Prosecutors say lawyers for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs want to ‘hijack’ criminal case to fight civil claims

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal prosecutors opportunity lawyers for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs are trying to “hijack” nan euphony mogul’s criminal lawsuit from them by asking a judge to unit early disclosure of evidence, including his accusers’ identities.

The prosecutors urged a judge successful papers revenge precocious Wednesday to cull nan requests, saying nan effort to uncover nan identities of prospective witnesses, successful particular, was “blatantly improper.”

They said it was inappropriate for defense lawyers to activity nan disclosure of unfortunate identities and specifications astir different grounds that would preview nan government’s case.

Defense lawyers besides person asked for a gag bid to extremity accusers’ lawyers from commenting publically and person claimed authorities leaks to nan media person threatened nan rapper’s chance astatine a adjacent trial.

Prosecutors said nan requests were “a thinly cloaked effort to restrict nan Government’s impervious astatine this early shape of nan lawsuit and to hijack nan criminal proceeding truthful nan suspect tin respond to civilian lawsuits. This request should beryllium squarely rejected, particularly successful ray of nan consequence it poses to witnesser safety.”

Prosecutors added: “As nan suspect good knows, location is zero ineligible authority for his effort to co-opt this criminal proceeding to take sides against civilian litigation.”

Combs, 54, has remained successful a national jailhouse successful Brooklyn since his Sept. 16 arrest, awaiting a proceedings scheduled to commencement connected May 5.

Part of nan grounds connected which a judge rejected a bail package suggested by his lawyers was that he was a threat to obstruct justness and prosecute successful witnesser tampering.

He has pleaded not blameworthy to charges that he coerced and abused women for years, aided by associates and employees.

Prosecutors said that since astatine slightest 2008, Combs engaged successful a racketeering conspiracy, utilizing his powerfulness and prestige successful nan intermezo manufacture to unit women to prosecute successful extended activity acts pinch antheral commercialized activity workers successful what were known arsenic “Freak Offs.”

They said he utilized videos of nan attacks arsenic collateral to frighten victims, and they said he besides physically assaulted women and others by striking, punching, dragging and kicking them.

Prosecutors said defense claims that nan authorities leaked a video of Combs assaulting his ex-girlfriend Cassie astatine a Los Angeles edifice hallway connected March 5, 2016, to CNN were not true.

They said defense lawyers were engaged successful a “bald effort to suppress a damning portion of grounds against him — a video of him violently beating a victim.”

In May, Combs posted a video connection successful which he said he took “full responsibility” for his actions successful nan video against Cassie, an R&B vocalist whose ineligible sanction is Casandra Ventura. She sued him past November, alleging years of sexual, beingness and affectional abuse. The suit was settled nan adjacent day.

“I was disgusted past erstwhile I did it. I’m disgusted now,” Combs said successful nan video.

The Associated Press does not typically sanction group who opportunity they person been sexually abused unless they travel guardant publicly, arsenic Ventura has done.

Combs besides faces civilian lawsuits by aggregate men and women alleging they were sexually assaulted by Combs during nan past 4th period aft being drugged.

Lawyers for Combs person asked that nan accusers and their lawyers beryllium ordered not to make nationalist statements, saying they person already made “numerous inflammatory extrajudicial statements aimed astatine assassinating Mr. Combs’s characteristic successful nan press.”

More than a twelve lawsuits revenge successful Manhattan national tribunal person been assigned to different judges, starring to varying early rulings connected whether allegations were sufficiently made.

In 1 instance, a judge connected Wednesday ruled that a Tennessee female who alleges Combs raped her successful 2004 erstwhile she was 19 must proceed without anonymity aliases not astatine all. The judge wrote that defendants person a correct to analyse those who writer them and nan nationalist has a correct to cognize who uses nan courts.

A lawyer for Combs did not instantly respond to a petition for remark connected Thursday.