Sean “Diddy” Combs doesn’t trust the government’s star witness and wants her off the stand. In a blistering motion submitted in federal court, the music mogul’s lawyers are seeking to have Dr. Dawn Hughes, a forensic clinical psychologist, prevented from testifying on behalf of the prosecution. They say she’s all about spin and not science.
Hughes is set to testify about what is known as “coercive control,” a term general in domestic abuse and trafficking cases. They believe her expertise will help provide a framework for understanding how those who execute such abuse exert power over their victims. But Diddy’s crack legal team is dragging it. They claim Hughes is entering with “no knowledge of the facts in this case,” asserting that she is handing down a prefabricated narrative instead of an impartial analysis.
The 25-page motion does not challenge Hughes’ testimony but directly hits her credibility. Diddy’s side highlights her past appearances in court, especially her involvement in the much-publicized Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial. Hughes was an essential witness for Heard, and she spoke extensively about patterns of control and abuse, a position that Depp’s legal team strongly challenged. Now, Diddy’s lawyers suggest that her participation in that case is evidence that she will bring bias, not objectivity, to the stand.
This generalization applies to no facts of Diddy’s case,” the legal filing argues. They say she’s there to support the prosecution’s narrative, not to give an independent professional opinion.
This scheme is just the latest in what’s becoming a legal fight of unprecedented magnitude. As prosecutors prepare their case against Combs, his team is fighting tooth and nail to wrest control of the narrative, going after not just the allegations but also the people who have been picked to testify against him.
But for now, the court must decide whether Dr. Dawn Hughes is a source of insight or, as Eddie’s lawyers say, recycling old arguments from other high-profile cases. Either way, this courtroom showdown is heating up, and all eyes are trained on the judge’s next move.
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