Process against Sean “Diddy” Combs started: “nervous” in the courtroom in Manhattan

The criminal trial against the fallen hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs (55) started in New York on Monday. During the meeting in the courtroom, the 55-year-old admitted to judge Arun Subramanian (46) that he was “nervous” at the start of the process.

With the appointment on Monday, the selection of jury members started in the courtroom in Manhattan, and the opening pleaes are finally scheduled for May 12th. According to “NBC News”, almost three dozen New Yorkers gathered in the courtroom for the jury selection. There they were asked what they know about the case around Sean “Diddy” Combs.

They were presented with a list of more than 100 locations and people – among other things with prominent names such as Michael B. Jordan (38), Mike Myers (61) or Kanye West (47), which could appear during the process. The prospective jury had to answer whether they know one of these people to check whether they could judge impartial. This list also contained the names of women who have submitted civil lawsuits against Combs in the past-including his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura (38) and singer Dawn Richard (41), who was part of his hip-hop group from 2009 to 2012.

Many questions also revolved around a video from 2016, which shows Combs how he attacks his ex-partner in a hotel hall in Los Angeles. The video was published by CNN last year. The rapper’s defense team had previously tried to exclude the video as evidence.

At the end of the process, twelve jurors should decide whether the hip-hop mogul has exploited its power and influence to sexually exploit women over a period of 20 years, as the public prosecutor’s indictment states in five points.

Combs has therefore been in custody since mid -September 2024. The public prosecutor accuses the 55-year-old, among other things, sex trade, organized crime and other offenses. The focus is on the accusation that Combs – including his former girlfriend Ventura – forced to take part in sexual encounters with male sex workers who staged and filmed Combs as “freak offs”. Combs denies all allegations and advocates “not guilty”.

On the first day of the jury selection, the rapper appeared in a black sweater with a circular neckline, including a white shirt with collar and an anthracite -colored pants. Combs had given judge Subramanian to be allowed to wear his own clothes in advance. When he arrived in the courtroom, he hugged his attorney team consisting of Marc Agnofilo and Teny Geragos and shaken their hand.

During the day, Combs have repeatedly expressed either consent or disapproval during the surveys with nod or shaking their heads. When his defenders asked for a short toilet break, the defendant admitted in an interview with judge Submramanian after he wanted to move the break back first: “I’m sorry, your honor, I’m a little nervous today.”

The process is scheduled for about eight weeks.