Sean Diddy's comb confirmed at a hearing Thursday that he rejected a plea agreement from federal prosecutors in a sex trafficking case, starting next week's trial.
"Did you reject the government's proposal?" asked U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, who is supervising the New York trial.
"Yes, your honor," Combs replied.
The comb wore a hot white shirt and olive outfit, with black adhesive from the notebook as he entered the courtroom and waved to supporters in the gallery, before he hugged and shook hands with the attorney.
He pleaded not guilty to allegations of sex trafficking, extortion and transportation.
Defense attorney Marc Agnifilo said Comers' legal team discussed the proposal with him and they decided to refuse. Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey said the proposal would sentence the comb to a lesser sentence than if he was convicted on all charges.
The hearing was the last jury before the trial began. Subramanian said Voir Dire will be conducted in a way that protects the privacy of jurors or challenges to potential jurors, including possible disclosures about sexual or domestic abuse experiences.
Subramanian said he wanted to hold 12 juries and six alternate juries in three days.
The court will call 50 jurors a day for 26th floor court in Manhattan. Each juror will be forgiven or asked to return to the main court for further inquiry.
The goal is to narrow the group down to 45 people, who will be interviewed by two lawyers from the gift. The court asked 600 potential jurors.
He said that if potential jurors want to speak privately, they will enter Subramanian's room and exclude the media. The transcripts of these parts will be sealed.
Agnifilo expressed concern that the existence of the media would prevent prospective jurors from speaking frankly.
Given the attention the case has received, especially in recent days, Agnifilo asked the court to add a question to the juror investigation that has been sent to a questionnaire for potential jurors: "Have you read anything since completing the questionnaire?" Subramanian agreed to do so.
Comey said she understood the defense team added two new lawyers and said prosecutors wanted to know who they were. Agnifilo said the new lawyers were in court and they would file for appearances at the end of the day. One of them is Xavier Donaldson, who has attended several hearings.
A prosecutor said at a hearing last week that the comb has obtained a plea agreement and details have not been made public.
Subramanian asked the parties to go to his court at 8 a.m. Monday and reminded them to avoid public statements, which could damage the outcome of the trial.
The reminder is in response to this week's court documents, in which Combs' attorneys asked Subramanian to attorneys, including Douglas Wigdor and Lisa Bloom, who represent people who have filed separate civil lawsuits against Combs, and are reluctant to publicly adjudicate the trial until the trial.
Combs lawyer Teny Geragos said at a hearing on Thursday that Bloom appeared on the BBC in an attempt to enhance the credibility of clients. Bloom told the BBC that Richard felt "absolutely fearful" about the comb.
"It is deeply disturbing to us and may violate the rules of justice," Glagos said.
Bloom stands for John Doe and Dawn Richard, a member of two now-extinct groups composed of combs, Danity Kane, the second one is called Diddy - Dirty Money.
"Mr. Coms and his attorneys made public statements many times and now want to silence me how hypocritical it is," Bloom said Thursday. "The accuser and his attorney have the right to speak out. I am proud to litigate against Mr. Combs on behalf of my brave clients, Dawn Richard and John Doe.
“I look forward to attending Mr. Combs’ upcoming criminal trial in New York and continuing to advocate for clients that are aligned with legal and ethical rules.”
Richard alleged in a lawsuit filed last year that he groped and threatened her a week before Combs' arrest, and she witnessed him assaulting his former long-time girlfriend, Cassie, whose full name is Casandra Ventura. Richards' lawsuit is awaiting, and dozens of men and women accusing combs of sexual misconduct have been strongly denied.
Wigdor represents Ventura, his bombshell lawsuit was filed in November 2023 and attacks on his house and criminal charges in March 2024. Ventura accused the comb of years of physical and emotional abuse and claimed that he forced her to have sex with male sex workers - she said he called him drugs and alcohol to fuel the "freaks" while he masturbated and recorded them. Freak offset is the center of government cases.
Ventura and the comb settled the lawsuit in one day without revealing the terms and the comb denies any wrongdoing.
Wigdor promised to fight Combs' efforts to prevent him from talking about the case openly.
"We will vigorously oppose the motion to seek extraordinary gag orders, as it is an obvious attempt to control and silence the victims and their lawyers to violate recognized legal and moral precedents," he said in a statement. "In view of this, it is no surprise that the comb did not even cite a case to support his demands."
Coms was allegedly condemned and threatened women to participate in sexual acts in his five count indictments and silenced them through blackmail and violence. Prosecutors claim he received help from employees and employee networks.