Lawyers for Sean “Diddy” Combs claim leaks to the media would hinder a “fair trial.”

new York
CNN
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Attorneys for Sean “Diddy” Combs filed a motion late Wednesday accusing the government of leaking a video of the hip-hop mogul beating his former girlfriend and other evidence to the media, and urged a judge to potentially exclude the footage from a trial.

The motion, filed in the Southern District of New York, references 2016 hotel surveillance video released exclusively by CNN that shows Combs dragging and kicking his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura.

Combs' lawyers accused the government of leaking the video to CNN. They provided no evidence to support their claims.

CNN declined to comment.

The musician and producer is currently in federal custody awaiting trial on charges of conspiracy to commit racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty.

Combs also faces multiple civil lawsuits accusing him of a variety of sexual misconduct and other illegal activities.

The motion filed by Combs' attorneys also alleges that authorities informed the media about searches of his homes in Los Angeles and Miami in March.

The motion claims that the leaks “burden the jury pool and deprive Mr. Combs of his right to a fair trial.”

Combs' lawyers asked the judge to issue a gag order prohibiting the government from providing the media with information about evidence in the case. His lawyers claim the alleged leaks make it difficult for Combs to get a fair trial.

They claim that the leaks came from agents of the Department of Homeland Security, whose Homeland Security Investigations division conducted the search, rather than the prosecutors handling the case.

Spokespeople for HSI New York and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York declined to comment.

Combs' lawyers said prosecutors told them that they did not obtain the hotel's surveillance video as part of the grand jury process and that DHS agents were in possession of the video only after it aired on CNN.

Combs initially denied allegations of abuse against Ventura contained in a lawsuit she filed in November 2023, before the video was released.

After the video was released, Combs apologized.

CNN's Lisa Respers France contributed to this report.