Sean 'Diddy' Combs Trial Update: Disgraced Rapper's Lawyers' Motion to Delay Sex-Trafficking Case DENIED By Judge After He Pled Not Guilty to All Charges
A judge has shot down Sean 'Diddy' Combs' bid to delay his sex-trafficking case.
April 18 2025, Published 3:55 p.m. ET
Sean 'Diddy' Combs may have once run the charts, but he's definitely not running the courtroom.
The embattled rapper's trial will be moving forward as planned after a judge denied his legal team's request for a two-month delay earlier this week, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
At Friday's NYC hearing, Combs' team claimed delayed evidence and asked for more time to review it.
Combs' hearing took place in New York City on Friday, where his legal team argued prosecutors were slow in handing over evidence and requested more time to review the discovery materials.
The judge wasn't swayed by the music mogul's team – noting that with four law firms on his side, they should have no problem combing through the evidence in time for the May 5 trial.
The judge rejected Combs' plea, saying his four law firms should have no issue reviewing the evidence by May 5. 55-year-old music mogul, facing life in prison if convicted, was initially charged with racketeering, sex trafficking, and prostitution-related offenses.
Combs, 55, has been held at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center – the infamous federal jail in NYC – following his arrest on racketeering and sex trafficking charges in September.
On Monday, a hearing in the Southern District of New York added a major sex trafficking charge to the case via a superseding indictment.
Judge Arun Subramanian inquired whether the now grey-haired rapper had reviewed the most recent version of the indictment and understood the new charges.
Combs confirmed he had, repeating his not guilty plea, just as he had during his arraignment last year.
The hearing then saw a back-and-forth between Combs's legal team and the prosecution regarding emails from a woman known as Victim 4.
They even questioned whether the government ever had the WhatsApp messages at the center of the case.
Ultimately, the debate centered on whether these emails and messages should be provided to the defense and if more time was needed for review.
With just weeks to go before the embattled rapper faces court over explosive trafficking allegations, his lawyers requested the May 12 trial be delayed by at least two more weeks.
Outside court following the quick one-hour hearing, Combs' lawyer Marc Agnifilo told reporters his team won't seek a delay as long as the feds "get their act together."
Combs has been detained at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center shows since his September arrest.
Judge Subramanian gave them 48 hours to formally submit the request, emphasizing: "We are a freight train moving towards trial."
Facing life in prison if convicted, the 55-year-old music mogul initially faced charges of racketeering, sex trafficking, and prostitution-related crimes.
Additional charges, including forced labor and more sex trafficking counts, have since been added.
Despite pleading not guilty, he has been denied bail three times.
Along with criminal charges, the rapper faces multiple civil lawsuits from Houston attorney Tony Buzbee alleging assault and abuse.
Several cases have since been thrown out, including one involving Jay-Z, who strongly denied any wrongdoing. That case, which accused both men of raping a 13-year-old after the 2000 MTV VMAs, was dismissed by the plaintiff in February.
On April 9, Combs' lawyers filed a 35-page motion accusing prosecutors of "polluting" the trial and seeking to block "prior bad act" witnesses and a clinical psychologist from testifying.
Attorney Alexandra A.E. Shapiro, part of Combs' legal team, argued in a motion that psychologist Dawn Hughes relied on "generalizations" about abuse rather than individual assessments.
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The 55-year-old music mogul could face life in prison on racketeering, sex trafficking, and prostitution charges.
Hughes, known for testifying in high-profile cases, was criticized by the defense as offering "advocacy masquerading as expertise."
His attorneys argued allowing witness testimony beyond the four alleged victims in the indictment would be a severe abuse of the character evidence rule.
Last week, prosecutors added two more charges against Combs – who now faces one count of racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
Combs' ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, will testify at his trial after being identified as "Victim-1" in the indictment.
Unlike other victims, she chose not to testify anonymously. Prosecutors stated Victims -2, -3, and -4 have requested their identities remain confidential.
