The attorneys for Sean “Diddy” Combs are raging with righteous indignation at the expert testimony from a psychologist whom the defense says went beyond what the court allows witnesses to speak on.
Diddy’s attorney wants the expert testimony erased from the records
Diddy’s defense attorney, Alexandra A.E. Shapiro, is requesting that the entire testimony of forensic and clinical psychologist Dawn Hughes, Ph.D., be stricken from the records. Hughes is renowned in the psychology and legal fields for her testimony in R. Kelly’s sexual abuse trials (both federal and state) as well as Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s legal dispute.
Shapiro is seething because she believes Hughes’ answers went well beyond what the prosecution asked her to speak on and were deliberately designed to evoke emotions in the jurors.
“Hughes…continually used the prosecutors’ questions as merely prompts to begin speeches that quickly veered into outright advocacy,” Shapiro wrote in the motion obtained by AllHipHop. Shapiro continued in her brief to the judge, saying Hughes mentioned several banned phrases such as “interpersonal violence” and “coercive control” and even accused prosecutors of baiting her into doing so.
Diddy’s defense accuses the psychologist of personalizing her testimony
“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,” Shapiro penned in the complaint. “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.”
Hughes’ testimony last week, which included the suggestion that inconsistencies in witnesses’ testimonies are to be expected, also angered Shapiro, and she denounced that as “junk science.”
Diddy’s defense claims the testimony was ‘prejudicial’
Continuing, Shapiro reportedly wrote that “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.”
Diddy is facing up to life in prison if he is convicted on the three charges of RICO, sex trafficking and interstate transportation to engage in prostitution. The third week of the trial has been delayed a day due to the Memorial Day holiday and will commence on Tuesday, May 27.
