Kid Cudi and Michael B. Jordan are among the initial celebrities to be identified in the trial involving Diddy.
The trial for the disgraced music mogul commenced on Monday, May 5, in New York. This coincided with the arrival of numerous high-profile figures to the city for the Met Gala.
Diddy, whose real name is Sean Combs, was detained in September and has been held in custody since then, as his bail requests have been consistently denied.
The trial’s preliminary phase involves selecting a jury. The court is tasked with assembling a panel of 18 New Yorkers (12 jurors and six alternates) prior to the start of opening statements next Monday. Numerous prospective jurors have been evaluated to determine their ability to impartially judge the music executive.
During Monday and Tuesday, the judge compiled a pool of 35 potential jurors, which is 10 short of the 45 required to proceed to the next phase, as the trial is anticipated to span up to two months.
One individual was reportedly dismissed after confessing that he might find it challenging to refrain from using marijuana for the trial’s duration, which is projected to last eight to ten weeks.
To ensure impartiality among potential jurors, they were shown images of various celebrities, including Michael B. Jordan and Kid Cudi.
Michael B. Jordan’s inclusion is reportedly linked to Cassie Ventura’s 2023 complaint against Diddy, as mentioned by CNN.
Within her filing, she claimed to have had ‘a flirtatious relationship with an actor’ (believed to be the Creed star) in 2015 during a break in her relationship with Diddy.
When Diddy, founder of Bad Boy Records, became aware of this, he allegedly called and ‘threatened’ Jordan.
Kid Cudi, whose real name is Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi, was also purportedly mentioned in Cassie’s complaint.
The two had a brief relationship in 2011, during a ‘rough patch’ in Ventura’s relationship with Diddy.
It is alleged that Diddy became ‘enraged’ upon learning of their romance and threatened to blow up Cudi’s car.
“Around that time, Kid Cudi’s car exploded in his driveway,” the filing further claimed.
A representative for Cudi confirmed Ventura’s statements during the 2023 lawsuit, asserting that they were ‘all true’.
Diddy has denied all of Ventura’s accusations but chose to settle with her nonetheless. He also denies the federal charges he currently faces in court.
UNILAD has reached out to representatives for Jordan and Cudi for comment.
Musician and former partner to Diddy, Cassie Ventura, filed a lawsuit accusing him of rape and years of abuse. She claimed he leveraged his power to ‘set the groundwork’ for a ‘manipulative and coercive romantic and sexual relationship.’ The lawsuit was settled outside of court shortly after for an undisclosed sum.
Music producer Rodney ‘Lil Rod’ Jones also brought a lawsuit alleging that Combs ‘sexually harassed, drugged and threatened him’, according to NBC. Combs’ attorney Erica Wolff quickly dismissed Jones’ claims, stating: “Mr. Jones’s lawsuit is pure fiction — a shameless attempt to create media hype and extract a quick settlement.”
In a related investigation, Diddy’s properties in Los Angeles, Miami, and New York were searched by Homeland Security, which executed search warrants early in the morning. This raid was part of a sex trafficking investigation, one of the charges Diddy is currently facing.
CNN released footage showing Diddy assaulting former partner Cassie Ventura in a hotel hallway. The video, believed to be from 2016, aligns with the abuse allegations Ventura made in her lawsuit against the fallen music mogul.
Diddy issued a video apology on Instagram and Facebook, addressing the assault on Cassie. He remarked: “So difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, sometimes you got to do that. I was f**ked up.”
“I mean I hit rock bottom, but I make no excuses, my behaviour in that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video, I’m disgusted.”
Combs was arrested in Manhattan following a grand jury indictment on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. According to the BBC, Diddy faces charges of racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking, and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. These charges also include allegations of kidnapping and drugging his victims.
A federal judge has scheduled May 5, 2025, as the trial date for Diddy.
Anthony Ricco, a member of Diddy’s defense team, withdrew from the case, citing an inability to continue effectively representing him. He explained: “Under no circumstances can I continue to effectively serve as counsel for Sean Combs, consistent with the ABA Standards for Criminal Justice.”
“While I am aware that the Local Rule requires that an application for withdrawal of counsel is supported and granted ‘only upon a showing by affidavit or otherwise of satisfactory reasons for withdrawal’, there are sufficient reasons (related to the protections afforded by the attorney/client privilege) for brevity in my application for withdrawal as counsel in this case.”
The selection of the jury commenced in Manhattan federal court, signaling the official start of Diddy’s trial.