In a legal fight that seems as much like a twist from a courtroom drama, Sean "Diddy" Combs is pressing to seize a draft memoir he says has the potential to upend his upcoming criminal trial.
Diddy and his legal team are focused on an unpublished manuscript that is said to have been written by a woman who is likely to testify against him, a woman most people believe to be Cassie Ventura, his former long-term partner. According to Diddy's camp, this draft presents a version of events that might have a serious bearing on her current abuse allegations.
His lawyer, Anna Estevao, is not pulling punches. "These relevant and admissible materials are central to the defense," she wrote in a recent court filing. "They are exactly the types of documents that criminal defendants have the right to subpoena from third parties."
The woman's attorneys, who have support from federal prosecutors, are pushing back hard. They have brought motions to suppress the subpoena, arguing that the early drafts, personal diaries, notes, and financial records Diddy's team seeks are private and shouldn't be turned over.
Then what's in these pages that pitted both sides? The memoir, Estevao said, could have crucial contrasts, a story that doesn't align with what the woman has since told investigators. If those inconsistencies stand, they may become strong articles of impeachment during the trial.
"Draft memoirs will demonstrate an account that is different than the story she has told the government and undermines her allegations," Estevao contended.
This is not only about storytelling; it is also about strategy. With the trial scheduled to begin in May, Diddy's lawyers are racing against the clock to filter through these materials and potentially use them to undermine the prosecution's star witness. The subpoena, which was approved earlier this year, demands more than just the book itself. It requires everything from every iteration of the manuscript to various related communications and bank statements.
If permitted, the specifics in this draft could reach well beyond the courtroom, influencing the public's view and maybe even the direction of the case itself. But for now, the battle is being waged out of public sight, with lawyers taking each other to task over whether the past in draft form belongs in the present trial.
With Diddy facing some of his life's most serious allegations, all eyes now are on whether the yet-to-published memoir will ever come to light or remain sealed away.
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