Sean 'Diddy' Combs’ lawyers ask for acquittal or new trial

The rapper asked Wednesday for a judge to vacate a jury’s verdict or to grant Combs a new trial. They argue that under the Mann Act, his conviction should be overturned.

By Tess Phillips

Published: July 31, 2025 5:23pm

Updated: July 31, 2025 5:30pm

Lawyers for convicted music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs are asking a judge to vacate a jury’s verdict or to grant their client a new trial.

A jury earlier this summer found Combs guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.

The lawyers are using the Mann Act in their argument that his conviction should be overturned. The law prohibits transportation of individuals across state lines for prostitution purposes, according to The New York Times.

They ask that the new trial be limited to evidence on the Mann Act charges “due to severe spillover prejudice from reams of inflammatory evidence."

Combs's trial lasted for eight weeks in Manhattan, and in the end Combs was acquitted of the sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges against him.

In the 62-page motion to vacate the jury’s verdict, The New York Times reported, the defense said that if the judge does not grant its request for an acquittal, Combs should be given a new trial.