Music mogul Sean Combs has demanded Warner Bros turn over unaired footage and documents from their documentary series "The Fall of Diddy," sparking a legal battle just weeks before his sex-trafficking trial begins in Manhattan.
Combs' legal team issued a subpoena in March requesting all raw and unedited footage of interviews with two accusers featured in the documentary, which aired on Max in January. The subpoena also seeks any notes, journals, and records of payments made to these individuals.
Warner Bros is pushing back against these demands. On Tuesday, the studio's attorneys filed a motion to quash the subpoena, arguing it violates "reporter's privilege" - long-standing legal protections that shield journalists from being forced to reveal unpublished materials and confidential sources.
The two individuals in question are described in court documents as Combs' former personal chef and a former romantic partner. The chef discusses her employment experience with Combs and rumors she heard during her time working for him. The former partner speaks about their relationship and alleges a sexual assault incident.
Warner Bros' attorney Thomas B. Sullivan called Combs' request an overly broad "fishing expedition" in a nine-page court filing. Sullivan argued that even if obtained, such interview recordings would be considered hearsay and inadmissible in court.
The studio has refused to meet Tuesday's deadline for surrendering the materials. Combs' legal team has until Thursday to respond to Warner Bros' motion to block the subpoena.
With jury selection approaching in three weeks for his sex-trafficking trial, this latest legal skirmish adds another layer of complexity to Combs' mounting legal challenges. Representatives for both Combs and Warner Bros have not commented on the ongoing dispute.