Sean Combs' lawyer says rapper admits to 'domestic violence' in relationship

Sean “Diddy” Combs committed “domestic violence” in his relationship with one of the accusers expected to testify at his sex trafficking trial, the hip-hop mogul’s lead attorney told a federal judge Friday.

Sean “Diddy” Combs committed “domestic violence” in his relationship with one of the accusers expected to testify at his sex trafficking trial, the hip-hop mogul’s lead attorney told a federal judge Friday. 

In a notable remark during the jury selection process, Combs attorney Marc Agnifilo said the defense team plans to “take the position that there was mutual violence” in the rapper’s relationship with an accuser identified in prosecutors’ indictment as Victim-1.  

Agnifilo said his team intends to argue that “there was hitting on both sides, behavior on both sides” that constituted violence. “It is relevant in terms of the coercive aspects, we are admitting domestic violence,” Agnifilo told Judge Arun Subramanian. 

Sean "Diddy" Combs in 2013.Richard Bord / Getty Images fileThe remark adds a new layer to Combs’ defense. He has pleaded not guilty to five criminal counts, including one count of racketeering conspiracy and two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion.He has also denied accusations of sexual abuse, with his lawyers arguing that his accusers consented to all sexual activity. 

Victim-1 is not identified in the prosecution’s indictment, but her allegations closely mirror those of R&B singer Casandra Ventura, one of Combs’ ex-girlfriends. Ventura, known by the stage name Cassie, accused Combs of rape and repeated physical abuse in a civil lawsuit filed in November 2023.