The federal judge overseeing Sean “Diddy” Combs’ racketeering and sex-trafficking case has rejected his request for a gag order against the victims and their attorneys, ruling the request was “unprecedented” and “baseless” ”.
The embattled rapper’s lawyers claimed last month that “inflammatory extrajudicial statements” by victims and their lawyers were harming his chances of a fair trial, but the judge Arun Subramanian It was ruled on Friday (November 8) that such an “extreme remedy” would threaten freedom of expression.
“The court has a clear constitutional obligation to ensure that Coombs receives a fair trial,” the judge wrote. “But this basic … requirement must be balanced against the First Amendment protections afforded to those who claim to be victims of Coombs. ”
“Coombs’s pursuit of unprecedented relief in this motion is without merit,” the judge added.
Combs, also known as Diddy and Diddy, was once one of the most powerful men in the music industry. But in September, he was indicted by federal prosecutors on racketeering and sex trafficking charges in what they said was a massive criminal enterprise designed to satisfy his need for “sexual gratification.” If convicted of all charges, he could face life in prison.
Last month, in the wake of the latest wave of civil abuse lawsuits against Combs, his attorneys asked Judge Subramanian to issue a sweeping gag order, claiming the lawyers behind the civil cases had made “shocking” claims against him. bias and false accusations.”
“Mr. Combs has a constitutional right to a fair trial, unaffected by prejudicial comments in the media,” his attorney Mark Agnifilo wrote in the motion on October 20. “These potential witnesses and their attorneys made numerous inflammatory extrajudicial statements designed to assassinate Mr. Combs’ character in the media.”
But in Friday’s ruling, Judge Subramanian ruled that the order Coombs sought was “extremely broad” and would have “full First Amendment implications.”
“Not all alleged victims will participate in this case, and sweeping restrictions on their speech will silence those who may not be relevant to the proceedings in this case,” the judge wrote.
The judge said he had “already taken steps to limit public speech” about the case and was “open to other tailored recommendations that would help ensure a fair trial.” He also said that if lawyers in these cases acted inappropriately, Coombs can take specific actions in the various civil lawsuits he faces. But he said he couldn’t do anything close to what Coombs was seeking.
“A gag order … is an extreme remedy and should only be used as a last resort,” the judge wrote. “Combs’ pursuit goes even further.”
Separately, on Friday, Combs’ attorneys again requested that he be released from prison on $50 million bail while awaiting trial. The request has been repeatedly denied since Combs’ arrest, but new filings cite the former Abercrombie & Fitch executive Mike Jeffries – another high-profile defendant accused of sex trafficking in New York – was immediately released on $10 million bail after his arrest last month.
“The government recently successfully sought the pretrial release of two similarly situated defendants, including one accused of sex trafficking dozens of young men, including through intimidation,” Agnifilo wrote in the new motion. “The conditions of release requested by Jeffries pale in comparison to the conditions proposed by Mr. Coombs here. “
