Attorneys for Sean Combs say the video of the corridor attack has been changed

Attorneys for Sean Combs said at a court hearing Friday that the leaked security video showing Combs assaulting his ex-girlfriend was “deceived” and that he would demand that he not be granted evidence in his upcoming trial on sex trafficking charges.

Recorded in a 2016 Los Angeles hotel, the video was aired by CNN last year, months before COMBS's arrest. He showed that he be-hit, kicked and dragged his ex-girlfriend and artist Cassandra Ventura to sign his record label with her former stage name, Cathy.

COMBS's lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said forensic analysis of security footage aired by CNN showed that the video was sourced from the original source, events were drawn from order, and timestamps from the original tape were hidden.

“That's deceptive evidence,” Agnifilo argued. However, Combs' attorneys did not define how the sequence changes influenced viewers' understanding of what happened.

Combs' legal team also accused CNN of destroying the original footage and said it plans to file a motion to remove the video from the evidence at Combs' criminal trial, which is scheduled to begin in May.

CNN denied the allegations in a statement from a spokeswoman. “CNN did not modify the video and did not destroy the original copy of the footage held by the source,” the statement said.

COMBS lawyers do not object that CNN footage shows Combs attacking Ventura. After the network first aired in May, Combs apologised, saying he took “full responsibility” for his actions.

Mitzi S. Steiner, one of the prosecutors handling the case, called the footage a critical evidence and denied it being deceived. She said the government does not have original surveillance footage, but she said she has a copy on the device depicting the original.

“This is important evidence that they are trying to keep them out,” Steiner said.

Judge Arun Subramanian asked both sides to reach a compromise on the footage. This suggests that if the sequence is missing, you can either find a way to fix it or slow it down in a way that reflects the original.

The footage was central to the government's claim that Sex had trafficked Ventura, and was part of the argument that Combs had a violent nature and should be jailed without bail. He pleaded not guilty to the charges and has been held in federal jail in Brooklyn since his arrest.

Prosecutors say the video shows the recent sexual encounter known as “freak-off,” where Combs, who is about to drag Ventura into his hotel room, has occurred recently. Combs' lawyers argue that violence is not related to gender, but rather to controversy over affairs.

In late 2023, Ventura accused Combs of years of abuse in a lawsuit that led to a criminal investigation. They quickly settled down, and while the music mogul denied abuse anyone, dozens of other lawsuits continue to blame Combs for similar conduct.

Since his arrest in September, Combs, 55, has faced accusations of running a “criminal corporation” that is suspected of crime, including sex trafficking, inducing and arson. Prosecutors say Combs had a pattern of manipulating women. He is accused of maintaining control over women through physical violence, drugs and financial support.

His lawyers have called the flood of charges and creepy media coverage “circus,” and in recent months, Combs has fought back by filing a media company and his own lawsuit that he said he had sex tapes containing Combs.

His lawyers had previously accused the government of leaking the video to CNN. Prosecutors denied doing so, and the Subramanian judge said there was compelling evidence that the source of the video was not government, without detail.

During the hearing, Combs pleaded not guilty to the amended charges sealed this month. The indictment included new allegations that Combs forced certain employees to work long hours with little sleep and to force one employee to gender.

Combs' attorneys argue that he has never forced anyone to do sex, and that it revolves around a consensual relationship with his girlfriend. They argued that Combs unfairly targeted socially acceptable acts: hiring escorts.

The exam is estimated to last about eight weeks, and the selection of ju judges will begin in late April.