Sexual assault survivors say Sean 'Diddy' Combs verdict a 'step back' for #MeToo movement

NBC News

2 days ago

Moments after Sean 'Diddy' Combs was acquitted of racketeering and sex trafficking charges on Wednesday, a celebration erupted outside the Manhattan federal courthouse. Supporters and influencers sported homemade merch, sprayed baby oil on each other and cheered 'Free Puff!'
But for some sexual assault survivors and advocates, the verdict delivered what they described as a devastating 'step back' for the #MeToo movement, which gained prominence in 2017 after producer Harvey Weinstein was accused of assault. The former Hollywood mogul was among a handful of powerful men who were convicted as part of a broader cultural reckoning against sexual harassment and assault.
'It is heartbreaking,' Kaja Sokola, a former model from Poland who was one of three women who testified in Weinstein's May retrial.
'A few years ago, we were more aware. Maybe because it was the first wave, people were paying attention to it,' she said. Now, it's 'suddenly started to shift to 'Don't believe all women,' or 'Women are liars.''
Online, many women echoed Sokola's concerns, calling the verdict and public support for Combs disappointing. Others expressed solidarity with witnesses who testified about Combs' alleged behavior, including Cassie Ventura. The R&B singer, who appeared in court while nine months pregnant, accused him of sexual abuse and forced, drug-dazed 'freak offs' with escorts and baby oil.
Combs' New York federal trial ended Wednesday after seven weeks of harrowing testimony from 34 witnesses. Prosecutors alleged that Combs leveraged his wealth, power and influence as the head of a 'criminal enterprise' to exploit and sexually abuse women for over two decades. The defense declined to call any witnesses, arguing the government's case was 'badly exaggerated' and that their client was being targeted for his 'swinger' lifestyle.
After less than 14 hours of deliberation, the jury seemed to side with Combs' defense team, finding him not guilty of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. The music mogul, however, was convicted of two counts of Mann Act violations for transporting male escorts and former girlfriends, Ventura and 'Jane,' for sex.
As the verdict was read in the packed courtroom, Combs fell to his knees in prayer as his family cheered behind him. One of his defense attorneys, Teny Geragos, broke out in tears while another made a fist in triumph.
'It's a great victory for Sean Combs,' defense attorney Marc Agnifilo told reporters outside the courthouse. 'It's a great victory for the jury system. You saw that the Southern District of New York prosecutors came at him with all that they had.'
Attorney Gerald Griggs, who represents some victims of R. Kelly, the disgraced R&B superstar who was convicted of racketeering and other charges, also said he believes the outcome of Combs' case 'underscores how seriously our system treats allegations of this nature.'
'Regardless of public reaction, due process remains a fundamental right, and every survivor deserves to be heard,' Griggs said. 'This case is a reminder of the ongoing need for transparency, accountability and equal justice under the law.'
But the mixed verdict was what former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani described as 'nothing less than a complete and total failure by the prosecution.'
Rahmani expressed concern that the case could 'have a chilling effect on other victims coming forward,' noting how Ventura and 'Jane' both had to share explicit details about their relationships with Combs in court.
'They had to relive their trauma in a very public and embarrassing way,' Rahmani said. 'And you better believe other victims will hesitate to do the same if they won't be believed.'
Nicole Bedera, a sociologist who studies sexual violence, said that while she's noticed 'hostility' toward survivors and the broader #MeToo movement in recent years, she doesn't think victims are no longer being believed.
'I think we're in a new era where instead of people trying to convince us not to believe survivors, they tell us the survivors deserved it,' she said. 'It's something we need to be careful about, because there's nothing that justifies violently attacking a partner or sexually assaulting a partner.'
I think we're in a new era where instead of people trying to convince us not to believe survivors, they tell us the survivors deserved it.
-Nicole Bedera, a sociologist who studies sexual violence
Some survivors said they believe the jury's decision underscored a sobering new reality that has emerged in the wake of trials such as Johnny Depp and Amber Heard 's,which culminated in 2022 with jurors finding that Heard had defamed her ex-husband by writing in a 2018 op-ed for The Washington Post that she had become a 'public figure representing domestic abuse.' During the trial, she testified in graphic terms about a sexual assault she alleged, as well as allegations of physical abuse. Depp has denied all allegations of abuse.
'It serves as a painful reminder of how often our voices go unheard in a system that should protect us,' Caitlin Dulany, an actress who accused Weinstein of sexual harassment and assault that took place in the mid-1990s but was not part of his criminal trials, told NBC News in a text message. 'We share our truths, hoping for justice, but so often our voices seem to disappear into the void.'
UltraViolet, a national women-led justice organization, said it was 'deeply disheartened, but unfortunately not surprised' by the outcome of the Combs case.
'Our criminal justice system failed yet again today. It failed to protect survivors, and it failed to hold accountable serial abusers — often wealthy, powerful men like Diddy,' Arisha Hatch, interim executive director of UltraViolet, said in a statement. 'The legal system is set up in such a way that testifying as a survivor is arduous and emotionally torturous. On top of that, women are routinely not believed in the courtroom.'
Still, Combs did not come out of this trial scot-free. He is being held in jail ahead of his October sentencing, where he faces the possibility of years in prison. Several lawsuits are still pending against Combs, and his reputation could be tarnished by the lurid details revealed in court about his past relationships.
No matter the outcome of the case, some said the testimonies of Ventura and 'Jane' served as powerful reminders that they are not alone.
Attorney Douglas Wigdor, who represented Ventura, said in a statement that his client 'displayed unquestionable strength and brought attention to the realities of powerful men in our orbit and the misconduct that has persisted for decades without repercussion.'
Singer Kesha also joined the chorus of people online who praised Ventura for her bravery.
The 'Tik Tok' artist previously brought abuse allegations against her former producer Dr. Luke. (He has not been charged with a crime and has denied all of Kesha's allegations. In 2023, the two reached a settlement in his defamation suit over her allegation that he raped her.)
'Cassie, I believe you,' she wrote in a post on X. 'I love you. Your strength is a beacon for every survivor.'