Sean “Diddy” Combs‘ defense has suffered a massive setback as his trial draws near.

A judge ruled that the assault video in which he’s seen beating up his ex-girlfriend, Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura, would be played in court for the jury to see.

Sean “Diddy” Combs’ legal troubles were compounded when two new charges were leveled against him ahead of his May trial.

A Video Of Diddy Assaulting Cassie Will Be Shown To The Jury

Diddy’s request for Judge Arun Subramanian to exclude the video evidence where he was seen violently hitting, stomping, and slapping his ex-girlfriend Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura has proven abortive.

The “Finna Get Loose” rapper raised eyebrows back in May 2024 when CNN released a video in which he can be seen chasing Cassie down a Los Angeles hotel hallway and then physically assaulting her.

At the time, Diddy released an apology post on Instagram saying that he took “full responsibility.” In recent months, his lawyers have claimed that the tape was “edited” and “manipulated,” arguing that it shouldn’t be brought up in court.

They mentioned in court filings that the CNN footage is “wholly inaccurate, having been altered, manipulated, sped-up, and edited to be out of sequence.”

However, according to the Daily Mail, Judge Subramanian has now ruled that the jury will get to see the damning video, explaining that it was admissible in court because prosecutors planned to provide two witnesses who will say it accurately depicts what transpired.

Diddy’s Lawyers Carried Out Forensics On CNN Footage

Diddy’s lawyers did their best to keep the security footage out of court, arguing that it could not be authenticated because CNN only has a copy of the footage and not the original one, which the defense team claims the news outlet deleted.

They went further to hire forensic video analyst, Connor McCourt, who said in an affidavit that after performing an analysis of the CNN footage, it had been “significantly sped up” and also had a “significant amount of distortion” in the clip.

However, prosecutors argued that they’d been able to slow down the footage so that it was the same speed as the original, also promising to work closely with the defense to sort out any other issues.

What To Know About The Rapper’s Defense Strategy

As the trial draws nearer, the Bad Boy Records founder’s defense strategy has also been revealed.

According to the Daily Mail, Diddy plans to argue he was a “swinger” and did nothing wrong during his sex parties, which prosecutors have branded as “drug-fuelled” “freak-offs.”

His lawyer, Marc Agnifilio, explained that Diddy believes he was part of a “lifestyle,” and that he felt his behavior was “appropriate.”

Agnifilio noted that the “defendant’s intent (is) that there’s a lifestyle, call it swingers, call it whatever you will, that he was in what he might have thought was appropriate.”

The judge ruled that Diddy will be able to draw parallels with his own activities and other people, but cannot mention specific examples.

Diddy Scored Some Legal Wins Ahead Of His Trial

Diddy seemingly scored a few minor victories via other rulings as Judge Subramanian denied a request from the prosecution to bring in a 911 call, which was set to be used against him.

The judge also limited the testimony of Dr. Dawn Hughes, a clinical psychologist who gave evidence for Amber Heard in her defamation trial against Johnny Depp.

According to the news outlet, Hughes is restricted from talking about coercive control or the “intent of the abuser.”

However, Hughes will be allowed to talk about how victims delay disclosure and have memory issues.

The Rapper Is Going Into His May Trial With Five Charges Against Him

Diddy’s sex crimes trial is set to commence next month. Jury selection is scheduled for May 5, while opening statements will be heard on May 12.

The 55-year-old rapper faces charges bordering on sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution, and faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and up to life behind bars if convicted on the top charge.

He was hit with two new charges earlier this month: sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution, bringing the total number of charges against him to five.

However, he pleaded not guilty to the expanded indictment at a hearing before Judge Arun Subramanian in Manhattan.

Diddy also filed for a two-month extension in the case but was denied by Judge Subramanian, who stated that it was filed too close to trial.