According to an entertainment lawyer, a video of Sean “Diddy” Combs could serve as a compelling piece of evidence for plaintiffs in other civil suits against him. This so-called “smoking gun” video has the potential to strengthen their cases, as reported by Business Insider.
On Friday, CNN released surveillance footage from 2016 that seems to depict the Grammy-Award-winning producer physically attacking his former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, at the now-defunct InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles.
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In the video, Combs can be seen shoving, dragging, kicking, and throwing an object towards Ventura in the hotel hallway. This video supports the incident described in Ventura’s November lawsuit against the hip-hop mogul. The lawsuit was settled just one day after it was filed, as reported by the Associated Press. Combs’ lawyer previously stated that Diddy denied the allegations made in the suit and accused Ventura of attempting to “blackmail” him.
In a video shared on his official Instagram account, Combs issued an apology on Sunday for his recent actions. Although he did not explicitly mention the nature of his actions or refer to Ventura by name, he expressed remorse and referred to his behavior as “inexcusable.” Combs also revealed that he had sought therapy in order to address the situation.
Camron Dowlatshahi, an attorney at Mills Sadat Dowlat LLP, stated in an interview with BI that the apology made by Combs was an effort to “humanize” himself. However, Dowlatshahi believes that this apology will not be enough to redeem Combs.
Meredith Firetog, a partner at Wigdor LLP and the attorney representing Ventura, expressed a similar viewpoint.
According to Firetog, Combs’ latest statement focuses more on himself rather than addressing the harm he has caused to numerous individuals. When Cassie and several other women came forward with their allegations, he vehemently denied everything and insinuated that his accusers were simply seeking financial gain. It is only now, after his repeated denials have been proven false, that he feels compelled to offer an “apology.” Firetog criticizes Combs for his desperate attempt to save face, pointing out that his insincere words will not sway anyone.
‘His career is effectively done’
According to Ventura’s lawsuit filed in November, she claimed that Combs had paid $50,000 to the hotel in order to acquire the surveillance footage.
According to Dowlatshahi, this kind of arrangement is quite common in Hollywood, even though it may not give off a good impression to sell a video depicting someone getting assaulted.
According to a statement provided to BI, InterContinental Hotel, which is no longer under IHG management, stated that they do not have access to any previous incident records or footage.
Dowlatshahi believes that Ventura is unlikely to have leaked the video to CNN, considering her settlement with Combs. Instead, he suggests that it could have been done by a former hotel employee or someone from Combs’ team.
Regardless of how the video came to light, Dowlatshahi believes it will have a significant impact on the other accusers. Currently, Combs is dealing with four lawsuits regarding allegations of sexual misconduct.
According to Dowlatshahi, if the civil suits against Combs proceed to trial, it is highly likely that the plaintiffs will attempt to present the video as evidence to demonstrate his “propensity for violence.” This could potentially influence prospective jurors and impact the outcome of the cases.
According to Dowlatshahi, this video serves as rare and undeniable evidence of Diddy’s inclination towards violence.
Multiple outlets, including CNN, have previously reported that federal authorities have initiated an investigation in connection to the allegations made against Combs. This comes after a DHS raid was conducted on his Miami and Los Angeles homes.
According to Dowlatshahi, Diddy cannot face any charges for his actions in 2016 because the statute of limitations on felony assault and domestic violence charges has expired. However, he also mentioned that the release of the video might prompt investigators to search for similar incriminating footage from other hotels where Diddy has stayed in the past.
Combs’ defense is likely to take the approach of settling the cases and advising him to cooperate with authorities, according to Dowlatshahi.
