The judge presiding over Sean “Diddy” Combs’ high-profile trial threatened to remove the disgraced rap mogul from the courtroom.
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According to NBC News, the courtroom got heated after Judge Arun Subramanian accused Diddy of “nodding and making faces” at members of the jury as the trial continued.
The judge also accused Diddy of “vigorously nodding” during the cross-questioning of Bryana Bongola, who is a friend of the rapper’s ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura.
“I was very clear there should be no facial expressions to the jury, and I could not have been clearer,” Judge Subramanian told Diddy’s legal team. “There was a line of questioning where your client was nodding vigorously and looking at the jury. There should be no effort to have any interaction with this jury.”
When the judge asked him if any interaction with the jury would happen again, Diddy’s key lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, replied, “No, your honor, it’s not going to happen again.”
Judge Subramanian then declared what would happen if Diddy did not comply. “I will give an instruction to the jury, or it could result in the exclusion of your client from the courtroom.”
Courtroom Artist Says She Saw Diddy Making Facial Expressions During the Trial
While speaking to NBC News, the courtroom artist, Jane Rosenberg, claimed she saw Diddy making both affirmative and negative facial expressions throughout the trial.
She also said she saw him attempting to interact with various members of the jury since the start of the trial last month.
The judge made it clear where he stood with Diddy and warned him about the expressions before the trial’s jury returned from lunch.
During her cross-examination, Bongolan spoke about the 2016 incident in which Diddy allegedly dangled her from Ventura’s Los Angeles apartment’s 17th-floor balcony. Before the incident, Diddy had allegedly banged on the door while Bongolan was sleeping. After waking up, she decided to step out onto the balcony to smoke.
“[He] came behind and lifted me up and had me on top of the [balcony] rail,” Bongolan claimed. “For a second, I thought I was going to fall.”
Diddy also yelled at her, and she didn’t know why or what for.
Bongolan further shared another incident when the rapper told her, “I am the devil and I can kill you.” She claimed that he had taken cocaine at the time he made the comments.