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Sean Diddy Combs' Lawyers Try to Block Psychologist's Testimony And There's a Johnny Depp-Amber Heard Twist to It; Find Out
Diddy's legal team wants the judge to reject expert testimony from Dr. Dawn Hughes, arguing she lacks direct knowledge and could unfairly influence the jury.
Sean Diddy Combs' legal team has filed a motion in federal court asking the judge to block the testimony of forensic clinical psychologist Dr. Dawn Hughes. Hughes is known for testifying in high-profile cases, including on behalf of Amber Heard in the 2022 defamation trial against Johnny Depp.
According to an exclusive report by AllHipHop, the 25-page motion argues that Dr. Hughes has no direct knowledge of the facts in Diddy’s case.
"Hughes has apparently not interviewed the alleged victims at all, much less engaged in the sort of psychological diagnostics that her profession demands," the motion states. Diddy’s attorneys believe Hughes' opinions are too broad and speculative to be allowed as expert testimony.
Sean Diddy Combs' attorney, Alex Shapiro, claims that the psychologist is not offering real scientific analysis but rather building a narrative. "The government wants an expert so that it can waive her testimony in summation like a magic wand to cure the glaring defects in its fact witnesses' credibility," he wrote.
Shapiro argued that Hughes' testimony would allow prosecutors to repeatedly refer back to her statements in a way that could unfairly influence the jury. He said this would likely become a repeated theme during the trial, phrases like "as Dr. Hughes told you" or "as Dr. Hughes explained" would be used to support their case.
According to Shapiro, this approach would be highly persuasive but, in his view, not a proper use of expert testimony and would not assist the jury in uncovering the truth.
The motion also questioned how Hughes defines coercive control, which is commonly used to describe patterns of psychological abuse and manipulation. Diddy's legal team claimed that her interpretation is too broad and could mislead the jury.
They argued that, under Hughes's definition, actions like Combs financially supporting his girlfriends might be seen as coercion, even though such behavior doesn’t meet the legal definition.
They also pointed out that if Combs were to apologize, express love, or give a gift after a disagreement, Hughes might label that as coercive control, even though it wouldn't legally qualify as such.
Dr. Hughes has previously served as an expert witness in several high-profile cases, including the sexual assault trials of Danny Masterson and Harvey Weinstein, in addition to Amber Heard's case.
Diddy's legal team argued that prosecutors are using her testimony to establish a general pattern of abusive behavior even before other witnesses take the stand. They claimed that this approach indirectly suggests Combs is guilty.
According to Shapiro, her testimony is more focused on portraying Combs as a violent and controlling individual than on presenting credible scientific analysis. The judge has not yet ruled on whether Hughes' testimony will be permitted in the trial.
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