Sean “Diddy” Combs has been dealt another legal setback.
On Monday, a federal judge denied the music mogul’s request for a hearing to investigate claims that the government leaked security footage of him assaulting ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in a Los Angeles hotel in 2016.
In an opinion obtained by People on Dec. 16, U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian wrote, “As to the Intercontinental Hotel video, Combs has not carried his burden to show that the government leaked it to CNN.”
Subramanian added, “Combs argues that ‘the most likely source of the leak is the government,’ but he doesn’t point to any sound basis for this conclusion.”
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Combs’ legal team accused the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of leaking the video in an October court filing, claiming that the footage led to “damaging and highly prejudicial media coverage” that sensationalized the investigation and involved Combs’ family.
Federal prosecutors denied the allegations, stating: “Indeed, at the time of CNN’s publication, the Government did not possess any video of the March 2016 incident,” prosecutors wrote in a letter to the judge.
Subramanian acknowledged the seriousness of such claims, noting, “If specific information comes to light that [government agents] leaked prohibited information, action will be taken.”
The legal troubles for the once-powerful mogul began on Nov. 16, 2023, when Ventura filed a civil lawsuit in New York federal court alleging sexual abuse.
Combs settled with her for an undisclosed amount of money after one day, although his representatives said the settlement was not an admission of guilt.
However, as previously reported there was more fallout when CNN released the hotel security video in May, which showed Combs kicking and dragging Ventura down a hallway in the Intercontinental Hotel.
The Bad Boy Records founder issued a public apology in a video he posted on Instagram, but later deleted.
Combs was arrested on Sept. 16, and is being held without bail as he awaits trial on federal racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution charges.
He pleaded not guilty to all counts and remains in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, after being denied bail three times.
Combs’ trial is scheduled to begin on May 5, 2025.
