Diddy‘s request to have unrestricted access to the “freak off” videos Cassie provided as evidence has been denied, with prosecutors claiming that the embattled mogul is showcasing a “willingness to violate the Protective Order in order to embarrass” her.
While Diddy has been able to review many of the tapes at his leisure, both alone and with his legal team, to help build his defense, some of the videos that Cassie herself provided have been deemed more sensitive. Thus, due to a Protective Order, they can only be viewed by Diddy and his attorneys in person, while they are monitored by law enforcement officials.
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Diddy’s team has argued that they need more access so he can review the tapes while behind bars, and filed a motion requesting that access.
In a document filed with the court on Tuesday (January 28) and seen by HipHopDX, prosecutors told the judge they feel the access should not be granted. They noted that these videos are being more guarded for Cassie’s protection, and added: “The defendant’s apparent willingness to violate the Protective Order in order to embarrass Victim-1 [Cassie] and litigate this case in the public domain, as demonstrated by his filing of [his request for more access, which claimed that the encounters were consensual], underscores these concerns. There is now an even stronger basis for the Court to strictly regulate the defendant’s access to the Inspection-Only Videos.”
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The judge ultimately denied Diddy’s request for more access, writing, “While the Government objects to handing the videos over, they provide several options for defendant to consider that would permit the defense to view the videos, access the information they are looking for, and even allow them to manipulate the videos as they see fit.”
Earlier this month, Diddy’s defense team filed a letter claiming that the nine videos they’ve viewed show “private sexual activity between fully consenting adults in a long-term relationship” and also show Cassie “thoroughly enjoy[ing] herself.”
They also allege that Cassie, who is referred to as Victim-1, “is evidently happy, dominant and completely in control.”
Arguing against the prosecution’s claim that the videos depict “elaborate and produced sex performances,” Diddy’s lawyers say it shows nothing of the sort and solely “adults having consensual sex, plain and simple.” They also say the tapes were not secretly recorded as alleged, nor were any minors or other celebs involved.
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The letter describes the tapes as “direct evidence undermining the ‘core’ of the government’s case,” a reference to prosecutors’ initial declaration that “Freak-off activity is the core of this case.”
