The final phase of jury selection in the sex trafficking trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs has been moved from Friday to Monday morning, May 12, when opening arguments were scheduled to begin.
ABC News was among the first outlets with details about the delay. In a live report, the outlet said U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian told the court a jury of 12 people and six alternates would not be seated on Friday as expected.
Jury selection began Monday, May 5. By Wednesday, the number of potential jurors was narrowed down to a pool of 45. There was no court on Thursday and the final stage of jury selection was planned for this morning, with the defense and prosecution using strikes to narrow the pool to 12 jurors and six alternates.
But once court got underway, the judge said two of the 45 potential jurors were gone.
A woman contacted the court Thursday evening and said she had “concerns” about serving. The woman previously worked in the domestic violence unit at the district attorney’s office in Brooklyn. She was struck from the jury pool because she worried about Combs’ case and her previous work.
Related: Diddy Prosecutors Still Can’t Find ‘Victim 3’ as Jury Selection Nears Final Phase
A second potential juror was struck from the pool after the judge said the man “failed” to disclose an ongoing lawsuit he filed against the city of New York. The judge said the man’s failure to share that information was a sign of a lack of honesty.
Combs was in court on Friday. But the potential jurors were not required to attend. The music mogul’s team of attorneys asked the judge to delay jury selection until Monday when the remaining potential jurors would be present.
Led by attorneys Marc Agnifilo and Teny Geragos, the defense argued for the delay in case other potential jurors get “cold feet” over the weekend. Judge Subramanian granted the request, despite objections from the prosecution.
On Monday, prosecutors will be allowed to strike six of the remaining potential jurors and the defense can strike ten people before the jury is finalized, the Associated Press reported. The process is expected to last about an hour. Opening arguments should start after the process ends.
Combs, 55, is charged with five federal counts and has pleaded not guilty to all charges. The Bad Boy Records founder has been jailed since he was arrested in September 2024.
Video from the ABC News report is below:
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