The lawsuit around Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs could have become the largest #metoo case so far. What does the judgment mean?

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs was partly acquitted on Wednesday in the New York court. The jury did not consider Combs to be guilty of the relatively heavy indictment of leading a criminal organization (‘Racketeering with Conspiracynor to two charges with regard to human trafficking for the sex industry. The jury did see enough evidence for the transport of people with a view to prostitution twice.

Imbs collapsed immediately after hearing the jury’s verdict, put his hands on the chair in front of him and started praying his head down. The room burst into a loud applause, outside the courtroom rose cheers and the lawyers of Combs called the ruling a victory: “We are extremely happy“, Xavier Donaldson, one of the lawyers, told the BBC.

Judge Arun Subramanian did judged that Combs will remain in pre -trial detention until the determination of his sentence on 3 October, despite the defense request to release him. Combs would be a ‘model prisoner’ and a responsible family man. Subramanian did not participate, referring to Combs’ violent past and lack of respect for the rule of law.

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Less heavy

Given his emotional behavior and the words of the defense, it may seem as if Diddy was fully acquitted on Wednesday. That is not the case. He is indeed held responsible for the fact that he let sex workers fly in to have sex with his then girlfriends Cassie Ventura and Jane (pseudonym). However, the jury’s judgment is a lot less heavy than many people had expected. After all, it could have been the largest #metoo case ever for which Combs could have been given life imprisonment, provided that he has the so-called Rico Act [Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act] would have violated. But the attempt to show that Combs founded a criminal organization, with accomplices and henchmen, intended exclusively to facilitate his sexual desires, is insufficiently substantiated.

The convictions that have been pronounced fall under the Mann Act, for sexual crimes. Both Jane and Cassie Ventura testified about sex with male escorts while Combs watched, something they said they repeatedly refused but still had to go through. Each of those two convictions can lead to ten years in prison (and therefore twenty in total). However, the OM is aiming for a punishment of four to five years. The defense argues for 21 to 27 months. Combs has been receiving a ten -month deduction for his custody, since he has been detained since September last year.

Counterfeit

Although Combs has been found guilty of facilitating prostitution, the matter can no longer be compared with #metoo matters of the Kaliber Weinstein or Epstein. Some commentators in international media as The Guardiantherefore, place the statement in the context of a broader, social counter -reaction to #metoo. Because despite the violence that the women have had to endure in this case (what Combs has known), the jury still chooses the side of the powerful man. A tendency that would fit the status quo from before #metoo, in which women who speak against the men who abuse them are praised – both publicly and in the courtroom.

Take the text messages between combs and victims Cassie and Jane, who played a central role in the process. For example, Cassie wrote a message in 2009 ‘Always Ready to Freak Off Lolol“According to Combs’ defense, such messages would show that the women liked to participate in the ‘freak-offs’ and that the sex with third parties was consensual. The women would also be on money and fame, and therefore brought themselves into combs. The OM brought against that the text messages were sent for fear, so that it turns out to be a hardness and manipulation. Criminal conspiracy also shows how high the legal threshold is in the United States to demonstrate structurally sexual abuse, especially with perpetrators of stature.

And then there is the showbiz content of the business. According to the BBC, the situation before the court was an “absolute circus” in recent weeks. For weeks there were crowds of people: from activists to influencers and journalists from all kinds of media. There was fighting and shouting, especially to witnesses who left the court. On Tuesday there was another real work-Competition place (who is best to shake the buttocks), and were sprayed with baby oil (with which combs facilitated his sex parties). Shirts were also sold with the text ‘A Freako is not a rico‘Referring to the indictment and the freak-offs.

Despite this kind of striking statement of support, the chance that combs recover from reputation damage is small. Few people in Showbizzland who will still want to work with him. But how small that chance is exactly will depend on the ultimate penalty.

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