While there are a lot of rumors around the Diddy trial concerning the Bad Boy mogul's allegedly possible bail or his many civil lawsuits, one of prosecutors and defense lawyers' biggest concerns is the issue of witness testimony. According to AllHipHop, the former group just asked the judge in the criminal trial alleging sex trafficking and racketeering – Arun Subramanian – to allow three alleged victims and accusers to testify under pseudonyms. This is so these women don't face even more media backlash and attention, which would run the risk of ruining their lives and subjecting them to humiliation by sharing their alleged stories.
Diddy's legal team firmly opposes this move, and also denies any and all allegations of wrongdoing against him in this criminal trial. Regardless, prosecutors pointed to legal precedent set in other similar cases, such as the witness testimonies from accusers of R. Kelly, Ghislaine Maxwell and Keith Raniere of NXIVM. If successful, this request from the prosecution would reportedly block the defense from inquiring about identifying details and seal court documents which include the witnesses' names. They also posited the notion of the jury and Sean Combs himself being well aware of who these women are, as this would only affect the public and the media.
When Is Diddy's Trial?
Per prosecutors, this trial became too much of a spectacle for these accusers to take this risk. They believe more attention only deters alleged victims from speaking out. "The choice of a victim to publicly discuss a crime is not analogous to being put on the stand about it," the prosecution reportedly argued. "In court, the victim will not be able to choose how and to what level of detail she discusses the crime." These individuals have already reportedly expressed fear over the possibility of exposure, harassment, and other forms of fallout ahead of the Diddy trial's scheduled start date of May 5. That's for jury selection, whereas opening statements reportedly begin on May 13.
Furthermore, prosecutors do not care if lawsuits or news stories have already named these individuals, and warned the risk of how revealing identities could suppress alleged survivors' stories. We will see what Judge Subramanian decides. Meanwhile, this comes amid reports that Cassie Ventura allegedly has no problem with testifying under her real name in the Diddy trial. She is one of four expected witness testimonies from accusers on behalf of the prosecution, and the three other alleged survivors are those who seek the use of pseudonyms for their testimonies.
