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During Sean “Diddy” Combs’ trial, his lawyers made no attempt to deny that he had been physically abusive towards his romantic partners. Their main argument was that while he had done bad things, he was not guilty of everything the prosecution alleged. This was evidently a winning strategy, as Combs avoided the most serious charges. Combs’ lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, readily admitted that his client has some major issues.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ lawyer admitted his client has flaws

After the verdict, prosecutors pushed to keep Combs behind bars until his sentencing.

“He’s an extremely violent man with an extraordinarily dangerous temper who has shown no remorse and no regret for his multiple victims,” prosecutor Maurene Comey said, per CNN.

His lawyers have not denied that Combs has been violent. Agnifilo, while pushing for bail, admitted that though Combs has problems, he has tried to work on them.

“He has these flaws in his personality, which are significant, and which have held him back, which have brought him into this courtroom,” Agnifilo said. “He is a man who’s in the process of working on himself.”

Part of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ lawyers’ strategy was admitting he was abusive

During Combs’ trial, the prosecution called several of his employees. Agnifilo said that while Combs did not always treat them well, they still seemed to like working for him.

“Did they always like him? No way. Let’s not even go there,” he told the jury, per Variety. “But they loved him. They didn’t want to leave him.”

Though Agnifilo said the defense would “own” that Combs was abusive, they also said the abuse was “mutual” in his relationship with his former partner, Cassie Ventura.

“We are absolutely going to admit to domestic violence,” Agnifilo said, per People. “But at what point does it become coercive?”

Agnifilo described Ventura as a “strong” person with “a nature of violence,” who was “capable of starting physical confrontations.”

They have celebrated the verdict

Though jurors still found Combs guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution, he avoided the sex trafficking and racketeering charges. These charges were more serious and could have landed Combs in prison for the rest of his life. As a result, his defense team celebrated the verdict.

“Today’s a great victory,” Agnifilo said, per Variety. “It’s a great victory for Sean Combs, it’s a great victory for the jury system.”

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He credited the jurors for the decision.

“One thing stands between all of us and a prison, and that is a jury of 12 citizens,” he said. He believes the jury “got the situation right — or, certainly, right enough.”

Attorney Teny Geragos, who wiped away tears of joy after the verdict, also spoke.

“Sean Combs has not sexually assaulted anybody. I’ve been saying that for months,” she said. “The media got it wrong.”

While the defense celebrated their win in court, they said their fight was not yet over.

“We are not nearly done fighting,” Agnifilo said. “We’re not going to stop until he walks out of prison a free man to his family.”

How to get help: In the U.S., call the RAINN National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 to connect with a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area.

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