Diddy openings

 Lots of news coverage of the opening statements in Diddy's case. I love this stuff.

The prosecution was as expected -- very straightforward (via Vulture):

“To the public, he was Puff Daddy or Diddy — a cultural icon, a businessman, larger than life — but there was another side to him, a side that ran a criminal enterprise,” [Emily] Johnson said, adding that over the course of two decades, Diddy engaged in offenses such as sex crimes and kidnapping. For years, Diddy “forced” Cassie to have sex with male escorts while he watched and recorded the encounters. “The defendant told Cassie that if she defied him again, he’d publicly release the videos of her having sex with male escorts, which he kept as blackmail,” Johnson said.

“This case is not about a celebrity’s private sexual preferences,” she said. “The defendant made women have sex when they did not want to.” She said Diddy threatened them, drugged them, and beat them into compliance. Once, Diddy became so mad at Cassie that he “stomped repeatedly on her face” in an SUV. Another time, Cassie felt like she was choking when Diddy “made an escort urinate in her mouth.” Johnson also said that another accuser, referred to as “Jane” in court, fell into Diddy’s dark web in 2020. After a few months together, Diddy introduced her to freak-offs. Jane participated because she cared about Diddy and thought it would lead to more time together, not because she liked them. Jane wanted the escorts to wear condoms but “many times, the defendant didn’t let them,” Johnson said. Another accuser, “Mia,” worked for Diddy. Johnson said that Diddy forced himself on Mia multiple times.

The defense opening was by Mark Geragos' daughter, Teny Geragos. And from the transcripts, it looks like she did a really nice job:

Yes, Teny Geragos tried to portray Diddy as a guy who was, indeed, a bad boy — but not one who committed sex trafficking: “Sean Combs is a complicated man, but this is not a complicated case — this case is about love, jealousy, infidelity, and money.” People were fascinated by Diddy, Geragos told jurors. “People really loved him,” she said. Geragos gestured at Diddy and he stood, facing the jury, hands in pockets. “His name is Sean Combs.” Geragos said that Diddy admits to committing domestic violence but that this was not the same as sex trafficking. “When he drank or did the wrong drugs, he would get violent,” Geragos said. “He is not proud of that, and that’s something we’re going to own.” While there are things about Diddy’s sex life “that may make you uncomfortable and may not be what you like to do in your bedroom,” she said, these were private consensual acts in keeping with the “swinger’s lifestyle.”

The WaPo has a blow by blow of the trial here.