Extract:
A lawyer representing Sean “Diddy” Combs’ ex-girlfriend and a key witness in his federal criminal trial, Cassie Ventura, praised her courage for filing a lawsuit that he said “paved the way” for his eventual conviction on two counts, as some lamented that a jury acquitted Combs on more serious charges.
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Women’s Organizations Criticize Diddy’s Sex Trafficking Acquittals
Some women’s advocacy organizations criticized Combs’ acquittals on sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. Arisha Hatch, interim executive director of women’s advocacy organization UltraViolet, told the New York Times the split verdict is “a stain on a criminal justice system that for decades has failed to hold accountable abusers like Diddy,” pointing to a “culture in which not believing women and victims of sexual assault remains endemic.” Ann Olivarius, a lawyer who specializes in sexual harassment and assault cases, said in a statement to Forbes she is “surprised” he was acquitted on the more serious charges. “Juries don’t make decisions in a cultural vacuum,” Olivarius said, calling the verdict a “painful reminder of why so many survivors pursue justice through civil lawsuits” instead of through the criminal justice system.
