Sean “Diddy” Combs’ lawyers ask judge to publicly identify his accusers – NBC 6 South Florida

Attorneys for Sean “Diddy” Combs filed a motion Tuesday calling for his accusers to appear in a federal sex trafficking case be made public so that he can prepare an appropriate defense.

The motion asks that U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian of the Southern District of New York identify Combs’ accusers because, his lawyers argue, the barrage of anonymous allegations is damaging his reputation, creating a “media circus” and depriving him of a fair trial.

Identifying anonymous accusers would allow Combs to adequately prepare for his trial, prevent surprises and protect him from double jeopardy should he be prosecuted again for the same crime, Combs’ legal team’s filing said.

“His case is unique, in part because of the number of people making allegations against Mr. Combs based on his celebrity status, his wealth and the publicity of his previously settled litigation,” the motion states.

It also alleges grand jury revelations and false inflammatory statements by Department of Homeland Security agents in connection with the release of security video showing Combs hitting his ex-girlfriend, singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, in a hotel hallway in 2016 in Los Angeles. Combs apologized for the incident, saying that it was a one-time incident and that he had sought therapy and changed, and settled a lawsuit in which Ventura had accused him of rape and physical abuse.)

Combs’ legal team filed a petition claiming the government leaked the video to CNN and was responsible for releasing further information to the media.

“Given the grand jury’s revelations and inflammatory public statements, the agents all but ensured that both the grand jury and the general public from which we will soon select a jury would be discredited,” the filing says .

“This had far-reaching implications and led to a flood of claims from unknown complainants, ranging from false to completely absurd. Yesterday alone, anonymous accusers filed six additional lawsuits,” it said.

The filing also mentions a recent news conference in which Texas-based attorney Tony Buzbee said he was representing 120 accusers in a series of lawsuits against Combs that include sexual abuse of minors. The filing called the press conference a “publicity stunt” and the allegations “outrageous and deeply prejudicial.”

“These allegations followed more than a dozen previously filed and currently pending lawsuits, some of which have already been discredited, but only after they caused irreparable damage to Mr. Combs’ character and reputation,” the motion states. “These swirling allegations have created a hysterical media circus that, if left unchecked, will irretrievably deprive Mr. Combs of a fair trial, if it has not already done so.”

On Monday, Buzbee filed six complaints in the Southern District of New York on behalf of four men and two women, none of whom are named in the filing. The incidents alleged in the complaints span 1995 to 2021 and include allegations of sexual assault and rape.

Buzbee announced at an Oct. 1 press conference that he is representing accusers with allegations against Combs under the Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act. Under the law, victims have a two-year deadline, ending in March 2025, to file older claims.

“We will simply try to file cases that we believe are credible and legitimate,” Buzbee said.

The lawsuits name Combs and his various companies as defendants, and prosecutors are seeking unspecified damages. Combs’ lawyers disputed the allegations in the lawsuits.

NBC News has not independently verified any of the allegations in the complaints.

Combs is fighting his pretrial detention on federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges, for which Subramanian has set a May 5 trial date.

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