Sean "Diddy" Combs's legal team has filed a motion requesting a gag order to limit statements from witnesses and their attorneys outside of court. Citing recent TMZ interviews given by Courtney Burgess, a grand jury witness, Diddy's lawyers are asking a judge to prevent Burgess and others from making public comments that could impact the case. Combs, who faces federal charges including racketeering and sex trafficking, remains in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
Diddy's defense team filed the motion on Sunday, asking the judge to expedite a decision on the gag order, arguing that Burgess has made multiple public statements about their client that they deem damaging and untrue. In a recent interview, Burgess's lawyer, Ariel Mitchell, told reporters that her client "was called to testify because he has or has seen...videos of Diddy and his celebrity friends." Diddy's defense team claims these statements are harmful to Combs's case, and they argue that the government's failure to restrict such statements has "fueled the online conspiracy fire."
In response to Diddy's gag order request, Douglas H. Wigdor, Cassie Ventura's lawyer, sent a letter to Judge Arun Subramanian, calling the motion an attempt to "inappropriately silence victims." Wigdor, who filed Cassie's lawsuit against Diddy last year, contended that restricting victims from speaking about their experiences would be damaging. "To now order our clients to be completely silent about what they experienced would be an affront to their bravery and would be detrimental to other victims of sexual violence who remain afraid to come forward," he wrote.
Wigdor argued that Diddy's motion was particularly "inappropriate" given recent public statements from Combs's family. He cited a post from Diddy's family on Instagram last month, which stated, "Many have judged both him and us based on accusations, conspiracy theories, and false narratives." Wigdor emphasized the unfairness of allowing Combs's family to defend him publicly while attempting to silence alleged victims and witnesses.
Cassie's lawsuit, which catalyzed the federal investigation into Combs, contained numerous allegations of abuse and misconduct over their years-long relationship. The lawsuit alleged that Combs forced Cassie into non-consensual acts, supplied her with drugs, and threatened her life and the lives of others. Among these accusations, Cassie claimed that Diddy once threatened to "blow up Kid Cudi's car," and shortly after, Cudi's car reportedly exploded in his driveway. Cassie's suit was settled within a day, with Diddy's lawyer, Ben Brafman, asserting that "a decision to settle a lawsuit, especially in 2023, is in no way an admission of wrongdoing."
Diddy's legal team has continued to deny all allegations against him. They maintain that the charges, which include sex trafficking, were based on "unfair" accusations fueled by people who "for the most part, remain anonymous" in civil suits "designed to exact a payoff from Mr. Combs." Combs's attorneys, Marc Agnifilo and Teny Geragos, previously argued that the government's charges lack specificity, stating that Combs is being forced "to play a guessing game" with insufficient details about the allegations in the indictment.
Federal prosecutors have opposed Diddy's request for a gag order, contending that witnesses have the right to speak publicly. They described the request as "extraordinarily overbroad" and "nothing more than another attempt to force the government to prematurely disclose its witness list." They also emphasized that there are ongoing concerns about "victim safety and the possibility of witness tampering."
Combs's motion follows escalating legal challenges, including multiple civil lawsuits that emerged after Cassie's initial filing in 2023. Since then, over a dozen new plaintiffs have reportedly come forward with accusations against Combs, represented by attorney Tony Buzbee, who stated in October that he now represents "more than 100 people looking to sue the rapper."
The case has intensified as both sides prepare for a pretrial hearing in December, with Diddy's trial set to begin in May 2025. Wigdor emphasized that any attempt to silence victims and witnesses could discourage others from speaking out about abuse. "It would be an affront to their bravery," Wigdor reiterated in his letter to the judge.
Combs's attorneys are pressing for a swift response to their motion for the gag order, arguing that continued public commentary risks prejudicing potential jurors and complicating their client's defense
