Diddy's Legal Team Seeks To Ban Cassie Assault Video From Trial

Sean “Diddy” Combs’ legal team has taken another step in his defense, seeking to block the notorious Cassie 2016 video from being shown at his upcoming trial. Combs’ attorneys asked a federal judge to exclude the controversial clip, which shows the mogul assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016. His lawyers argued that the footage has been “altered, manipulated, sped-up, and edited out of sequence,” claiming it’s unreliable to Combs’ case. The filing claims that allowing the video to be presented in court would “unfairly confuse and mislead the jury,” and would further damage his reputation more than anything. Combs’ legal team also criticized the way the video was released to the public and the way it’s been handled by the media. They previously accused federal authorities of leaking the video to the press to “taint the jury pool,” and just last month, Combs’ lawyers blasted CNN for allegedly altering the footage before airing it. CNN has denied any alterations. Diddy’s team believes the clip was tampered with to make the violence appear more intense, and the sequence of events was reordered to give a misleading impression of Cassie being dragged into a hotel room. Combs’ team even claims that crucial portions of the video were removed to hide context that could lessen the severity of the situation. The video, which aired on CNN in May 2022, depicted a disturbing altercation between Combs and Cassie at the Intercontinental Hotel, prompting a rare public apology from the music mogul. “My behavior on that video is inexcusable,” he said at the time, taking full responsibility for his actions. He added, “I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now. I went and sought out professional help. I got into going to therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry.” despite the apology, prosecutors have criticized Combs’ latest efforts to block the video as an attempt to suppress crucial evidence. He’s accused of running a criminal enterprise that included coercion in “freak off” parties, sex trafficking, and racketeering. If found guilty, Combs could face life in prison.

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