No mistrial for Sean 'Diddy' Combs

A newsletter by Reuters and Westlaw

By Karen Sloan

What's going on today?

Plus your weekly Career Tracker.

REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg

Sean "Diddy" Combs lost a bid for a mistrial in his sex-trafficking case on Wednesday, after his lawyers argued that prosecutors were improperly trying to suggest that the hip-hop mogul had evidence tied to an alleged arson incident destroyed, our colleagues Jack Queen and Luc Cohen report. 

Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to five counts including racketeering and sex trafficking. He faces up to life in prison if convicted on all counts.

Last week, Scott Mescudi—the rapper known as Kid Cudi—testified that his car was set on fire in 2012, shortly after Combs learned that Mescudi had a romantic relationship with Combs' on-and-off girlfriend, Casandra Ventura.

Alexandra Shapiro, a lawyer for Combs, said on Wednesday outside the jurors' presence that prosecutors' questions to a Los Angeles arson investigator who probed the fire implied that Combs had a role in the destruction of fingerprint evidence. U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian swiftly denied Shapiro's request for a mistrial.

"There was absolutely no testimony from the witness that was prejudicial in any way, shape or form," Subramanian said.

In New York: Simpson Thacher added executive compensation partner Jana Hymowitz from Cravath … Fried Frank brought on tax partner Brett Fieldston from KPMG … Mayer Brown hired corporate and securities partner Aideen Brennan from Sidley Austin.

In Boston: Kirkland brought on investment funds partner Andrew Fink from Gunderson Dettmer … Lyndsey Kruzer joined Cooley as a labor and employment partner from Choate … Nelson Mullins hired litigation partners Brandon Bigelow and William Benson from Seyfarth Shaw … Simpson Thacher picked up financing partner John Ilardo from Kirkland.

In Los Angeles: Paul Hastings brought on a five-partner real estate team in Los Angeles from Latham, including DJ Moore, Beth Gordie, Winston Stromberg, Benjamin Hanelin and Lauren Paull … Gibson Dunn rehired restructuring partner Andrew Cheng in Los Angeles from Goodwin.

In Chicago: Skadden hired litigation partner Matthew Regan from Kirkland ... Troutman Pepper Locke added government contracts partner Michael Barnicle from Arnold & Porter ... Neal Gerber Eisenberg rehired real estate partner David Theyssen in Chicago from Gozdecki, Del Giudice, Americus & Brocato.

In Houston: Simpson Thacher added project finance partner Fern Han in Houston from White & Case … O'Melveny brought on litigation partner Meghan McElvy in Houston from Bradley Arant. 

Across other cities: Former U.S. ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar rejoined WilmerHale as senior counsel in Denver … Seyfarth Shaw added labor and employment partner Kyle Nelson in Seattle from Perkins Coie … Foley & Lardner hired Silicon Valley-based corporate partners Gurpreet Bal from DLA Piper and Shaalu Mehra from McDermott … Pierson Ferdinand picked up employee benefits and executive compensation partner Sarah Ivy in Philadelphia from Saxton & Stump.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said said Hamas Gaza chief Mohammad Sinwar has been killed ... Minutes of the U.S. Federal Reserve's May meeting likely to show officials grappling with uncertainty ... California to allow more girls in track and field finals after Trump pressure to drop transgender athlete ... SpaceX's Starship spins out of control after flying past points of previous failures ... Salesforce to buy Informatica for $8 billion to bolster AI data tools ... Rock and ice thunders onto evacuated Swiss village after glacier collapse ... Tools made of whale bones reveal inventiveness of prehistoric people ... and our photos of the day.

sara.merken@thomsonreuters.com

@saramerken

The Afternoon Docket is sent 5 days a week. Think your friend or colleague should know about us? Forward this newsletter to them. They can also sign up here.

Want to stop receiving this email? Unsubscribe here. To manage which newsletters you're signed up for, click here.

This email includes limited tracking for Reuters to understand whether you've engaged with its contents. For more information on how we process your personal information and your rights, please see our Privacy Statement.

Terms & Conditions