asked for 45 would-be jurors from whom the final panel is chosen. On Friday morning, lawyers will use peremptory challenges to strike off jurors they do not want at trial, narrowing that number down. Opening statements are set for May 12.
The music mogul is facing a five-count indictment accusing him of sex trafficking, transportation to engage in prostitution, and racketeering conspiracy.
The rapper was arrested in September 2024 as federal authorities alleged Combs and his associates threatened, abused, and coerced victims “to fulfill his sexual desires.” This included “Freak Offs,” recorded sex performances that prosecutors say Diddy arranged and forced victims to participate in. During searches of his homes, authorities seized narcotics and 1,000 bottles of lubricant and baby oil.
Two superseding indictments against the music mogul were added. In March, fresh allegations of “forced labor,” and in April, an additional charge of sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.
Diddy has denied any accusations of wrongdoing and has rejected the government’s plea deal offer.
Key Points
- Is the Diddy trial and jury selection being televised or live-streamed?
- How does jury selection work?
- What do we know about the jurors picked today?
- Diddy once a ‘Bad Boy for Life’ and ran an empire — on Monday he was just a meek defendant
- ‘Freak offs’, baby oil and the Cassie tape: The shocking allegations behind Diddy’s trial
- Which celebrities were mentioned so far during Diddy’s sex trafficking trial
Why isn't Diddy's trial being live-streamed or televised?
22:00
,
Oliver O'Connell
Sean “Diddy” Combs faces federal criminal charges, which means the presence of “electronic media” is expressly banned by a procedural rule passed in 1946.
The Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53 bars both photographs and broadcasting from the courtroom of a federal criminal trial. This was also the case in the federal criminal trial of R. Kelly, on similar charges.
The rules governing federal civil proceedings are somewhat more flexible, permitting recording in certain situations at the judge's discretion.
Some criminal trials at the state level, such as in the closely watched case of Alex Murdaugh in South Carolina, permit cameras in the courtroom.
For Diddy, we have to rely on in-court reporting by journalists and sketches by court artists.
Which celebrities were mentioned so far during Diddy’s sex trafficking trial
21:40
,
Oliver O'Connell
Jury selection in the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs continued Wednesday in Manhattan’s federal court, where potential jurors were asked if they recognized a slew of A-list stars.
Isabel Keane takes a look at who was mentioned — and why.
Who are the main players on the prosecution and defense teams?
21:28
,
Oliver O'Connell
The trial is taking place in the courtroom of U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian. He's a Columbia Law School graduate and former clerk for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who was appointed a federal judge by President Joe Biden in 2022.
The prosecution team consists of eight assistant U.S. attorneys, seven of them women. They include Maurene Ryan Comey, the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey. She was among the prosecutors in the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of luring teenage girls to be sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein.
Combs' team of seven defense attorneys is led by New York lawyer Marc Agnifilo, who, along with his wife Karen Friedman Agnifilo, is also defending Luigi Mangione, the man accused of the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Also on the defense team is Atlanta attorney Brian Steel, who represented Young Thug in a trial that went on for nearly two years before the rapper pleaded guilty to gang, drug, and gun charges.
The stories behind all of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ name changes
21:00
,
Oliver O'Connell
From “Puff Daddy” to “P. Diddy” and even the obscure “Brother Love,” here's a look back at Combs' self-appointed names and what was going on during his career in each era.
20:51
Diddy team gets 10 juror strikes, prosecution six
20:40
,
Oliver O'Connell
Diddy’s defense team gets 10 peremptory strikes to remove jurors they do not want to hear the case against their client without giving cause.
The prosecution gets six peremptory strikes.
After those have been used up, each side will get three strikes each to establish the six alternates.
This will take place at 9 a.m. on Friday morning.
Court will be dark tomorrow.
What we won't hear at the trial
20:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
Since 2023, dozens of women and men have been filing lawsuits against Combs, claiming that he sexually or physically abused them. Many of those people said they were slipped drugs at events hosted by Combs and were abused while they were incapacitated.
Combs has denied all of the allegations through his lawyers.
Some of those lawsuits have claimed that other celebrities were either present for or participated in the abuse.
The great majority of those allegations, however, aren't part of the criminal case. Prosecutors have chosen to focus on a relatively small number of accusers and allegations where there is physical evidence or corroboration by witnesses.
Who are the witnesses and what is the evidence against Diddy?
20:00
,
Oliver O'Connell
Without identifying them publicly, prosecutors have said four of Sean “Diddy” Combs' accusers will testify at the trial.
The prosecution will be allowed to show the jury security video of Combs beating and kicking one of his accusers, the R&B singer Cassie, in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016.
Diddy's attorneys are expected to argue at trial that the government is demonizing and distorting the sexual activity of consenting adults. They have also argued that two of Combs' longtime girlfriends willingly brought a male sex worker into their relationship.
Cassie, whose legal name is Cassandra Ventura, was Combs' on-again-off-again romantic partner for more than a decade. Her 2023 lawsuit against Combs alleging years of abuse, including rape, began the scrutiny that eventually led to his prosecution.
The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly, as Ventura did.
Judge admonishes lawyer for racial remarks about Diddy prosecution team
19:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
The judge overseeing Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking trial admonished a lawyer close to the hip-hop mogul's defense team for referring to the prosecutors in the case as a “six-pack of white women” in comments made on a podcast.
The lawyer, Mark Geragos, remarked in a May 2 episode of Two Angry Men, a podcast he co-hosts with Harvey Levin, the founder of celebrity news website TMZ, that the racial and gender composition of the six-member prosecution team was “interesting.”
Geragos acknowledged that race may be an “undercurrent” at the trial, but emphasized that it would not be a focus of Combs’ defense.
“That's something that you shouldn't, that no one should be saying as an officer of the Court and a member of the bar,” U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian told Geragos in a private conversation in his robing room on Tuesday before jury selection resumed, according to a trial transcript.
“Referring to the prosecution in this case as a six-pack of white women is outrageous,” stated the judge, who is of South Asian descent.
Combs, who is Black, has pleaded not guilty to a five-count indictment charging him with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. Jury selection is expected to finish on Friday, with opening statements scheduled for Monday.
Prosecutors from the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's office allege that Combs used his business empire to coerce women into participating in days-long, drug-fueled sex parties known as freak offs. His defense will argue that the sex acts described by the prosecutors were consensual and that the alleged victims expected to testify against him cannot be trusted.
Combs' lawyers have argued in court documents that he is being unfairly targeted for prosecution because of his race, but they will not make that argument at trial.
Geragos, who is white, is a well-known Los Angeles-based lawyer who has represented President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, as well as Lyle and Erik Menendez, two brothers convicted of murdering their parents in 1989.
He is not representing Combs in his criminal case, but told Subramanian he speaks with the rapper frequently and represents his mother in a matter, which he did not describe in detail. Geragos' daughter, Teny Geragos, is one of Combs' defense lawyers at trial.
With reporting from Reuters
What do we know about the plea deal Diddy rejected?
19:12
,
Oliver O'Connell
Sean “Diddy” Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, including sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation for prostitution purposes, and has maintained his innocence since being arrested.
Last Thursday, standing before a judge in his final pre-trial hearing, Combs said he rejected the government’s offer to plead guilty to charges in exchange for a lesser sentence.
Ariana Baio reports.
Which celebrities were mentioned so far during Diddy’s sex trafficking trial
18:53
,
Oliver O'Connell
Jury selection in the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs continued Wednesday in Manhattan’s federal court, where potential jurors were asked if they recognized a slew of A-list stars.
Isabel Keane takes a look at who was mentioned — and why.
Judge wavers on Friday before agreeing to strikes then
18:42
,
Oliver O'Connell
Having finished today’s jury selection at lunchtime, Judge Subramanian proposes that they do peremptory strikes of jurors today.
There was concern from prosecutors that by striking now and then, having days in which jurors may try to get off the case, they may fall below the 18 people they require for the trial.
The judge countered that cold feet will happen no matter what.
Prosecutors said that there may be other work to be done beyond the peremptory challenges, and other arguments may be teed up for Friday.
Judge Subramanian conceded that 9 a.m. Friday was acceptable.
What do we know about today’s jury pool?
18:35
,
Oliver O'Connell
The pool of jurors being considered to be part of the jury and alternates in the Diddy trial is largely drawn from Manhattan, the Bronx, and Westchester counties (being part of the Southern District of New York — other city boroughs and Long Island fall into the Eastern District).
They variously list their jobs as teaching, nursing, finance, HR, law, window cleaning, maintenance, and unemployed.
One is a proud Trekkie, another a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, and another in the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
They get their news from The New York Times, Fox News, Al-Jazeera, WFDU, and “every major news source,” while also reading GQ, Forbes, House & Garden, Wired, and magazines about video games and nursing.
For entertainment, they watch ESPN, Chicago PD, Bravo, Andor, Elsbeth, Wheel of Fortune, and science fiction. They listen to Caribbean music, rap, hip hop, jazz, metal, contemporary Christian, rock country, LoFi, and Korean band BTS.
As for hobbies, they are fans of cooking and baking, running, photography, gaming, pickleball, building models, and drones.
Judge Subramanian dismissed the pool for the day and warned them not to read or post anything online about the case.
Jury may not be finalized until Friday
18:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
The jury in the sex trafficking trial of music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs isn’t expected to be finalized until Friday, two days later than expected.
Judge Arun Subramanian granted a request by lawyers Wednesday for extra time to decide who they will eliminate from the list of prospective jurors. It's the last step of a jury selection process that began when potential jurors filled out questionnaires last week.
For the past three days, the judge has been questioning prospective jurors one at a time to see who can be fair and unbiased. On Friday, lawyers on each side will be permitted to eliminate several individuals from the panel of jurors — for reasons they usually do not have to explain. That procedure, which typically takes an hour or less, produces the final jury of 12 plus alternates.
Then on Monday, opening statements are scheduled for a trial that is expected to last up to two months in federal court in Manhattan.
Read more...
Today's jury pool returns for group questions
18:09
,
Oliver O'Connell
The potential jurors still in the jury pool have been brought back into the court together for the group questioning, during which we find out more biographical details.
Diddy allowed to wear non-prison clothes at trial
18:00
,
Oliver O'Connell
Sean “Diddy” Combs, 55, has been held at a federal jail in Brooklyn since his September arrest. His formerly jet black hair is now almost completely gray because dye isn’t allowed at the detention center.
Combs, who had his own fashion line, has worn yellow jail uniforms in pretrial hearings.
However, for the trial, the judge said he can have up to five button-down shirts, five pairs of pants, five sweaters, five pairs of socks, and two pairs of shoes without laces.
Under federal court rules, no photos or video of the trial will be allowed. Courtroom sketches are permitted.
One more juror added to pool
17:52
,
Oliver O'Connell
Shortly before the court took a break, another female juror was added to the pool, having said that while she was shocked by the hotel hallway video, she could still be fair.
She added that her social media was mostly dogs and food.
That should put us on 43 jurors in the pool with a target of 45.
Stay tuned.
Laughter as potential juror says he works at Diddy's prison
17:45
,
Oliver O'Connell
There was laughter when a male juror announced he works at Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn — the prison where Diddy (and Luigi Mangione) is currently detained.
He was excluded.
Debate over inclusion of UN worker
17:43
,
Oliver O'Connell
A woman is excluded for saying she had seen a lot of tweets about the case against Diddy and that it looks “pretty straightforward.”
A man who works at the UN was the subject of some back-and-forth between the judge and lawyers. While the prosecution didn’t oppose him, the defense took issue with some of his answers about his work, claiming they did not make sense.
Judge Subramanian said he would not strike the juror for cause but would question him more about his work.
Two more jurors added to pool
17:39
,
Oliver O'Connell
Two more jurors have joined the wider pool.
First, a woman who saw the video but believes she can be fair, saying there are two sides to everything.
Second, a Star Wars fan who has been binge-watching Andor, who gave somewhat meandering answers according to the prosecution.
The defence said he was light-hearted and opposed dismissing him for cause, which Judge Subramanian did not.
Why isn't Diddy's trial being live-streamed or televised?
17:25
,
Oliver O'Connell
Sean “Diddy” Combs faces federal criminal charges, which means the presence of “electronic media” is expressly banned by a procedural rule passed in 1946.
The Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53 bars both photographs and broadcasting from the courtroom of a federal criminal trial. This was also the case in the federal criminal trial of R. Kelly, on similar charges.
The rules governing federal civil proceedings are somewhat more flexible, permitting recording in certain situations at the judge's discretion.
Some criminal trials at the state level, such as in the closely watched case of Alex Murdaugh in South Carolina, permit cameras in the courtroom.
For Diddy, we have to rely on in-court reporting by journalists and sketches by court artists.
Potential juror knows judge
17:13
,
Oliver O'Connell
After another juror is excused for cause, the next juror walks into court, and Judge Subramanian laughs — they know each other.
The juror explains that they did antitrust class actions together, and he also knew former US Attorney Geoffrey Berman of the Southern District of New York.
He further says that he has a client who requires his counsel in regular business hours and that he works around the clock, as well as upcoming testimony before the Judiciary Committee.
The defense team asks whether his client will be ill-served or relationship impaired by his absence, to which the juror replies that he may be, as it is related to a transaction.
After the juror leaves the courtroom, the prosecution says that he seems unbiased but he may have an outsized influence on other jurors.
The defence says they have no issue with his relationship with the court, but there are concerns about the client.
Judge Subramanian excludes him.
Who are the main players on the prosecution and defense teams?
17:00
,
AP
The trial is taking place in the courtroom of U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian. He's a Columbia Law School graduate and former clerk for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who was appointed a federal judge by President Joe Biden in 2022.
The prosecution team consists of eight assistant U.S. attorneys, seven of them women. They include Maurene Ryan Comey, the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey. She was among the prosecutors in the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of luring teenage girls to be sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein.
Combs' team of seven defense attorneys is led by New York lawyer Marc Agnifilo, who, along with his wife Karen Friedman Agnifilo, is also defending Luigi Mangione, the man accused of the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Also on the defense team is Atlanta attorney Brian Steel, who represented Young Thug in a trial that went on for nearly two years before the rapper pleaded guilty to gang, drug, and gun charges.
Juror excused for negative view of law enforcement
16:54
,
Oliver O'Connell
A juror has been excused for cause for having a negative view of law enforcement from her experience with a supervisor while working as a security guard.
Another juror says she has only heard about the case from Judge Subramanian during his introduction, prompting the judge to say: “Good answer.”
She is in the pool, which should take us to 40 potential jurors, leaving five more to go.
Juror opinions on hotel hallway video seem crucial
16:43
,
Oliver O'Connell
Again and again, whether jurors believe they can be impartial, having seen the hotel hallway security video of Diddy and Cassie, seems to be a crucial factor in inclusion in the jury pool.
While other issues come up about experience with crime and law enforcement, follow-up questions usually go back to the video.
A lawyer for a financial services firm (her husband’s) who had seen the video said that as an attorney, she felt a deep ethical duty to be fair to the defendant. She was included in the pool.
The next juror to be questioned said it would be very difficult to be impartial and was excused for cause.
Another two jurors added to pool
16:24
,
Oliver O'Connell
Two more jurors have been added to the pool — a female middle school teacher from Manhattan who said she had seen the hotel hallway footage of Diddy and Cassie, and another woman who said she does not use social media, and while she has never discussed sexually explicit content with strangers before, thinks she could.
Another female juror, who works at a charter school in the Bronx, said she had seen the video and would have a bias against Diddy. She was excused for cause.
How does jury selection work?
16:19
,
Oliver O'Connell
Here’s a quick reminder as to how jury selection works.
Some 600 prospective jurors have filled out questionnaires to help the legal team whittle down the numbers and end up with a panel of 12 jurors and six alternates in case any of the jurors have to step down for some reason — alternates sit through the whole trial and see all the evidence.
Dozens of the prospects will be asked about their questionnaire responses in this voir dire stage, which began yesterday, to identify anyone who might not be impartial.
The questionnaires included questions on what they had read or heard about the charges against Diddy, and their own personal experiences connected to the alleged criminal acts, for example, if they or a family member had ever been a victim of assault. A similar process was undertaken in the federal trial of Ghislaine Maxwell for sex trafficking. Jurors have the option of speaking in private to the judge and legal teams to preserve privacy when answering those questions.
While the defense and prosecution have an unlimited number of “for cause” challenges to dismiss a prospective juror, Judge Arun Subramanian will ultimately make the final decision on whether someone should be excused from this high-profile trial.
Once a pool of 45 potential jurors is established, on Friday morning, both sides will be able to exercise what are called “peremptory strikes” to remove a juror without any explanation, until the final 18 are left.
One more juror in, three more excused
15:51
,
Oliver O'Connell
Another juror moves into the pool, having — like many others — acknowledged he knows the basics of the case from the news.
Three more jurors are excused. One has a bias toward law enforcement, and another has to pick up her child from school every day.
The third has friends with connections to the music industry. Her friend’s son works for 300 Records, a rap and hip-hop label (she adds that his name was not on the list of people and places who may be mentioned at trial that jurors were asked to look at), and another friend’s son is country music singer-songwriter Aidan Canfield.
Two more jurors added to pool
15:35
,
Oliver O'Connell
Two more jurors have been added to the pool from which the final panel of 12 and six alternates will be chosen.
After losing the “HBO juror,” we are still hovering around the 35 mark (there is some discrepancy as to whether we began the day with 34 or 35 people in the jury pool).
Another potential juror is out for cause concerning the lack of an answer as to whether he could discuss matters of a sexual nature with fellow jurors.
Defense concerned by juror who works for 'Her Justice'
14:55
,
Oliver O'Connell
The defense team also raised concerns over a juror who works for Her Justice, a nonprofit organization that provides free legal help to women living in poverty in New York City.
They have discovered that prior to her work there, she was at the Legal Aid Society for juveniles in family court, and note that she did not disclose this on her questionnaire.
After a back-and-forth about whether an office manager would get legal training, Judge Subramanian says that maybe the defense just doesn’t like her prior employment.
That’s why you have peremptory challenges, the judge notes.
He later returns to the issue and says he will think about it.
HBO juror excused for cause
14:47
,
Oliver O'Connell
Marc Agnifilo, Diddy’s lead defense lawyer, then asks for the so-called “HBO juror” to be removed.
The juror works for the streaming service that made the documentary The Fall of Diddy and was initially permitted to remain part of the pool.
Teny Geragos, part of the prosecution team, established from emails with the production company that people were paid.
Judge Subramanian asks if the documentary will come up at trial, and the prosecution says they believe it will.
Both sides agree to exclude her for cause.
Court back in session
14:44
,
Oliver O'Connell
Court is back in session for day three of jury selection in the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Judge Arun Subramanian returns to the bench, and proceedings kick off with the prosecution suggesting that peremptory challenges — where jurors can be struck off without giving cause — take place on Friday morning, and not today, to give jurors time to think about whether they are able to serve.
The judge agrees.
Could jury selection end today?
14:33
,
Oliver O'Connell
A jury could be in place as soon as today.
Judge Arun Subramanian wants the 600 potential jurors narrowed down to a group of 45 from whom the final panel of 12 jurors and six alternates will be chosen.
By lunchtime on Tuesday, 25 had been chosen, and that number had risen to approximately 35 by the end of the day.
The final ten should emerge today as would-be jurors are questioned about their experiences with domestic violence and sexual assault, attitudes toward law enforcement, and other factors that may inject bias into their handling of the case.
Lawyers from both sides will then be allowed to strike a number from the group without giving reason, finally arriving at the chosen 18.
Good morning
14:10
,
Oliver O'Connell
Good morning and welcome back to our rolling coverage of jury selection at the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs.
We’ll be bringing you the latest from the court throughout this morning as the panel of jurors is formed.
Tuesday 6 May 2025 22:21
,
Oliver O'Connell
Judge Subramanian intends to build a pool of 45 prospective jurors from which the 12 members of the jury and six alternates can be selected.
By the close of Monday, 19 had been picked, and by lunch on Tuesday, another six were added, so the group should be well over halfway to reaching the target.
Court adjourns
Tuesday 6 May 2025 22:16
,
Oliver O'Connell
After a brief sidebar with the lawyers, Judge Arun Subramanian adjourns court for the day, warning potential jurors not to read or post anything about the case.
After the panel departs, the lawyers agreed to strike more jurors from the pool.
What do we know about today's jurors?
Tuesday 6 May 2025 22:06
,
Oliver O'Connell
As with Monday’s jury pool, this final stage of questioning has provided some insight into the lives of the potential jurors.
They live across the New York region, though Bronxville, Manhattan, Westchester, the Bronx, and Hell’s Kitchen were mentioned. It’s worth noting that the city boroughs of Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island, and the suburbs of Long Island are not in the Southern District of New York federal court area.
Professionally, they work in oncology, legal services for women, kitchen design, manufacturing, medical services, banking, teaching for the blind, and for the MTA. One person recently left a job at WWE; another is a retired Navy Ship repairer; and another is a pilot for American Airlines.
For news, they go to NBC Nightly News, Today, Facebook, 1010 WINS, Morning Joe, YouTube, Reddit, or rely on alerts on their phone.
Other media mentioned included Essence magazine, The Athletic, ESPN, FS1, The New Yorker, and Men’s Health.
For entertainment, they watch Chicago PD, Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, Severance, Law & Order, American Idol, Survivor, Amazing Race, The Real Housewives, Basketball Wives, or stream Netflix, HBO, or Disney+.
Musically, they are into R&B, hip hop, Dave Brubeck, salsa, reggaeton, jazz, emo rock, Billy Joel, bachata, afrobeat, house music, gospel, alternative rock, and country.
In sport, they support Ohio State Football, the Knicks, the Mets (”since they became good again”), and in the WNBA, the New York Liberty.
And in any spare time they have left, they enjoy running, shooting hoops, dancing, going to Trader Joe’s, woodworking, biking, hiking, scuba diving, and surfing.
Questioning moves to the group stage
Tuesday 6 May 2025 21:40
,
Oliver O'Connell
The non-excluded or excused jurors have been brought back into court together to give biographical information about jobs, hobbies, where they live, and what media they consume.
What were the jury questionnaire questions on graphic and sexually explicit materials?
Tuesday 6 May 2025 21:38
,
Oliver O'Connell
In the extensive jury questionnaire that potential jurors were asked to fill out, there were two notable questions regarding the inclusion of “graphic” or “sexually explicit” videos or photographs.
There may be evidence of graphic videos and photographs, including videos of physical violence, in connection with this case. Is there anything about the nature of this evidence that would make it difficult for you to be fair and impartial?
It would be safe to assume this covers the Cassie video from the hotel hallway that several potential jurors have already seen.
There may be evidence of sexually explicit videos, photographs and language in connection with the case. Would such evidence interfere with your ability to sit fairly and impartially in hearing the evidence or lack of evidence?
Given the nature of the allegations against Diddy, this is not a surprising question and already one juror has been excused after saying she would not be able to cope with such material.
Juror excluded for bias toward victims from own experience
Tuesday 6 May 2025 21:28
,
Oliver O'Connell
A juror explained to Judge Subramanian that they had been sexually assaulted when they were 19.
Sympathetically asked if they could still be on the case, they reply that if the defense were to argue the victims didn’t report the alleged incidents when they happen, they would understand why that would be and would be biased in their favor
The judge excludes the juror from the jury pool.
Judge grows frustrated over inclusion of some jurors
Tuesday 6 May 2025 21:25
,
Oliver O'Connell
After excusing for cause the husband of a uniformed victim advocate in the Marine Corps in South Carolina over potential bias in favor of Diddy’s alleged victims, Judge Subramanian becomes frustrated with both parties after the next juror takes the stand.
The juror tells the judge that they have difficulty with English and so are excused, with Subramanian then turning to the defense and prosecution, asking why this keeps happening.
He says that he asked the parties to agree to set aside some jurors with issues like this - it takes us at least five minutes each time, noting that they are running out of time.
Subramanian adds that he wants both teams to have time to prepare for the trial.
Juror struck for being investigator on criminal fraud case
Tuesday 6 May 2025 21:01
,
Oliver O'Connell
A juror who works at the New York City Department of Investigation is excluded, as he is currently working with the South District of New York on a criminal fraud case.
Juror excused over ongoing legal case and M&A deal
Tuesday 6 May 2025 20:54
,
Oliver O'Connell
A potential juror tells Judge Subramanian that he is involved in an ongoing personal injury case after he was assaulted by his stepmother at his late father’s house. He is also in a probate case over the estate.
The judge also notes that he is involved in an M&A deal and excuses him from serving.
Another juror acknowledges having seen the hotel video but maintains he can be fair and remains in the pool.
Juror 247 (male) I saw about the video, the elevator, but I can be fair. [Leaves - no motions - he's in the pool]
— Inner City Press (@innercitypress) May 6, 2025
Juror 252 (male) I work at the NYC Dep't of Investigation. My fiancee does too. We look into bid rigging, stolen time, fraud against the City.
Pace quickens again
Tuesday 6 May 2025 20:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
The speed at which the court is working through jurors appears to have quickened again.
Defense lawyers pass forward a question to Judge Subramanian about the response from a juror who wrote that he understood a producer accused Combs of forcing him into having sex.
The juror, an engineer, responds that he thinks he heard that on NPR, as he doesn’t really care for celebrity news.
He will remain in the jury pool.
Another juror is excused for cause after saying she cannot speak about sex.
Demonstrating the problems of a high-profile trial that touches on popular culture, music, and celebrity, a third juror says that he has seen content about the case on social media, but “nothing too deep,” including the video from the hotel.
“Everything is circumstantial,” he says, before describing the “LA lifestyle” that he presumably associates with Combs as “fast and loose.”
The juror, a pilot for American Airlines, is allowed to remain in the jury pool.
Two more jurors excused for cause
Tuesday 6 May 2025 20:25
,
Oliver O'Connell
Two more jurors are excused for cause, one on medical grounds for Crohn’s disease.
Concerns over juror’s negative interactions with police, but he remains in jury pool
Tuesday 6 May 2025 20:16
,
Oliver O'Connell
A New York City Transit employee will remain in the jury pool despite concerns from prosecutors over negative interactions with the police when he was younger, including a charge of assaulting a police officer that was dropped.
The juror says he used to be biased against the police, but now he knows some officers. He was also once arrested for being in possession of a gravity knife (illegal in the U.S.) and was a victim of crime once when his sneakers were stolen while he was unconscious.
Despite saying he could be fair when considering testimony from law enforcement, prosecutors moved to strike for cause over his history with the police.
The defense opposed striking him, saying that he had grown up and that his answers were honest and revealing. The prosecution countered that he was arrested twice after his apparent epiphany about the police.
After quickly seeing another juror with whom neither side had grounds to strike, the juror was brought back to court for further questions.
After establishing a third incident with the police was when he shoved an officer who pushed him when shutting down a party, Judge Subramanian says he will not strike the juror.
What we won't hear at the trial
Tuesday 6 May 2025 20:00
