A video showing Sean “Diddy” Combs violently attacking his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura was not illegally leaked to CNN by prosecutors because they did not have it at the time, attorneys insisted last night.
Federal prosecutors have made the claim in a new filing, accusing the rapper’s attorneys of trying to “suppress a damning piece of evidence” and prevent jurors from seeing Combs “brutally assault a victim.”
Combs’ attorneys filed the leak claims earlier this month, but government attorneys responded by urging the judge overseeing the case to deny their request for a hearing on Wednesday.
“Without any factual basis, the leak movement seeks to suppress significant evidence… by claiming it is grand jury material leaked by government agents,” prosecutors wrote.
“But, as the defendant is fully aware, the video was not in the government’s possession at the time of CNN’s publication and the government never, at any time, obtained the video through a grand jury process.”
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’, accompanied by attorney Anthony Ricco, attended a hearing last month in federal court in the Manhattan borough of New York City
CNN aired a video in May of Combs attacking Ventura in a hotel hallway in 2016
The disgraced star is behind bars in New York ahead of a trial in May 2025
Cassie Ventura (L) and Sean Combs pictured together in New York City in May 2015
The video, shared by CNN in May, shows Combs attacking Ventura in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016.
Combs’ attorneys have demanded an investigation into the alleged leaks, claiming they “have resulted in damaging, highly prejudicial pretrial publicity, which can only taint the jury pool and deprive Mr. Combs of his right to a fair trial.” ‘
They pointed specifically to the 2016 video, claiming it was “leaked” to “fatally damage Sean Combs’ reputation and the prospect of successfully defending himself against these allegations.”
“Rather than use the videotape as evidence at trial, along with other evidence that gives it context and meaning, the officers misused it in the most prejudicial and damaging manner,” his attorneys continued.
Wednesday’s filing also responded to Combs’ recent demand to release the names of his alleged victims.
His lawyers argued earlier this month that he cannot be fairly defended without access to this information.
The government said such revelations would result in “serious risks” to the safety of the alleged victims.
They cited Combs’ “significant history of violence and obstruction” and said they had “serious concerns” about the possibility of witness tampering if he were given a list of names.
They added that the request should be denied because it “amounts to a request for early disclosure of the government’s witness list, something he is clearly not entitled to at this extremely early stage of the proceedings.”
Music mogul Combs was previously one of the most powerful men in the music industry, but in September he was indicted on charges of racketeering and sex trafficking. If convicted on all charges, he faces up to life in prison.
The video shared by CNN closely mirrors the attack Ventura described in her lawsuit against him, which said Combs had already punched her that night, and that she was trying to leave the InterContinental Hotel when he woke up and chased after her came.
This frame shot, taken from hotel security camera video and broadcast by CNN, shows Sean “Diddy” Combs attacking singer Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in March 2016
This is the former InterContinental hotel in Century City, Los Angeles, where Diddy allegedly attacked then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura
In the footage, a man appearing to be Combs, wearing only a towel, punches Ventura, kicks her and throws her to the ground.
The lawsuit alleged that Combs paid $50,000 at the time to take down the video.
The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office said it could not prosecute Combs for the attack shown in the video because of the statute of limitations, noting that no case had been presented to prosecutors.
Two days after the footage was released, Combs posted a video to Instagram and Facebook apologizing for the attack on Ventura, marking his first admission of wrongdoing since the flurry of accusations began.