Sean “Diddy” Combs’ lawyers are putting effort toward limiting damaging statements in his on-going trial — now, they object to Kid Cudi’s statement being allowed as evidence.
While in court in New York City on May 22, Kid Cudi, who uses the name Scott Mescudi, said that his Porsche was ruined by a Molotov cocktail in 2012.
The car was sitting outside the home when it caught fire. Although Combs was not detained by police, Cudi has said in court that he felt Combs was connected to the matter, later supported by their dramatic altercation years after.
Now, Diddy’s attorneys are responding with their own arguments. They have requested that the court strike Cudi’s testimony, stating that his statements are not based in facts, are too prejudicial and do not include any solid proof of Combs’s involvement.
The Explosion That Started the Debate
The story of the Porsche incident happened more than a decade ago. Cudi said he got an upsetting call from his dog-sitter when he was away.
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A blaze erupted inside the luxury Porsche he owned. The damage was confirmed to him by a friend who sent him a photo before he got home.
“Above where I was sitting in the rear of the car, someone cut open the top and threw in a Molotov cocktail,” Cudi told the court.
The court was shown burned and damaged photos taken after the accident. No one at that point suspected what had happened — until, as Diddy is said to have shared, his private connections with Cudi changed the situation.
A Triangle Surrounded by Strife
It appears that the cause of the rift was a romantic relationship. At that time, Cassie Ventura and Cudi were dating, though reports said she and her ex Diddy were not in the best of places.
After hearing about how Cassie and Cudi spent time together, Diddy became very angry, Cassie explained in court.
According to her, Diddy made threats to Cudi involving destroying his car by blowing it up — and that sounds uncomfortably like the incident that really happened in 2012.
At a later Soho House event in Los Angeles, Cudi spoke to Diddy face to face.
What should we do about my car? He said he asked him about it at the time.
What he publicly denied: “I have no idea what you are referring to.”
According to Cudi, Combs lied to him during their argument — and that Combs went up to him years later at the same Soho House to apologize for everything that happened.
“I was able to move beyond that,” Cudi recalled about what happened.
Why Diddy’s Defense Wants the Witness Statements Thrown Out
The legal team on Diddy’s end is not accepting that testimony. They have formally asked the court to delete what Cudi said from the case’s important files and bar future conversations about it.
The reason they give is that witnesses aren’t generally allowed to express their personal views on whether someone is lying.
They insist that Cudi did not have solid proof that Diddy had anything to do with the car attack.
Some claim that his statements might cause the jury to be biased — mainly since he was involved in a racketeering act (the arson) that is related to Diddy’s bigger charges.
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His team argued that Mescudi failed to convince with his ideas, whereas the chance of the audience being prejudiced against Combs was high.
The defense believes that Cudi’s words disparagingly about Diddy could lead the jury to believe in his potential for violence.
Trial of Diddy Continues
Many people across the country are paying attention to the legal trial of Sean Combs. He is being accused of sex trafficking, racketeering and moving individuals to work in prostitution — all denied by him.
The trial has seen a number of witnesses testify, among them Cassie Ventura, who has filed a previous lawsuit against Diddy for abuse.
Though that issue was okayed out of court, she is still a point of interest in the ongoing criminal proceedings.
How the jury perceives Combs could depend largely on whether they hear the testimony of Cudi.
Though the Porsche attack is not a main accusation, it is now being mentioned as part of the group’s alleged criminal behavior.
No one can say for sure how the judge will handle the defense’s motion yet. Should the testimony be left in the record, it may only make the case more difficult.
We spoke to the representatives for both Kid Cudi and Diddy, but neither has released a comment yet.
The case goes on and those watching are curious about what’s going to happen in this year’s big celebrity legal battle.