Sean “Diddy” Combs has finally received a bail hearing date. A judge ordered prosecutors to destroy the papers taken from his jail cell during a sweep.
According to ABC News, the move has been a rare win for Combs since the beginning of his legal troubles. After being denied bail twice before, things seemingly worsened for Combs after an unrelated jail raid confiscated his handwritten notes concerning his trial. Combs is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, where the sweep by the Bureau of Prisons occurred.
The disgraced media mogul appeared before Judge Arun Subramanian on Nov. 19, and the judge declared that prosecutors destroy the 19 pages of notes taken from Combs’ jail cell. Combs’ attorney, Marc Agnifilo, argued that the notes’ seizure violated attorney-client privilege.
The lawyer also called it “outrageous government conduct” and stated that the notes detailed Combs’ defense strategies.
“When we visit him in jail, we have lists,” said Agnifilo at the hearing. “Everything in these pads are things we discuss. Trial strategy, who we should speak to, to undermine a witness’s credibility. We discuss everything with Mr. Combs.”
He added, “Virtually every single thing in these legal pads are matters he discusses with his attorneys. This has been a complete institutional failure.”
However, prosecutors asserted that the raid had been planned for months before Diddy’s arrest. Moreover, they claimed that the items taken did not have legal privilege, nor was the sweep aimed at any inmates. The prosecution also received the documents after they were vetted by a “Filter Team.”
“Self-labeling something ‘legal’ does not automatically make it subject to the attorney-client privilege,” argued one prosecutor, Christy Slavid. “The government received these materials through a completely appropriate channel.”However, the judge seemed to agree with Combs’ lawyer, demanding the notes’ destruction. Prior to the hour-long hearing, Subramanian also approved the defense’s request that Combs no longer appear in shackles while at court to avoid “juror bias.”
Combs appeared at the court in seemingly higher spirits. Unshackled, he showed up to the hearing in a tan jumpsuit and hugged his defense amid the win.
Despite the legal victories, Combs still faces charges of sex trafficking and racketeering, among others. As for his highly sought-after bail, a third hearing will take place on Nov. 22.
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