Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial recap: Court adjourned until Friday after juror calls out sick
Catch up with NBC News Clone on today's hot topic: Sean Diddy Combs Trial Live Updates Assistant Brendan Paul Rcna213593 - Breaking News | NBC News Clone. Our editorial team reformatted this story for clarity and speed.
U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian said the Combs’ trial "cannot go on today" because a juror is sick and "had vertigo."
Sean "Diddy" Combs during his trial in New York City on Tuesday. Jane Rosenberg / Reuters
What to know about the trial
- U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian said the Sean "Diddy" Combs’ trial "cannot go on today" because a juror called out sick and "had vertigo."
- Court will resume Friday morning, where Brendan Paul, a former Combs’ personal assistant, is expected to testify.
- Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey said yesterday that the government will likely rest its case Friday. Combs' defense team said it needs two to five days to present its case, but that timeline isn’t set in stone.
- Combs faces five criminal counts: one count of racketeering conspiracy; two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs has vociferously denied the allegations against him.
- This live briefing may include graphic descriptions of sexual violence. For resources on sexual assault, call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline.
- Sign up for the “Diddy on Trial” newsletter for key developments and analysis; listen to the podcast “Dateline: True Crime Weekly” for daily coverage.
Court done for day, resuming Friday
Subramanian asked the jurors to return to the courthouse at 8:30 a.m. Friday for a shortened day of testimony, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Court is ending early Friday so a juror can attend a son's graduation.
Tomorrow is a federal holiday, Juneteenth National Independence Day.
Lawyers discuss exhibit issues while trial holds for sick juror
As the trial holds to address today's absentee juror — who is sick — prosecutor, lawyers for Combs and the judge are wasting no time to debate whether certain exhibits can be shown.
Judge says trial 'cannot go on today' due to sick juror
Subramanian said the Combs' trial "cannot go on today" because one of the 12 regular jurors is sick and "had vertigo."
The juror in question needs to stay home today, according to the judge.
Who is Combs’ former personal assistant Brendan Paul?
Brendan Paul was arrested back in March 2024 at the Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport on charges of possession of suspected cocaine and suspected marijuana candy, according to a police report. His arrest was the same day federal agents conducted search warrants at Combs’ Miami and Los Angeles residences.
Prosecutors later decided to only charge him for possessing cocaine, and that charge was later dropped in December after Paul accepted and completed a six-month pretrial diversion program, often offered to first-time offenders, NBC Miami reported.
He was also named in a civil lawsuit against Combs filed by Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, a producer who alleged Combs sexually harassed, drugged and threatened Jones for more than a year. In that lawsuit, Jones alleged he and Paul were required to carry drugs and firearms for Combs when Combs traveled.
Here’s what happened yesterday
U.S. Attorney’s Office Special Agent DeLeassa Penland testified yesterday that Combs appeared to pay for a male escort’s trip from Los Angeles to New York in August 2009 — a point that bolsters the transportation to engage in prostitution charge Combs faces.
The defense tried to illustrate that Combs’ "freak offs" were consensual, reading text messages that showed Combs and ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura picking dates for their next hotel night.
Yesterday, Subramanian was livid and rebuked the prosecution and defense over an online article that appeared to include details from a sealed proceeding. He asked both lead attorneys if they knew the source of the articles and scolded them, saying: "Someone is lying."
Trial inching closer to the end
The trial had been moving along nicely before hitting speed bumps Monday and yesterday with the longer-than-expected testimony of U.S. Attorney’s Office Special Agent DeLeassa Penland.
While Penland didn't work directly on this investigation, she was brought to testify about the charts and data involved in the case.
She spent a bulk of yesterday afternoon under cross-examination by the defense, which introduced, through Penland, many text messages from Combs' former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, in hopes of showing the defendant didn't coerce her into sex acts with strangers.
The government hopes to rest its case by the end of this week.
Who is expected to testify today
U.S. Attorney’s Office Special Agent DeLeassa Penland will finish her testimony today. While she did not work directly on the prosecution's case, Penland was tasked with reviewing the Combs investigation’s charts and data.
Combs’ former personal assistant, Brendan Paul, and at least one summary witness are also expected to testify.
