Judge weighing throwing out Sean “Diddy” Combs trial testimony

>> KRIS VAN CLEAVE. THANK YOU. AND THE JUDGE IN SEAN “DIDDY” COMBS SEX TRAFFICKING TRIAL IS EXPECTED TO DECIDE THIS MORNING WHETHER TO THROW OUT A PORTION OF LAST WEEK’S TESTIMONY. IT CONCERNS A WITNESS WHO WAS CALLED AFTER COMBS EX-GIRLFRIEND, CASSIE VENTURA, FINISHED TESTIFYING ON FRIDAY. CBS NEWS LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR CAROLINE PUGLISI JOINS US NOW HERE IN STUDIO 57 IN NEW YORK WITH MORE ON THIS. CAROLINE, GOOD TO SEE YOU. SO EXPLAIN WHAT TESTIMONY MAY BE THROWN OUT AND WHY. >> YEAH. CHANEL, IT’S LOOKING MORE AND MORE LIKE THAT. TESTIMONY WILL NOT BE THROWN OUT. OBVIOUSLY, LAST WEEK WAS ALL ABOUT THE STAR WITNESS, CASSIE VENTURA. STAR VICTIM. I SHOULD SAY SHE’S VICTIM NUMBER ONE IN THAT GOVERNMENT INDICTMENT. BUT THE TESTIMONY FROM DON WAS MEANT TO CORROBORATE SOME OF CASSIE’S ABUSE. AND PART OF THAT CORROBORATION WAS AN INCIDENT THAT SHE TESTIFIED ABOUT WHEN DIDDY ACTUALLY, SHE SHE ALLEGED, HIT CASSIE WITH A SKILLET. HE WAS SHE WAS MAKING EGGS. HE GOT ENRAGED AND HIT HER WITH A SKILLET. NOW, SHE ALSO TESTIFIED THAT THEREAFTER, DIDDY TOLD HER THAT PEOPLE WHO SPOKE ABOUT THESE TYPES OF THINGS TEND TO DISAPPEAR, AND THAT SHE TOOK THAT AS A THREAT ON HER LIFE. THE DEFENSE ATTORNEYS, RIGHTFULLY SO, OBJECTED TO A LOT OF THIS TESTIMONY, SAYING MUCH OF IT WAS HEARSAY. YOU KNOW, IN TRIALS, THERE ARE VERY STRICT RULES OF EVIDENCE. THE JUDGE IS CONCERNED THAT A LOT OF THESE NOW CORROBORATING WITNESSES MAY BE VEERING INTO HEARSAY, GOSSIP. YOU ONLY WANT WITNESSES TESTIFY, AND THEY’RE ONLY ALLOWED TO TESTIFY TO THINGS THAT THEY DIRECTLY SAW OR HEARD. SO THAT’S PART OF THIS OBJECTION AS WELL AS THIS, THIS STATEMENT THAT THAT DIDDY APPARENTLY MADE TO HER. WE’RE ALREADY SEEING THE DEFENSE TODAY. REALLY TRY TO GET INTO THOSE INCONSISTENCIES IN RASHAD’S TESTIMONY ABOUT WHETHER DID SHE ACTUALLY WITNESS THIS ABUSE OR DID SHE JUST SEE PERHAPS THE AFTERMATH OF IT. SO THAT’S KIND OF THE THE ISSUE HERE. THE ISSUE IS THE SCOPE OF THE TESTIMONY. IT DOES SEE THAT IT DOES SEEM THAT THE JUDGE IS GOING TO ALLOW THAT TESTIMONY TO STAND ON FRIDAY. BUT GOING INTO MORE OF THIS TESTIMONY TODAY, THERE MAY BE SORT OF A TIGHTER SCOPE AROUND WHAT THEY CAN TESTIFY TO. >> YEAH. AND I WONDER, BECAUSE YOU MENTIONED THIS, CASSIE FINISHING HER DAYS LONG STRETCH OF EMOTIONAL TESTIMONY LAST WEEK, AND HOW WILL HER TESTIMONY THEN IMPACT HOW THE CASE MOVES FORWARD? >> YEAH, SHE WAS A VERY CREDIBLE WITNESS. I DO HAVE TO SAY. OBVIOUSLY TESTIFIED TO YEARS OF ABUSE. THE DEFENSE IS ALREADY ACKNOWLEDGING THAT THIS WAS A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE RELATIONSHIP. THE QUESTION IS, CAN THE PROSECUTION PROVE THAT THIS WAS SEX TRAFFICKING, THAT THIS WAS A RICO CONSPIRACY? SO YOU’LL SEE WITNESSES THIS WEEK, LIKE CASSIE’S MOTHER, HER BEST FRIEND OF OVER 17 YEARS, CORROBORATING THIS INFORMATION ABOUT THE ABUSE. NOW THE DEFENSE IS SAYING, ALL RIGHT, THERE WERE INSTANCES OF ABUSE, BUT HOW IS THAT RELEVANT NECESSARILY TO FORCE FRAUD OR COERCION RELATING TO SEX TRAFFICKING? SO THAT’S KIND OF WHAT THE ARGUMENT IS HERE. THERE. THE DEFENSE IS SAYING THESE ARE JUST BAD ACTS, WITNESSES. WE CALL THEM BAD ACTS WITNESSES BECAUSE TRADITIONALLY THAT TYPE OF TESTIMONY IS NOT ALLOWED IN TRIALS. WHEN THAT SPECIFIC CONDUCT ISN’T BEING CHARGED, HE’S NOT BEING CHARGED WITH DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OR ASSAULT IN THIS CASE. SO THAT WILL BE AN ISSUE COMING UP. BUT I THINK IT’S ALL ABOUT CORROBORATION THIS WEEK. >> YEAH, THAT’S AN INTERESTING POINT TO MAKE. AND CAROLINE, I ALSO WANT TO ASK JUST ABOUT NEXT STEPS. ARE THERE ANY OTHER KEY WITNESSES THAT YOU’LL BE EXPECTING TO HEAR FROM? >> YEAH, CERTAINLY. REMEMBER THERE ARE OTHER VICTIMS IN THIS CASE. THERE ARE OTHER COCONSPIRATORS IN THIS CASE THAT HAVEN’T BEEN CHARGED. SO WE’RE EXPECTED TO HEAR FROM PERSONAL ASSISTANTS AND CHEFS, THINGS LIKE THAT, TO DIDDY AND WHETHER OR NOT THEY ARE SORT OF VICTIMS AS WELL AS COCONSPIRATORS, THAT WILL BE MAYBE A FINE LINE TO DRAW, BUT CERTAINLY WITH INFORMATION ABOUT DRUG USE. REMEMBER WE HEARD ABOUT THAT, THAT POTENTIAL ARSON, OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE. REMEMBER THOSE ARE MORE OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED IN THIS RACKETEERING CONSPIRACY THAT THE GOVERNMENT REALLY HASN’T GOTTEN ON THE TABLE YET. AND I WOULD

The judge presiding over Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking trial is weighing whether to throw out some witness testimony presented in court. CBS News legal contributor Caroline Polisi has more.

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20 comments

  5. Cassie threatened to hurt ppl… Arranged the parties… And played with many people… Sounds like they should prosecute her on Rico charges

  7. Now, I understand why all these witnesses are testifying. B4 they try him for the trafficking etc, they're going after his character, to paint what it was like to work for him. Then after that the real stuff will come out. There's probably some questionable business deals also. That's how they work. They tear apart your character 1st

  11. Lol Diddy will be free. Nobody wants to talk about how bad the defense ate up Cassidy. I mean if any charges should be brought it should be for that hotel incident.. And I'm sure there were other bearings . But otherwise this nonsense that he forced someone to do a freak off is in fact nonsense based on the evidence..

  17. Its ok here he may get away with it but God sees and He won't get away with it then. ..God sees in the dark and hates evil…

  19. It's really disgusting how many people in the comment section are saying things along the lines of, "this is all domestic abuse; where's the crime?" DOMESTIC ABUSE IS A CRIME YOU DISGUSTING TROLLS ….and only 3 days after opening statements why would you possibly expect the prosecution's case to have been fully presented?

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