Sean “Diddy” Combs appeared in a Manhattan federal court on Wednesday, December 18, for a status conference in the ongoing sex trafficking case against him. Judge Arun Subramanian urged Combs’ defense team to avoid any “surprises” before the trial, which is scheduled to start in May 2025. The judge requested that updates on the motion schedule be submitted by January 3, 2025, and set another hearing for March 17, 2025.
This marked Combs’ first court appearance since a November 22 bail hearing. He was denied bail five days after that hearing due to concerns over potential witness tampering. Combs has since withdrawn his appeal and will remain incarcerated at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn during the holiday season.
Combs faces charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and transporting individuals for prostitution, all of which he denies. The indictment focuses on alleged “freak offs,” which prosecutors claim involved coerced sex performances with male sex workers and women.
Additionally, Judge Subramanian denied a request for an evidentiary hearing on claims that the prosecution had leaked a video to CNN of an alleged 2016 assault involving singer Cassie Ventura.
Subramanian ruled that Combs had not provided sufficient evidence to prove that the government was the source of the leak.
In a separate ruling, Combs was granted access to a laptop in jail to review discovery materials as he prepares for trial.
