In their ongoing legal battle, Team Diddy filed an opposition on April 25, 2025, disputing the expert testimony of Dr. Dawn Hughes in the federal case against Sean 'Diddy' Combs. The motion, criticized for its lack of substance, claims that rape is not necessarily underreported compared to other crimes such as drunk driving and tax evasion.
The court documents argue that since these latter crimes are not included in surveys like the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), they are potentially even more underreported than rape, leading to a convoluted line of reasoning. They further contend that Hughes's assertion that rape is underreported is irrelevant to the jury's responsibilities in determining guilt in a case primarily about sex trafficking, not rape.
Team Diddy’s legal filing proceeds to dismiss Dr. Hughes's statements as "extreme claims." One line cited suggests that “sex crimes and crimes against women are the most underreported crimes that we have.” This critique extends to all sexual assault and battered women's advocates serving as expert witnesses, labeling their testimony as fraught with "conceptual and evidential problems."
This line of defence has drawn criticism from observers and advocacy groups, who argue that the comments reflect increasing desperation from Team Diddy as the case progresses.
The court documents argue that since these latter crimes are not included in surveys like the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), they are potentially even more underreported than rape, leading to a convoluted line of reasoning. They further contend that Hughes's assertion that rape is underreported is irrelevant to the jury's responsibilities in determining guilt in a case primarily about sex trafficking, not rape.
Team Diddy’s legal filing proceeds to dismiss Dr. Hughes's statements as "extreme claims." One line cited suggests that “sex crimes and crimes against women are the most underreported crimes that we have.” This critique extends to all sexual assault and battered women's advocates serving as expert witnesses, labeling their testimony as fraught with "conceptual and evidential problems."
This line of defence has drawn criticism from observers and advocacy groups, who argue that the comments reflect increasing desperation from Team Diddy as the case progresses.
