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Sean “Diddy” Combs seeking release of names of his accusers
Lawyers for Sean “Diddy” Combs asked a New York judge Tuesday to force prosecutors to disclose the names of his accusers in his sex trafficking case.
The lawyers wrote in a letter to a Manhattan federal court judge that the hip-hop music maker needs to know the identities of his alleged victims so he can prepare adequately for trial.
Last week, a May 5 trial date was set for Combs. He has pleaded not guilty.
Prince Williams / Wireimage / Getty Images
A spokesperson for prosecutors declined comment.
Combs, 54, remains incarcerated without bail after his Sept. 16 federal sex trafficking arrest. His lawyers have asked a federal appeals court to let him be freed to home detention so he can more easily meet with lawyers and prepare for trial.
So far, judges have concluded he is a danger to the community and cannot be freed.
The request to identify accusers comes a day after six new lawsuits were filed against Combs anonymously to protect the identities of the alleged victims. Two of the accusers were identified as Jane Does while four men were listed in the suits as John Does. The suits claim he used his fame and promises of boosting their own prospects in the music industry to persuade victims to attend lavish parties or drug-fueled hangouts where he then assaulted them.
The plaintiffs in Monday’s lawsuits are part of what their lawyers say is a group of more than 100 accusers who are in the process of taking legal action against Combs.
In their letter Tuesday to Judge Arun Subramanian, attornies for Combs said the case against their client is unique in part because of the number of accusers. They attributed the quantity to “his celebrity status, wealth and the publicity of his previously settled lawsuit.”
That reference appeared to cite a November lawsuit filed by his former girlfriend, Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura. Combs settled the lawsuit the next day but its allegations of sexual and physical abuse have followed him since.
The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly, as Ventura did.
Combs’ lawyers said the settlement of Cassie’s lawsuit, along with “false inflammatory statements” by federal agents and Combs’ fame have “had a pervasive ripple effect, resulting in a torrent of allegations by unidentified complainants, spanning from the false to outright absurd.”
They said the lawsuits filed Monday, along with other lawsuits, and their “swirling allegations have created a hysterical media circus that, if left unchecked, will irreparably deprive Mr. Combs of a fair trial, if they haven’t already.”
The lawyers wrote that the government should identify alleged victims because Combs has no way of knowing which allegations prosecutors are relying on in their accusations in an indictment.
“To the extent Mr. Combs is forced to mount a defense against criminal allegations that the government does not seek to prove at trial, he is entitled to know that,” the lawyers said.
The indictment alleges Combs coerced and abused women for years, with the help of a network of associates and employees, while using blackmail and violent acts including kidnapping, arson and physical beatings to keep victims from speaking out.
Walt Disney World and Disneyland will soon make skipping the line easier for a limited few willing to pay a hefty sum for the privilege.
The Florida and California resorts on Wednesday unveiled a Lightning Lane Premier Pass alongside the current Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass. Akin to line-jumping passes at rival theme parks, Disney’s new offering will let people into Lightning Lane attractions without having to book ahead.
The passes must be purchased along with the cost of park tickets.
Not every attraction has what Disney calls a “Lightning Lane,” meaning a faster entryway. There are 55 attractions with the quicker lanes at the four Disney World parks and 24 at the two Disneyland parks.
Disneyland
California’s Disneyland is launching its Lightning Lane Premier Pass next week, on Wednesday, October 23. There’s no advance booking ahead of that date for now, but in the future guests will be able to buy the pass up to two days before a park reservation.
Open to all customers on a first-come, first-served basis — but with very limited availability — Disneyland’s pass will include Lightning Lane access at both Disneyland and Disneyland California Adventure on the same day.
For the remainder of 2024, the tab for Disneyland’s pass runs $400 a person, per day. That includes for kids ages 3 and up, as well as adults. The passes will range from $300 to $400 in 2025, depending on the date.
Disney World
Billed as a “convenient way to save time in line,” the Lightning Lane Premier Pass allows one-time entry to each Lightning Lane experience in a theme park, starting Oct. 30, 2024, for guests staying at Disney Resorts and other Disney hotels in Florida.
Guests will be able to buy the passes up to seven days ahead of their visit, except for the launch date, for which no advance purchases are allowed. Disney World’s Lightning Lane Premier Pass will be park-specific, with prices varying depending on the park and date.
Folks can see Lightning Lane pass prices 21 days in advance on Disney World’s app. Here’s a rundown of the cost, per person, per day:
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom: $129 – $199 plus tax
- EPCOT: $169 – $249 plus tax
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios: $269 – $349 plus tax
- Magic Kingdom: $329 – $449 plus tax
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Daughter of woman missing since Hurricane Helene searches for closure: “It’s hard to truly grieve”
It’s been nearly three weeks since Hurricane Helene made landfall as a powerful Category 4 storm, plowing through six states in the Southeast.
Officials say dozens of people are still missing as search crews continue to dig through layers of mud and debris. The storm has left at least 244 people dead, most in North Carolina.
Jessica Meidinger’s 58-year-old mother, Kim Ashby, is among the missing. Floodwaters swamped her home in Elk Park, North Carolina, and she was torn from her husband’s arms. CBS News first spoke to Meidinger and her family two weeks ago. She said she now accepts her mother is likely gone.
“It’s hard to truly grieve a person without a body and move on from this,” Meidinger said. “It’s just … we feel stuck.”
Meidinger said the treacherous terrain has hindered the weeks-long search.
“It’s probably 20 miles of river, that there’s just piles of debris all along the way. There’s areas that you basically have to rappel down in order to continue to follow the river, to see if she might be there, and it’s not just piles of debris, there’s just feet high of sediment that you have to dig through.”
On Tuesday, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said close to 100 people remain missing statewide. The Department of Public Safety formed a task force to find who is still unaccounted for and focus efforts where needed, Cooper said.
FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell previously spoke about the historic flooding in North Carolina from Helene on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” saying, “I don’t know that anybody could be fully prepared for the amount of flooding and landslides that they are experiencing right now.”
FEMA has resumed its normal operations in North Carolina after temporarily relocating amid a reported threat.
Meanwhile, Meidinger said the hardest part will be telling her 3-year-old son, who adores his grandmother.
“I think we’ve chosen not to tell him because to tell him in a way that she’s still missing is not something you can do for a 3-year-old. It’s gotta be pretty finite and that’s … hard enough to explain that someone is no longer with us, but to say that we don’t even know where she is, that’s impossible.”
