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Sean “Diddy” Combs’ attorneys are asking the judge to publicly identify his accusers

Attorneys for Sean “Diddy” Combs filed a motion Tuesday asking that his accusers in a federal sex trafficking case be publicly identified so he can prepare a proper defense.

The motion asks U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian of the Southern District of New York to identify Combs’ accusers because, his lawyers argue, the deluge of anonymous accusations is damaging his reputation, creating a “media circus” and making him a deprives of a fair trial. .

Identifying anonymous accusers would allow Combs to adequately prepare for his trial, avoid surprises and protect him from double jeopardy if he is prosecuted again for the same crime, according to filings from Combs’ team of attorneys.

A drawing by Sean "Diddy" Combs will appear before U.S. Judge Robyn Tarnofsky in New York federal court
Sean “Diddy” Combs and his attorney Marc Agnifilo are before U.S. Judge Robyn Tarnofsky after prosecutors filed three criminal charges against him on September 17 in federal court in New York City.Jane Rosenberg / Reuters file

“His case is unique, in part, due to the number of individuals making allegations against Mr. Combs due to his celebrity status, wealth and the publicity of his previously settled lawsuit,” the motion reads.

It also alleges grand jury leaks and false incendiary statements from Department of Homeland Security agents related to the release of a surveillance video showing Combs meeting his ex-girlfriend, singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, in the hallway from a hotel in Los Angeles in 2016. Combs apologized for the incident, saying it was a one-off and that he had sought therapy and changed, and he settled a lawsuit in which Ventura had accused him of rape and physical abuse.)

Combs’ legal team filed a petition claiming that the government provided the video to CNN and was responsible for leaking other information to the media.

“Between the grand jury leaks and the inflammatory public statements, the agents virtually ensured that the grand jury would be tainted, as well as the general public from which we will soon select a jury,” the filing said.

“This had a profound ripple effect, resulting in a flood of allegations from unidentified complainants, ranging from false to downright absurd. Yesterday alone, anonymous plaintiffs filed six more lawsuits,” the report states.

The motion also mentions a recent news conference at which Texas-based attorney Tony Buzbee said he is representing 120 plaintiffs in a series of lawsuits against Combs, with allegations including sexual abuse of minors. The filing called the press conference a “publicity stunt” and the allegations “outrageous and deeply damaging.”

“These allegations follow more than a dozen lawsuits previously filed and currently pending, several of which have already been discredited, but only after irreparably harming Mr. Combs’ character and reputation,” the motion said. “These swirling allegations have created a hysterical media circus that, if left unchecked, will irreparably deprive Mr. Combs of due process, if they have not already done so.”

On Monday, Buzbee filed six complaints in the Southern District of New York on behalf of four men and two women, none of whom are named in the filing. The incidents cited in the complaints span the period 1995 to 2021 and include allegations of sexual assault and rape.

Buzbee announced at a news conference on October 1 that he was representing prosecutors with charges against Combs under the Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act. Under the law, victims have a two-year period ending in March 2025 during which they can file older claims.

“We’re just going to try to bring cases that we think are credible and legitimate,” Buzbee said.

The lawsuits name Combs and his various companies as defendants, and the plaintiffs are seeking unspecified damages. Attorneys for Combs denied the allegations in the lawsuits.

NBC News has not independently confirmed the allegations in the complaints.

Combs is fighting his pretrial detention on federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges, for which Subramanian has set a May 5 trial date.