sightupdate

Music

Sean "Diddy" Combs: Unshackling in Court and Legal Battles

2024-11-19

Sean "Diddy" Combs, a 55-year-old music mogul, is making a significant request regarding his court appearances. His attorney, Marc Agnifilo, filed a late-night motion on Monday, Nov. 18, ahead of Combs' court appearance on Tuesday, Nov. 19. In the filing obtained by PEOPLE, Agnifilo wrote that they are requesting the Court direct the United States Marshals Service to unshackle Combs prior to bringing him into the courtroom for tomorrow's hearing and all future court appearances. This comes after Combs' previous court appearance on Thursday, Oct. 10, where he appeared in leg shackles throughout without any justification, raising "paramount concern" of "juror bias" being created. Having Combs appear in shackles during court proceedings, according to Agnifilo, "interferes with the accused's ability to communicate with his lawyer" and goes against the "respectful treatment of defendants."

Charges and Allegations

Combs is due to appear in court on Tuesday, Nov. 19, on racketeering and sex trafficking charges. In court documents filed on Friday, Nov. 15, and obtained by PEOPLE, prosecutors accused Combs of violating jail rules by influencing a potential jury while incarcerated in Brooklyn via a "non-authorized third-party messaging service." They further claimed he used the service to communicate with multiple people and enlisted his children to start a "social media campaign" around his birthday. These allegations follow Combs' denial of his latest motion for bail filed on Friday, Nov. 8, when he claimed that new evidence should allow him to be released before trial.

Initial Indictment and Defense

In the motion for bail obtained by PEOPLE, Combs' lawyers referred to the initial indictment against the rapper which centered on his alleged "freak offs." His lawyers cited a March 2016 video from the indictment which allegedly showed the Bad Boy Records founder assaulting a woman in a Los Angeles hotel. However, they claimed that the video is not evidence of a coerced "freak off" but rather a minutes-long glimpse into a complex but decade-long consensual relationship between Combs and Victim 1. Combs has pleaded not guilty to all charges and his attorneys previously proposed a $50 million bail package. His trial is scheduled for May 2025.If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.