Diddy’s spate of lawsuits could put an end to his sex trafficking case

• Plaintiffs in 14 lawsuits call Sean Combs a rapist, including eight who filed suit in the last two weeks.
• Legal experts say credible plaintiffs can help prosecutors win the Combs criminal case.
• Combs’ website already portrays the plaintiffs as financial opportunists who should not be believed.

The indictment for human trafficking v. Sean “Diddy” Combs mentions one cooperating accuser, a longtime ex-girlfriend referred to only as “Victim-1.”

Legal experts believe she won’t be alone for long.

She may soon be joined by plaintiffs from Combs’ growing number of sexual abuse lawsuits, as “Victim-2,” “Victim-3” and beyond, in updated indictment– predict experienced lawyers from New York.

“You can bet the U.S. Attorney’s Office is questioning attorneys, if not clients themselves,” attorney Michael Farkas, former New York prosecutor.

While strong civil prosecutors – those who offer evidence, corroboration and credible testimony – can help prosecutors win a criminal trial, their financial stake in the outcome of the case leaves them vulnerable to questioning.

“If found to be credible, they could constitute very strong evidence against Mr. Combs, either in the form of additional charges or by calling witnesses to the stand to present a pattern,” Farkas said.

“However, U.S. attorneys will exercise caution in all cross-examination of plaintiffs, considering at least the possibility that these are claims of opportunity,” he said.

The defenders have already signaled that this will be the line of attack against “Victim-1”.

Although she is not named in court documents, her details in the indictment match those in the quickly settled $30 million lawsuit filed in November by Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura, the rap mogul’s longtime girlfriend.

Ventura’s attorney, Douglas Wigdor, declined to comment for this story.

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“There are 30 million reasons” to doubt her credibility, Combs’ lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, told the judge during a bail hearing last month. “One for every dollar the lawsuit was filed for.”

Any damage to a witness’s credibility could harm the case, said Stacey Richman, a Bronx attorney who has represented rappers including Jay-Z, Lil Wayne and Ja Rule.

“If they believe a witness intentionally testified falsely about any material fact, jurors can ignore the witness’s entire testimony,” Richman said. “And if there is enough momentum in the presence of multiple witnesses, it could destabilize the entire case.”

Farkas, Richman and other criminal defense attorneys with federal experience said BI prosecutors will be particularly interested in the most serious of two dozen civil claims filed this year from Ventura’s lawsuit opened the judicial floodgates in the Combs case.

So far, 11 women and three men say they were raped by the music mogul after they were beaten or drugged at parties he threw in Manhattan, Los Angeles and Las Vegas over the past three decades. Nearly a dozen additional plaintiffs allege sexual abuse without using the word “rape.”

Jane Doe from Alabama said in a lawsuit filed this week she was 13 years old when Combs and an unnamed “Celebrity A” raped her at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards after-party.

The case was one of 13 submitted within the last two weeks by Buzbee Law Firm in Houston. Founding attorney Tony Buzbee says he will file a total of 120 applications.

“We expect to file cases naming Mr. Combs and others as defendants on a weekly basis as we continue to gather evidence and prepare lawsuits,” BI said.

Combs is in a federal prison in Brooklyn, where he is appealing his bail denial and awaits trial. The indictment accuses him of committing decades of physical and sexual violence, including during elaborate, days-long sexual performances known as “freaks.” He pleaded not guilty, and his lawyers claim that the alleged conduct was consensual.

In court documents relating to the criminal case, defense lawyers used the words “false” and “downright absurd” when referring to the allegations in the lawsuit. Members of the defense team declined to comment on the case.

A spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office also declined to comment on the case.

Verification will be rigorous

The vetting of potential plaintiffs who become federal witnesses will be rigorous, said Michael Bachner, a former New York prosecutor who was part of Combs’ defense team in 2001 during the Manhattan gun and bribery trial that ended with the rap mogul’s acquittal.

“They will want to know, is there corroboration or proof?” Bachner said about federal prosecutors. “Many of these allegations are decades old – do hospital records exist? Is there an explanation for a 13-year-old going to a VMA party? Why was she alone?”

This verification is already underway.

Federal prosecutors have been questioning the plaintiffs for months in a not-so-secret process – they recently filed a defense brief asking a Combs judge in Manhattan to gag potential witnesses and their lawyers.

Producer Combs Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones he filed a $30 million lawsuit in February regarding sexual assault and harassment, allegations Combs has denied and is seeking to have them dismissed.

Last week, Tyrone Blackburn, Jones’ lawyer, told a federal judge in Manhattan that he and his client met multiple times with prosecutors, and Jones drew a map of Combs’ home and shared photos, according to Law 360.

Blackburn, who also represents Combs’ accuser Liza Gardnerdid not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Blackburn dropped Jones’ claims against UMG Recordings, Motown Records and Universal Music Group in May after lawyers for the music companies complained about inconsistencies in the lawsuit.

Another of Combs’ lawsuits, filed in July by adult film actress Adria Englishsimilarly landed in the courts this month when her lawyers successfully asked to withdraw from the case, citing “irreconcilable differences” with the English language, according to court documents. Lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Experts say Combs’ defense attorneys will seek to question the financial motives not only of the plaintiffs who take the stand in May, but also of their lawyers.

Last week, in a request for an injunction to remain silent, the defense accused the plaintiff’s lawyers of using a “publicity stunt” tactic to trigger “torrent of accusations“

Last month, they selected Buzbee to livestream a press conference during which anyone with claims was advised to call the “1-800” number. The hotline received 12,000 calls in the first 24 hours, the New York Post said.

“We will let the allegations in the complaints filed speak for themselves and we will work to ensure that justice is served,” Buzbee told BI this week.