As jury selection in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial is set to begin in early May, his legal team is reportedly seeing a major addition in the form of L.A.-based attorney Mark Geragos, who has made a name for himself defending both beloved and deeply maligned celebrities and public figures over the past several decades.
Michael Jackson, Winona Ryder, Jodi Arias, Jussie Smollett, Scott Peterson and many more household names make up Geragos’ list of past clients as he went to trial to defend them against allegations of child molestation, shoplifting, murder in the first degree and filing false reports with police. His client list alone indicates that not every case has been a feather in the cap for the celebrity lawyer, but he is renowned for providing a rigorous defense and often pulling off surprising wins in California’s courthouses.
While he has not officially been confirmed as part of the Combs defense team, a spot seemed to open when attorney Anthony Ricco withdrew from his case. He filed the motion to withdraw in Manhattan federal court on Feb. 20, cryptically stating, “under no circumstances can I continue to effectively serve as counsel [for Combs].”
Combs and Geragos have several other ties, too. For decades, Kenny Meiselas, the father of Ben Meiselas, a partner at Geragos’ namesake law firm, has been Combs’ personal lawyer. And Geragos has stated publicly that he has been friends with Combs for at least a decade and said he has represented the rap star in the past — though it is unclear precisely how, and, if this representation was in court cases, which ones Geragos was involved with.
Since Combs’ houses were raided in March 2024, Geragos has appeared on television news, particularly on NewsNation’s Cuomo with former CNN host Chris Cuomo, as a guest and pundit to discuss his friend and sometimes client’s case. Here’s a look at some of the statements about Diddy and his legal woes over the past year.
In March 2024, Geragos appeared as part of a panel of guests on Cuomo and described the federal raids on Combs’ L.A. and Miami homes as a “shock and awe message.” The attorney, who was not known to be associated with Combs professionally, suggested that it was aimed at pressuring potential witnesses to cooperate with authorities.
After CNN’s release in May of that year of shocking and horrifying surveillance video from 2016 that shows Combs assaulting his former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura at a Los Angeles hotel, Geragos expressed skepticism about the timing and motive behind the leak, suggesting it was strategically released following the raids. Last month, when Combs’ legal team told the court that CNN altered the footage, Geragos zeroed in on the matter on his 2 Angry Men podcast. As his co-host, TMZ’s Harvey Levin said he can’t see why the footage would be admissible at trial, Geragos spent time on the podcast deeply questioning why the network would alter a piece of media that’s so damaging.
Finally, during an October TV appearance, Geragos spent time casting doubt on the credibility of witness Courtney Burgess, who claims to have sex tapes featuring Combs and some of his celebrity friends. Geragos has questioned the authenticity of the evidence and publicly indicated that Burgess’ claim about having or having seen the footage “doesn’t pass the smell test.” The attorney also said on News Nation’s Cuomo that he questions the prosecution’s motives regarding Burgess.
“I suspect that the prosecutors brought him in front of the grand jury to run it down,” Geragos told host Chris Cuomo. “Because I don’t think anything anybody’s buying what he’s selling.”