Why have Diddy's lawyers filed for mistrial? Perez Hilton calls them "theatrics" after lawyers claim Cassie's testimony was "demonstrably false"

Sean "Diddy" Combs' legal team has asked the judge to declare a mistrial in his ongoing federal racketeering and sex trafficking litigation. According to People, Diddy's lawyers submitted a letter to Judge Arun Subramanian on June 7, alleging "prosecutorial misconduct" and calling Cassie Ventura's testimony about the Bryana Bongolan balcony incident “demonstrably false.”

Pop news commentator and podcaster Perez Hilton has now commented on this in a video uploaded on June 8 on his YouTube channel. Hilton explained the reason for filing the mistrial and also called this filing "theatrics."

"It should be noted that requesting mistrials is theatrics and the norm in long federal cases like this one. The judge already denied an earlier request for a mistrial. Good luck with this one. Not going to happen," Hilton said.

Hilton explained the reasons behind Combs' defense filing for a mistrial. Perez explains that in her testimony, Cassie said that "she saw" Diddy dangling Bongolon from the 17th-floor balcony. However, in a text exchange between Ventura and Kristina, Combs' former chief of staff, Ventura said she wrote she "found out," while referring to this incident.

Hilton commented on these discrepancies between Ventura's testimony and her message to Kristina. He said:

"Well, there's a big difference between 'I found out' and 'I saw.' Diddy's lawyers are making a big deal about this distinction. She testified that 'she saw' him dangle her friend from the balcony 17 stories up. But now text evidence proves that never happened. Cassie lied on the witness stand. And because of that, they demand a mistrial."

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What is a mistrial, and why did Diddy's defense file for a mistrial?

As per Merriam-Webster, a mistrial is:

"A trial that is cancelled because of an error in the proceedings."

According to Cornell Law School, a mistrial can be declared based on the following:

• Improper admission of prejudicial evidence.
• Misconduct by the court, counsel, parties, or witnesses.
• Jury errors.

As per the June 7 report by People, the defense in its filed letter stated:

“The government has presented testimony that it knew or should have known was materially false related to its allegation that Mr. Combs dangled Bryana Bongolan from the balcony of Cassie Ventura’s apartment in September 2016. Accordingly, to avoid an unfair conviction in this case, the Court should grant a mistrial.”

Diddy's legal team claimed, based on text exchanges between Ventura and Kristina Khorram, that the singer learned about the alleged incident later, and she had not witnessed it.

Apart from Ventura's testimony, Bryana Bongolan also testified in court and accused Combs of dangling her from the balcony of Ventura's 17th-floor apartment. Bongolan also filed a lawsuit against Combs in 2024 for the alleged assault.

The defense also questioned the timeline of the alleged incident. In the letter, the defense claimed that the photos of Bryana Bongolan's injuries were taken on September 26, 2016, in Los Angeles, while their client was in New York City from September 24 to 29, 2016. They further alleged that the prosecution is aware of this fact.

Based on these claims, the defense requested a mistrial due to alleged "prosecutorial misconduct." In the letter, Diddy's defense added:

“All of this was highly improper and exacerbated the harm caused by [...] the perjured testimony. The balcony incident is just one example of prosecutorial misconduct during this trial.”

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This marked the second time that the rapper's legal team pushed for a mistrial. According to The Guardian, Diddy's defense brought up a mistrial on May 28, claiming that the prosecution, through its questioning, attempted to suggest that Combs was involved in the destruction of the evidence linked to Kid Cudi's Porsche firebombing.