Juror dismissed from Diddy trial over 'concerns about his candour'

A juror has been dismissed from the Sean "Diddy" Combs sex-trafficking proceedings aft proceeding 5 weeks of evidence.

Judge Arun Subramanian said helium had "concerns" astir the assemblage member's "candour" and made the determination aft it emerged the antheral - Juror 6 - had fixed inconsistent answers astir wherever helium lives.

This could bespeak helium perchance had an agenda, that helium wanted to beryllium connected the sheet proceeding the Combs trial for a purpose, the justice said, and determination was thing the juror could accidental that would "put the genie backmost successful the bottle".

Diddy trial: Day 24 - arsenic it happened

Questions implicit whether the juror, a achromatic male, resided successful New York oregon crossed the Hudson River successful the authorities of New Jersey archetypal arose astatine the extremity of past week - but defence lawyers argued dismissing him would disrupt the diverseness of the jury.

However, the justice rejected this statement up of the commencement of Monday's tribunal session, excusing the juror and replacing him with 1 of the alternates, a achromatic male.

A reappraisal of the juror's answers to questions astir his residency during assemblage selection, on with his consequent responses to akin questions, revealed "clear inconsistencies", the justice said.

"Taking these each together, the grounds raised superior concerns arsenic to the juror's candour and whether helium shaded answers to get connected and enactment connected the jury," Judge Subramanian said.

Leaving the juror connected the sheet could endanger the integrity of the judicial process, helium added.

"The tribunal should not, so cannot, fto contention origin into the determination of what happens. Here, the reply is clear. Juror fig six is excused," Judge Subramanian said.

Special cause and paralegal testify

Following the juror's dismissal, the sixth week of the proceedings began - with grounds from a paralegal specializer and a peculiar agent, who some gave grounds arsenic summary witnesses.

This means they were not progressive successful the transgression probe into Combs, but were tasked with reviewing immoderate evidence, including charts, telephone records and data. In court, the purpose is to supply discourse to the grounds heard truthful acold and however it relates to the charges against the hip-hop mogul.

During paralegal specializer Ananya Sankar's testimony, the tribunal heard astir texts appearing to notation "freak offs" - intersexual encounters with antheral escorts which erstwhile girlfriends Cassie Ventura and "Jane", 2 of 3 alleged victims to springiness grounds during the trial, some accidental Combs forced them into.

Cassie was successful an on-off narration with Combs from 2007 to 2018, portion Jane - a pseudonym - dated him connected and disconnected from the opening of 2021 to his apprehension successful September 2024.

Chicken crockery and $4,000 cash

In messages from March 2016, Combs's past main of unit Kristina Khorram appeared to inquire an adjunct to acceptable a edifice country up, with items requested including Gatorade, h2o and chickenhearted noodle soup. "He wants you to spell close distant present please," a connection said.

In different text, Khorram asked workers to fetch $4,000 successful currency and to guarantee a antheral escort was fixed entree to the edifice room, the tribunal heard.

The tribunal besides heard astir messages sent astir the clip of the bombshell civilian suit filed against Combs by Cassie successful November 2023 - which was settled wrong 24 hours for a past undisclosed sum, revealed to beryllium $20m during the trial.

By this time, Combs was seeing Jane. According to an audio record of a conversation, Jane told Combs aft uncovering retired astir Cassie's lawsuit: "I don't cognize what I'm feeling... this is truthful connection for word, it is brainsick and it conscionable feels sick to my stomach."

On 28 November 2023, astir 2 weeks later, Jane told Combs she felt helium exploited her with their "dark and humiliating lifestyle".

The pursuing month, the tribunal heard Jane said successful a connection to Khorram: "He said helium would exposure maine and nonstop videos to my babe daddy... I americium traumatised by my clip with him."

Jane said she would not usually impact Khorram successful specified matters, but told her she needed assistance arsenic Combs was having 1 of his "evil-ass psychotic bipolar" episodes.

Jane told Khorram that she was heavy drugged successful the tapes.

Although it was not wide precisely what she was referencing, a connection sent to Combs by Khorram astir the clip of the suit seemed to amusement immoderate friction betwixt the pair.

"If you cannot beryllium honorable with maine this doesn't work," she told him, according to the messages. Combs "keeping things" to himself enactment them successful the "situation we are each successful close now", she added.

Towards the extremity of the tribunal day, videos entered into grounds nether seal were played by the prosecution. This means the assemblage and lawyers could spot and perceive what was happening, but members of the nationalist successful tribunal could not.

Read more:
Everything you request to cognize astir the trial
The emergence and autumn of Sean 'Diddy' Combs
What we learned from Cassie's testimony

Prosecutors person said they expect to reason their lawsuit aboriginal this week. After this, Combs's defence squad volition statesman theirs.

Last week, Kanye West turned up astatine the tribunal successful Manhattan, New York, to enactment the rapper, spending astir 40 minutes successful the gathering watching proceedings connected a show successful an overflow room.

Combs's mother, Janice Combs, and respective of his children person besides consistently shown up passim the hearing.

Diddy denies charges of sex-trafficking, proscription to prosecute successful prostitution and racketeering conspiracy.

The proceedings continues.