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Sean "Diddy" Combs' legal team filed an emergency motion over the weekend demanding the removal of testimony from a government expert witness, accusing the prosecution of eliciting banned and prejudicial statements in his ongoing trial.
As per AllHipHop, Diddy's attorneys are seeking to have the full testimony of Dr. Dawn Hughes struck from the record, arguing the forensic psychologist defied court-imposed limits and improperly influenced the jury.
Hughes, a board-certified psychologist known for her testimony in high-profile trials such as Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard and R. Kelly's federal case, was called by prosecutors as a "blind expert" — one who had not examined any individuals in the current case but provided general insight into trauma, memory, and abuse dynamics.
According to pre-trial rulings, Hughes was restricted to discussing coping mechanisms, delayed disclosure, and the psychology of memory in abuse victims.
She was explicitly barred from referencing "coercive control" or speculating on the motivations of alleged abusers.
Despite these limitations, the defense claims Hughes repeatedly referenced prohibited terms and veered into advocacy.
"Hughes...continually used the prosecutors' questions as merely prompts to begin speeches that quickly veered into outright advocacy," defense attorney Alexandra A.E. Shapiro said in the filing.
Shapiro argued that Hughes' responses often exceeded the scope of the questions, limiting the defense's ability to object in real time.
"Right off the bat, the government showed that it had no intention of abiding by the Court's ruling and that whatever instructions it gave Hughes about the permitted scope of her testimony were woefully inadequate," she said.
The defense also criticized Hughes for using inclusive language such as "we" and "you" to address jurors directly and appeal to their emotions.
"Hughes also repeatedly personalized her testimony for the jury, seeking to enlist the jurors' empathy in her campaign... None of this was accidental. Hughes is a highly experienced witness and knew exactly what she was doing," Shapiro stated.
One of the most contested elements of her testimony concerned Hughes' explanation that memory is subjective, and inconsistencies in a person's recollection should not necessarily be seen as dishonesty.
The defense labeled those statements "junk science."
"The government chose to put on an expert witness knowing that the testimony it elicited would violate the Court's ruling—knowing that if it and its witness pushed hard enough, the defense would not be able to keep out all of the improper and unfairly prejudicial testimony," Shapiro added.
The defense motion asks U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian to strike all of Dr. Hughes' testimony, citing concern that her statements could irreparably influence the jury.
The trial is scheduled to resume on Tuesday, May 27.
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