The highly anticipated federal trial against Sean "Diddy" Combs has begun. The hip-hop mogul is facing charges of racketeering and sex trafficking, and could be sentenced to life in prison if found guilty. So why is his attorney, Marc Agnifilo, telling the court they're going to "take the position that there was mutual violence" in his relationship with the singer Cassie Ventura?Brittany is joined by author Beverly Gooden and Loyola University law professor Laurie Levenson to discuss why "mutual abuse" can often come up in celebrity trials and why the concept itself is inherently flawed.Listen to Brittany's past coverage of Diddy by clicking here.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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Hello, hello. I'm Brittany Luce, and you're listening to It's Been a Minute from NPR, a show about what's going on in culture and why it doesn't happen by accident. All right, all right. This week, we are connecting the dots between R&B, racketeering, and Amber Heard. I know. I know. How are all of these things connected?
Well, we're going to find out with author Beverly Gooden and Loyola University law professor Lori Levinson. Bev, Lori, welcome to It's Been a Minute.
Thank you so much. Thank you for having us.
So first off, what is your favorite courtroom drama? My Cousin Vinny. Oh, that's a good one. Mine is not a drama. Technically, it's not a drama. But there was drama going on in the courtroom, and that's Legally Blonde.
I just feel like... Do you know who the legal advisor was for that movie? No. You're looking at her.
No way! Oh, my goodness. Lori, that's so major. Oh, my goodness. A celebrity. Wow. Oh, my gosh. Well, I'll tell you what. Right now, out in the world, we have a courtroom drama that I wish I could say was fiction with a criminal case against Sean Combs beginning this week. Sean Combs, a.k.a.
Diddy, is a music mogul and business executive known for his Bad Boy Entertainment music label and his associations with various celebrities in Hollywood. And now he's facing federal charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. One of Diddy's primary accusers is the R&B singer Cassie Ventura, with whom he had an on and off relationship for over a decade.
And she claims that she went through years of abuse during their relationship, which ended in 2018. Diddy pleaded not guilty to all charges. Federal prosecutors have alluded to a trove of evidence against him, including video documentation, surveillance footage, witness testimony, firearms, drugs, and more, suggesting that he wasn't following the law.
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