In a development straight out of a courtroom drama, or maybe it's just another day in the world of celebrity legal battles, federal prosecutors are urging a judge to officially slap Mark Geragos, the outspoken attorney for Sean "Diddy" Combs, on the wrist. The reason is that he is talking too much, specifically on a podcast.
Geragos, who has had a long career representing clients on high-profile cases and isn't exactly gunshy about a mic, is in hot water after he made controversial comments on his show 2 Angry Men, which he co-hosts with TMZ's Harvey Levin. The problem is that he hasn't signed on as part of Diddy's legal team for the trial, but apparently, he can't help but act like he's front and center photographed at jury selection and publicly opining on the case.
The government had filed a motion asking the court to criticize Geragos for what they viewed as a breach of trial manners. Although he has not filed a notice of appearance, prosecutors have said that his involvement and public comments are within the scope of rules designed to protect the fairness of criminal trials.
Diddy's criminal trial jury selection began on Monday, May 5; a few days before that, Geragos was on his podcast, anything but silent. He didn't hold back during the May 2 episode. He called surveillance video from the Intercontinental Hotel "character assassination," took a dig at prosecutors for "prosecuting a cause," and threw in what might have been a hint at a defense, saying: "Your honor, the defense certainly isn't going to argue that this guy doesn't have a violent temper, particularly when he is drugging himself, but that isn't what he is charged with."
Prosecutors contend those comments aren't just irresponsible; they could pollute the jury pool and compromise the integrity of the entire trial. Lawyers involved in a case aren't supposed to offer statements that could sway jurors or cast aspersions on the fairness of proceedings. That's doubly the case when the delicate process of selecting a jury occurs.
Complicating things further, Geragos ended the episode with a bit of a tease, vowing to "be back next week to discuss further." That may have struck a chord with podcast fans, but prosecutors find it far less entertaining.
In the court filing, the government did not actually request the judge order sanctions but did ask the judge to formally warn Geragos to knock off the commentary.
So, as Diddy fights for his life in court, his legal posse is already stirring things up outside the courtroom. It's anyone's guess whether the judge will take the government's petition to heart. But if Geragos has more talking in mind, presumably, he will stop talking at some point; he may want to begin his statement with: "Whatever I'm about to say is off the record."
0 Comments