In a recent court filing, Sean 'Diddy' Combs' attorneys questioned expert witness Dr. Dawn Hughes' claims about the underreporting of rape, likening the issue to drunk driving and tax evasion. This strategy has led to backlash as critics deem the arguments desperate and unfounded.
Controversial Arguments from Team Diddy Over Expert Witness in Legal Battle
Controversial Arguments from Team Diddy Over Expert Witness in Legal Battle
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs' legal team challenges the credibility of expert testimony on sexual assault statistics, drawing criticism for their comparisons.
On April 25, 2025, defense lawyers representing Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs submitted an opposition (Filing #271) regarding the government's expert witness, Dr. Dawn Hughes, in the ongoing federal case against the music mogul. This filing, described by some as lacking substance, features attorneys Teny Geragos, Marc Agnifilo, Alexandra Shapiro, Jason Driscoll, and Anna Estevao, collectively referred to as "the lame brains." Their arguments have drawn fire, with many considering them to be unconvincing and off-topic.
One striking point from Team Diddy's filing suggests that the problem of rape is being misrepresented, claiming that it is not underreported. They assert that since crimes like drunk driving and tax evasion aren't factored into the same surveys, it implies they could be even less reported than sexual assault. This perspective seems to challenge the established understanding of crime statistics, which indicate that incidents of rape frequently go unreported.
“Hughes aims to provide testimony indicating that sexual assault is, indeed, underreported,” they argue. They emphasize the need to consider how this testimony relates—or does not relate—to the jury's assessment of guilt or innocence in a specific sex trafficking case separate from rape. Their stance has raised eyebrows, given the significant evidence-supported assertion that sexual assaults are reported less frequently than many other crimes.
Team Diddy's filing further criticizes Dr. Hughes' assertion that crimes against women and sexual violence are among the most underreported offenses, deeming these claims "extreme." Ending the document, they broadly attack all advocates for sexual assault survivors serving as expert witnesses, asserting that their testimonies are laden with "conceptual, evidential, and other general problems."
Critics suggest that with each new submission, Team Diddy may be resorting to increasingly desperate measures in their legal strategy.
