A Manhattan judge has ruled on Sean “Puffy” Combs’ claim that the federal government leaked the infamous video that showed him beating ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura.
Combs accused the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of leaking the video to tarnish his reputation in an October court filing.
His defense team accused DHS of launching a smear campaign against Combs to “undermine” his “right to a “fair trial,” by “leaking confidential grand jury materials,” the filing states.
“The leaks have resulted in damaging and highly prejudicial media coverage, particularly sensationalizing the investigation and the involvement of Mr. Combs’ family,” the filing claims.
However, Judge Arun Subramanian said Combs has not proven his case that the government leaked the video to the press.
“As to the Intercontinental Hotel video, Combs has not carried his burden to show that the government leaked it to CNN,” Subramanian wrote in his ruling. “Combs argues that ‘the most likely source of the leak is the government’ but he doesn’t point to any sound basis for this conclusion.”
The incident happened at the now-shuttered Intercontinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles, in March 2016.
The video shows Combs, wearing only a towel around his waist, chasing Cassie down a hallway. Combs caught up to Cassie at the elevators, threw her to the floor and stomped and dragged her.
Combs, 55, was arrested by the feds in Manhattan in September and charged with sex trafficking and racketeering. He is currently in a Brooklyn jail awaiting trial in May 2025.
Combs allegedly paid $50,000 to the Intercontinental Hotel to obtain the video. He assumed he had purchased the only copy.
