On April 25, 2025, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs and his attorneys filed an opposition (Filing #271) to expert witness Dr. Dawn Hughes in the ongoing federal case against Combs. This filing, described by critics as “blubbering,” comes from a team of legal experts including Teny Geragos, Marc Agnifilo, Alexandra Shapiro, Jason Driscoll, and Anna Estevao. They presented arguments that some observers labeled as "desperate" and "lame."
One of the more controversial points put forth by Team Diddy is their assertion that rape is not underreported and that crimes such as drunk driving and tax evasion are even less reported because these are excluded from certain surveys. They criticize Dr. Hughes's assertion that rape is an underreported crime, questioning the relevance of such testimony to the jury’s consideration of the specific charges concerning sex trafficking.
According to statistics from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), rates of reporting sexual assault are indeed lower than those of many other offenses. However, Team Diddy argues that the survey has inherent limitations — pointing out that it does not encompass crimes like tax evasion, which they assert may be even more obscured from public record.
The filing also dismisses Dr. Hughes’s further claims regarding the underreporting of sex crimes and violence against women as “extreme” and lacking credibility. Team Diddy argues that the scrutiny should not target just Hughes, stating that many advocates for sexual assault victims possess "conceptual, evidential, and other general problems" in their beliefs.
As the case progresses, critics suggest that Team Diddy’s approach appears increasingly desperate, raising questions about the larger implications of their defense strategy and its potential impact on public discourse around sexual assault and justice.
