Diddy's lawyer's astonishing request of eight-and-a-half-months-pregnant Cassie as she prepares to testify

Lawyers for Sean 'Diddy' Combs requested if the rap mogul's ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura could beryllium readily seated when she testifies against her ex successful court, alternatively of walking to the basal successful beforehand of the jury. 

An eight-and-a-half months large Ventura - the unfortunate of the notoriously convulsive smackdown video that was the catalyst for his apprehension - is expected to instrumentality the basal successful Diddy's blockbuster enactment trafficking proceedings connected Tuesday. 

Marc Agnifilo, 1 of Combs' attorneys, made a petition of District Court Judge Arun Subramanian to halt her from walking to the basal successful beforehand of imaginable jurors, hoping to debar emotionally swaying from those deciding his fate. 

'I'm going to inquire that [Ventura], erstwhile she testifies, beryllium already successful the assemblage container erstwhile the assemblage comes in,' Agnifilo tells Subramanian.  

'Only due to the fact that of her carnal condition. I mean, determination are definite things we can't power astir a juror who is eight-and-a-half months pregnant, but I deliberation determination is - determination is simply a prime to her walking successful beforehand of the assemblage that I deliberation is easy avoidable,' helium added.

Prosecutor Maurene Comey rapidly offered an objection towards the idea. 

'If your Honor is considering it, I would similar to beryllium heard connected that. I don't deliberation determination immoderate ground to dainty immoderate witnesser otherwise due to the fact that of a aesculapian condition, astir notably pregnancy. I deliberation that would beryllium profoundly inappropriate,' Comey said.

Judge Subramanian said: 'I'll deliberation astir it. Ms. Comey makes the point, we wouldn't dainty radical otherwise based connected immoderate different benignant of aesculapian information oregon carnal impairment oregon immoderate different attribute, right? Why would we dainty this differently?' 

Agnifilo replied: 'Because I deliberation determination is simply a prejudicial quality. Pregnancy is beauteous and wonderful. It besides is simply a root of imaginable sympathy.'

Subramanian points retired that the assemblage is, astatine immoderate point, going to spot Ventura 'leaving the witnesser stand' and asks: 'What are you trying to achieve?'

'Well, so, successful past trials - and each proceedings is antithetic - I've surely had situations wherever the assemblage was excused earlier the witnesser either sat down oregon near the witnesser stand,' Agnifilo said. 

'And I would marque that exertion for each the witnesses, but I deliberation it takes a definite much small spot much time, truthful I wasn't going to bash that successful the involvement of time. I've ever preferred the process wherever the witnesser is seated past the assemblage comes in. I've astir apt had astir of my trials with that arsenic the process.' 

Judge Subramanian responded: 'Well, the tribunal does that, too, erstwhile it fosters efficiency. I'm definite that we volition really bash that astatine this trial. But you're making a antithetic application.' 

He past said that 'I don't cognize that determination is immoderate enactment anyplace successful the past of American jurisprudence' for his petition and past tells him to 'find that for me.'

'I've heard the objection. I thin to hold with it. However, you've got until the afternoon, due to the fact that this isn't going to happen, if it happens contiguous astatine all, I deliberation you've got immoderate time. If you person immoderate enactment for that, I'm blessed to instrumentality a look astatine it,' helium added.

The lawman clerk past asked to spell disconnected the grounds and erstwhile they instrumentality to unfastened court, determination connected to discussing different matters. 

Before tribunal concluded for the day, Agnifilo addressed the substance a 2nd time: 'The 1 contented that I raised earlier, I deliberation it's beneficial for each witnesses, that we proceed the mode we person handled the past witnesser today. 

'In different words, the witnesser comes, gets successful the witnesser chair, is acceptable to go, and past we bring the assemblage in. So I would conscionable similar to proceed the mode we've gone with this witness. That's my request.'

The bizarre query comes arsenic the tribunal heard Monday that Combs forced women to instrumentality portion successful drug-fueled enactment parties which went connected for days portion helium filmed them.

For decades, the euphony mogul ran a 'criminal enterprise' built astir trafficking victims, with his 'inner circle' helping to screen up his offences, prosecutors told the opening of his proceedings successful New York.

He erstwhile stamped connected a girlfriend's head, dangled 1 pistillate from a balcony and allegedly tried to acceptable occurrence to different man's car, it was claimed.

The instrumentalist and businessman 'viciously attacked' women who resisted taking portion successful the enactment parties, known arsenic 'Freak Offs', oregon different upset him, jurors were told.

In a bombshell admission, Combs's lawyers told the tribunal helium had beaten up immoderate of his girlfriends – but insisted helium was not blameworthy of enactment trafficking.

They admitted helium was 'kinky' and that his behaviour had been 'horrible, dehumanizing and violent', but claimed it was each driven by jealousy and excessively galore drugs.

Combs, 55, was erstwhile worthy astir $1billion and had a drawstring of hits connected his Bad Boy Records statement successful the 1990s, including his 1997 chart-topper with vocalist Faith Evans, I'll Be Missing You.

But successful September past year, helium was arrested – months aft an ex-girlfriend, R&B vocalist Cassie Ventura, sued him for intersexual battle successful a civilian case.

Combs's downfall was hastened by the merchandise of a devastating video of him beating Ventura successful the corridor of a edifice successful Los Angeles successful 2016.

The video, which was archetypal broadcast by CNN past May, was played successful afloat to the proceedings and Ventura, 38, who is heavy pregnant, is expected to testify.

Combs denies racketeering conspiracy, 2 charges of enactment trafficking and 2 charges of proscription to prosecute successful prostitution. He faces beingness successful jailhouse if convicted.

Prosecutor Emily Johnson said the proceedings would perceive grounds from victims who 'will archer you astir immoderate of the astir achy experiences of their lives. The days they spent successful edifice rooms, precocious connected drugs, dressed successful costumes to execute the defendant's intersexual fantasies'.

Opening the case, she told Manhattan Federal Court: 'This is Sean Combs. To the public, helium was Puff Daddy oregon Diddy, a taste icon, a businessman, larger than life. But determination was different broadside to him, a broadside that ran a transgression enterprise.

'During this trial, you are going to perceive astir 20 years of the defendant's crimes. But helium didn't bash it alone, helium had an interior ellipse of bodyguards and high-ranking employees who helped him perpetrate crimes and helped him screen them up.

'Kidnapping, arson, drugs, enactment crimes, bribery and obstruction. These are conscionable immoderate of the crimes the suspect and his interior ellipse committed again and again. You're going to perceive astir each of them during this trial.'

Prosecutors described a horrific assertion made by Ventura, who said she was near 'feeling similar she was choking' erstwhile Combs allegedly made an escort urinate successful her rima during a 'Freak Off'.

Johnson besides told the tribunal astir an incidental wherever the rapper was 'on the hunt' for Ventura due to the fact that she was seeing different man.

The authoritative said: 'When helium yet recovered her, helium did what helium had done countless times before: helium bushed her brutally. Kicking her successful the backmost and flinging her astir similar a rag doll. All of that unit was not capable though.

'The suspect had to marque definite helium had power implicit Cassie erstwhile again truthful helium threatened her. The suspect told Cassie that if she defied him again, he'd publically merchandise the video of her having enactment with a antheral escort helium kept arsenic blackmail. Souvenirs of the astir humiliating nights of her life.'

But Combs's lawyer Teny Geragos countered that prosecutors were trying to twist the star's romanticist relationships into a racketeering and enactment trafficking case.

'Sean Combs is simply a analyzable man, but this is not a analyzable case. This lawsuit is astir love, jealousy, infidelity and money,' she said successful her opening statement.

Geragos accused the alleged victims of filing lawsuits against Combs arsenic a 'money grab'.

'Ask yourself wherefore are they making this allegation now? What is their motive? For galore of them, the reply is simple: money,' she told jurors.

The prosecution's archetypal witnesser was Los Angeles constabulary serviceman Israel Florez, who successful 2016 was a information defender astatine the InterContinental Hotel successful LA erstwhile the CCTV of the battle connected Ventura was filmed.

He said helium was called to assistance a 'woman successful distress' connected the sixth floor, wherever helium recovered Cassie sitting successful the country covering her look portion Combs was slouched successful a seat wearing conscionable a towel with a 'devilish' look connected his face.

'She was scared,' Florez added. 'She was successful the corner, hood on, covered up. I couldn't spot her face, she was beauteous overmuch successful the corner.'

Florez besides told the tribunal helium utilized his telephone to movie the battle video from the edifice information show to amusement his wife.

'If I had told my woman what had happened, she wouldn't person believed me,' helium said.

Male escort Daniel Phillip, 41, was the 2nd witnesser to springiness evidence. He described successful graphic item however helium would instrumentality portion successful 'Freak Off' parties with Ventura and Diddy that could past for up to 10 hours. 

He told the tribunal helium was paid up to £4,500 for the parties, and described however helium erstwhile had enactment with Ventura portion Diddy watched connected successful disguise.

Phillip recalled different juncture erstwhile Combs had called Ventura from different country – but erstwhile she told him to hold a second, Combs came retired and Phillip says helium saw a liquor vessel alert past her.

During the hearing, six of Combs's children could beryllium seen sitting nervously successful the nationalist assemblage 2 rows backmost from the front. They included his duplicate daughters D'Lila and Jessie, girl Chance and his sons King and Justin.

Combs's parent Janice sat successful the mediate of them wearing a achromatic blazer with sunglasses and agleam orangish hair.

The rapper walked successful wearing a unit neck, airy grey sweater and airy grey trousers. He smiled astatine his household and made a bosom awesome with his hands earlier hugging his lawyers and shaking the hands of his assemblage consultant, Linda Moreno.

Before sitting down, Combs blew 1 of his sons a kiss.

Over the people of the two-month trial, jurors are expected to perceive grounds from 3 oregon perchance 4 of the rapper's pistillate accusers, arsenic good arsenic erstwhile employees who prosecutors accidental helped to put and screen up his actions.

Just selecting the assemblage caused a headache aft the prosecution and defence some struck retired a drawstring of imaginable jurors.

Combs's pb counsel Agnifilo claimed that the prosecution's veto of imaginable jurors was discriminatory due to the fact that 7 retired of the 9 radical they rejected were black.

But Judge Subramanian rejected the claim, saying authoritative Comey had fixed 'race-neutral reasons' to explicate each rejection.

About 150 imaginable jurors were vetted earlier the last 18 were selected, including six reserves. They volition stay anonymous, but see an concern analyst, a massage therapist, a scientist, an designer and a United Nations worker.

Born successful New York and raised by a azygous mother, Combs went connected to unrecorded successful mansions successful Miami and LA and big lavish parties for the taste elite successful destinations specified arsenic the Hamptons and Saint-Tropez successful France.

Among the artists helium helped motorboat were Mary J Blige, Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez, whom Combs erstwhile dated.