Diddy apologized in 2024 for his behavior in the March 2016 video, saying it was “inexcusable” and adding that he’d “sought out professional help”
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ lawyers in his federal case are formally asking a judge to exclude the bombshell CNN video that shows the rap mogul abusing his ex-girlfriend, singer Cassie Ventura, on March 5, 2016, ahead of his upcoming 2025 trial.
In the surveillance video — released by CNN on May 17, 2024 — Ventura, now 38, is seen exiting a room at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles and walking toward a bank of elevators as Combs, now 55, chases after her wearing a white towel around his waist and socks. When he reaches her, Combs grabs her by the neck and throws her to the floor. He then violently kicks her and grabs her purse and suitcase.
As Ventura lies motionless, Combs kicks her again and briefly drags her back toward the room before letting go and walking away. Moments later, he sits down in a chair, grabs an object from a table and forcefully throws it toward her.
Combs is then seen walking away and turning toward Ventura again when an elevator door opens and someone appears to exit. The video shows Combs grabbing, shoving and kicking Ventura during an altercation that matched allegations she made in a now-settled lawsuit filed in November 2023.
“The gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behavior of Mr. Combs. Words cannot express the courage and fortitude that Ms. Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this to light,” Ventura’s attorney Douglas H. Wigdor said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE in 2024.
Last year, Combs released an apology video addressing the incident. “I take full responsibility for my actions in that video,” he said on May 19, 2024. “Disgusted. I was disgusted then when I did it, I’m disgusted now. I went and I sought out professional help, going to therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry, but I’m committed to be a better man. Each and every day,” Combs continued.
He had previously denied Ventura’s allegations of assault.
In the New York City filing on Friday, April 17, Combs’ legal team claims: “There is no longer any dispute that the CNN footage from March 5, 2016, at the InterContinental Hotel, offered by the government at three separate bail hearings, is wholly inaccurate, having been altered, manipulated, sped-up, and edited to be out of sequence.”
The motion also alleges that CNN paid for the footage — copied the footage in unknown ways — presented it out of order and destroyed the original tape. “Accordingly, all the footage from CNN is inaccurate and inadmissible,” the motion alleges. “As for the two items of footage filmed by an iPhone 6, those pieces of footage are inaccurate and inadmissible as well.”
Combs’ lawyers argue in the filing that the CNN video (and iPhone videos) must be excluded from trial because the government cannot provide sufficient evidence of their authenticity, as required by federal rule.
“Because recorded evidence predictably has a “dramatic impact” on the jury, the Second Circuit rightfully holds the government to a higher standard to establish that video recordings, as opposed to other kinds of evidence that are less susceptible to tampering and manipulation, are authentic before allowing their admission at trial,” the motion claims. “Relevant evidence must be authenticated before it can be admitted… The government has not proffered any competent evidence through which it could authenticate these videos.”
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In a statement to PEOPLE, a CNN spokesperson said, “CNN never altered the video and did not destroy the original copy of the footage, which was retained by the source. CNN aired the story about the video several months before Combs was arrested.”
In sworn testimony, which was obtained by PEOPLE, video technician, analyst and former NYPD officer Conor McCourt claims that after analyzing the CNN footage, “it was clear to me that a significant amount of distortion was introduced and significantly sped up. As a result, Mr. Combs’ actions and the actions of others in the CNN videos are artificially accelerated.”
He also alleges Combs’ actions were “taken out of sequence.”
Analyst McCourt further claims that there were “inaccuracies” including Combs appearing “larger and wider than he actually was at the time of occurrence” and “the possibility of editing cannot be ruled out as none of [CNN] video is original, but all transcoded copies,” McCourt says in the filing.
“Furthermore, there is considerable amount of video footage that is absent as indicated by numerous timestamp breaks and video collection methods, making it so a viewer does not know what happened during those numerous breaks in video.” McCourt concludes the CNN video “has “divergent technical issues” and claims: “It is my opinion that none of the available video files are accurate and reliable copies of the original.”
Federal prosecutors have yet to respond in court papers but previously pointed to the video as evidence of sex-trafficking Ventura for a “freak off” in which she was allegedly forced to engage in sex acts with male prostitutes. Prosecutors also previously claimed the video was evidence of the danger Combs could pose to women if he released on bail.
In September 2024, Combs was charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and transportation to engage in prostitution. He is currently incarcerated at MDC-Brooklyn as he awaits his eight-week trial beginning on May 5. However, Combs’ lawyers recently filed a motion to delay his trial by two months.
Now, the defense also asked the judge to hold a hearing at which the forensic video analyst would testify the video is allegedly not fair and doesn’t accurately reflect the actions depicted by their client.
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