Warner Bros. is fighting back against Diddy’s legal team. The media company’s legal reps have reportedly asked a New York judge to stop a subpoena from Sean “Diddy” Combs’ team that demands the “raw, unedited interviews and other materials” related to two people who appeared in “The Fall of Diddy,” the Investigation Discovery documentary.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Combs’ legal team filed the subpoena in March, seeking “all of the unedited recordings from interviews with two individuals who appeared in the four-part documentary series.” As readers may remember, the documentary series premiered in January of this year. Diddy’s team is also seeking “any notes or journals sent to producers of the series and records of any payments that may have been made to the two individuals for their participation in the documentary.”
This is all happening as Diddy’s trial looms after his arrest last year on federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges. Warner Bros. attorneys asked federal Judge Arun Subramanian to quash the subpoena, citing “reporter’s privilege as the legal justification for keeping the materials out of view” from Combs and his legal team.
“Reporter’s privilege,” as The Hollywood Reporter describes, protects journalists from “being compelled by the court to reveal confidential sources or information,” and is rooted in First Amendment rights and our free and open press.
“Mr. Combs seeks outtakes from interviews with two persons featured in the docuseries,” Warner Bros. attorney Thomas Sullivan wrote to Judge Subramanian in a statement obtained by the outlet. “The interview outtakes it seeks are protected by the reporter’s privilege that applies to unpublished newsgathering materials.”
The statement continues, “Mr. Combs has not met, and cannot meet, his burden to overcome that privilege.” According to the judge, Combs and his team have until Thursday to respond to Sullivan’s motion to quash.
As we reported, the Diddy documentary series had the internet talking, as it contained details regarding all things Diddy, including those “Freak Off” parties, the alleged abuse of Kim Porter and even information about the 1999 club shooting incident.
Diddy’s trial is currently set to begin on May 12.