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Jury selection for hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs’s high-profile sex trafficking trial commenced on May 5, 2025, in Manhattan federal court. This marks the beginning of a complex legal battle. Combs faces serious charges, including racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking, with the trial expected to last approximately eight weeks. The selection process has been meticulous, involving one-on-one interviews with potential jurors to assess their ability to remain impartial. Now, Combs’ team is bringing in the big guns with a jury consultant. Here’s what the consultant will do for Combs.

Sean “Diddy” Combs’ trial has officially begun with jury selection. According to DailyMail.com, Combs’ legal team now includes jury consultant Linda Moreno to profile potential jurors.

Moreno is well-known in the world of jury consultants. She chose the jury that acquitted Sami Al-Arian, a college professor in Florida who was indicted on terrorism charges. Moreno was able to dissect the backgrounds of each juror to choose the right mix that benefited her client. It seems she intends to do the same for Combs.

Not only will Moreno dig into the backgrounds of the jurors, but she’ll closely watch the reaction of the jury as they move through the process. This will allow Moreno to identify any weaknesses in the defense. To make matters more interesting, Moreno worked as a high-profile criminal defense attorney before she became a jury consultant.

The defense and the prosecution will select 12 people as their jury for Combs’ case. And they hope to find their jury within three days. Each potential juror stood before the judge, the prosecution, and the defense to answer questions. The jury pool was questioned on whether they had any personal experiences with sexual assault. They were also asked about specific celebrity names, such as Kanye “Ye” West and Destiny’s Child singer Michelle Williams.

Potential jurors must answer these 4 questions

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Sean “Diddy” Combs’ legal team hopes to find a jury that will benefit their defense. However, before the defense and prosecution settle on their final 12 jurors, they have four major questions to ask.

According to documents obtained by DailyMail.com, jurors will be asked if they have any feelings regarding paying commercial sex workers for sex. “Do you have any feelings, beliefs, or experiences relating to prostitution and the enforcement of laws around prostitution that could affect your ability to be fair and impartial in this case?” the question reads.

The potential jurors are also asked about guns. “Do you have any feelings, beliefs, or experiences about guns and the enforcement of gun laws that could affect your ability to be fair and impartial in this case?” the question reads.

Next, the potential jurors will be asked about illegal drugs. “Do you have any feelings, beliefs, or experiences relating to illegal drugs, the enforcement of drug laws, drug use, or drug addiction that could affect your ability to be fair and impartial in this case?” the question reads.

Finally, the potential jurors will hear about allegations of sexual assault. “Would you have any difficulty assessing the credibility of such a witness just like you would any other witness?” the question reads.

The jurors will likely hear ‘extremely disturbing’ evidence in Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ trial

Mark A. Weissman, a principal attorney in Offit Kurman’s Commercial Litigation Practice Group, said this case might be tough to stomach. Even if jurors already know about the allegations against Sean “Diddy” Combs, the “testimony and evidence” could prove difficult to hear.

“Because, even outside the specific charges against him in this case, Diddy was already the subject of claims of sexual abuse,  gruesome mistreatment of women, and other acts of violence,” he said in a statement to Showbiz Cheat Sheet. “And I expect that the testimony and evidence presented in the trial is likely to be extremely disturbing for jurors — even for jurors who may not really know about Diddy, or have an opinion about him.”

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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