Sean 'Diddy' Combs back in court

Sean "Diddy" Combs is set to appear in court, where a federal judge is expected to rule on the scope of expert witness testimony in the hip-hop mogul’s upcoming sex trafficking trial.

Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to charges including racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. Prosecutors allege he coerced women into participating in elaborate, days-long sexual events referred to as "Freak Offs." Combs, the founder of Bad Boy Records, maintains that all sexual activity was consensual.

With jury selection scheduled to begin on May 5, U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian is weighing whether expert testimony should be permitted to help jurors understand the psychological dynamics often present in abusive relationships.

Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan have requested to call clinical psychologist Dr. Dawn Hughes as an expert witness. Hughes, who has testified in several high-profile cases including R. Kelly’s 2021 trial, is expected to provide insight into why victims of sexual abuse may remain emotionally attached to or dependent on their abusers, despite experiencing trauma.

According to a court filing submitted Wednesday, prosecutors argue that Hughes’ testimony is essential to contextualizing the victims' behavior—particularly their continued association with Combs and past expressions of affection toward him.

“The defense will then argue that these victim responses are incompatible with the victim being a victim of abuse,” prosecutors wrote. “Dr. Hughes would testify that it is the dynamics of interpersonal violence that result in such behavior.”

However, Combs’ attorney, Alexandra Shapiro, has pushed back, asserting that the government is improperly attempting to use expert testimony to lend credibility to its witnesses. “They’re going to use this to say that this expert told them that essentially they should believe these people,” Shapiro argued during a court hearing on April 18.

Opening statements in the trial are slated for May 12, 2025. The proceedings are expected to last between eight and ten weeks.

Once known as Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, Combs rose to fame in the 1990s and 2000s, credited with launching the careers of artists such as Mary J. Blige, Faith Evans, Notorious B.I.G., and Usher. However, prosecutors allege that behind his public success lay a pattern of abuse and coercion.

They claim Combs used threats of physical violence and financial manipulation to pressure women into joining the “Freak Offs,” which reportedly involved male sex workers and were fueled by drugs and alcohol. Prosecutors also allege that Combs sometimes recorded the events and masturbated during the performances.

Combs has been held at a Brooklyn detention center since his arrest in September and faces the possibility of decades behind bars if convicted.