Legally Brunette: Lively v. Baldoni, The Diddy Trial & Jared Leto

Summary

Podcast Summary: Two Ts In A Pod with Teddi Mellencamp and Tamra Judge Episode: Legally Brunette: Lively v. Baldoni, The Diddy Trial & Jared Leto
Release Date: June 11, 2025
Host/Author: iHeartPodcasts

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Introduction

In this episode of Two Ts In A Pod, hosts Teddi Mellencamp and Tamra Judge delve into three high-profile legal cases involving celebrities: the ongoing dispute between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, the trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs, and the sexual misconduct allegations against Jared Leto. The discussion is candid, engaging, and rich with insights, providing listeners with a comprehensive overview of each case.

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1. Jared Leto's Sexual Misconduct Allegations

Timestamp: [03:15] - [09:27]

Emily Simpson opens the discussion by addressing recent accusations against Jared Leto, the lead singer of 30 Seconds to Mars and an acclaimed actor. Nine women have come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct, including incidents involving minors.

Key Points:

• Nature of Allegations:

  • Assaulting a 17-year-old.
  • Engaging in sexually explicit conversations with a 16-year-old.
  • Walking in front of a 17-year-old nude.

• Notable Testimonies:

  • Laura Larue: Met Leto at an animal rights benefit, leading to inappropriate interactions.
  • Ali Teals: Referred to Leto as "Hollywood's most persistent predator" after an alleged assault.

• Defense Statements:
  Leto's representatives deny all allegations, asserting that communications were professional and non-inappropriate.

Notable Quotes:

• Shane: "He is the worst. He's the prolific kilt wearing sexual predator, allegedly." [06:19]
• Emily Simpson: "She just put it in with the CRD. So you can say whatever you want about someone else as long as you put it on pleading paper, file it, and then you're protected under the litigation privilege." [28:08]

Discussion Highlights:

• The hosts express surprise and dismay over the severity of the allegations.
• They discuss the impact of these allegations on Leto's career and public image.
• The conversation touches on the legal aspects, including the denial of claims by Leto's team and the ongoing investigative processes.

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2. Justin Baldoni vs. Blake Lively Lawsuit Update

Timestamp: [14:08] - [36:03]

The bulk of the episode centers on Justin Baldoni's lawsuit against Blake Lively, which has seen significant developments with the dismissal of major claims by a federal judge.

Key Points:

• Background:

  • Lawsuit Filed: December 31, 2024, by Lively against Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Parties.
  • Claims: Sexual harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, and emotional distress.

• Judge's Ruling:

  • Date: June 9, 2025.
  • Decision: Dismissed the majority of Baldoni's claims, specifically civil extortion and defamation.
  • Reasoning: Lack of sufficient evidence to prove wrongful extortion and defamation under California law.

• Implications:

  • For Lively: A significant legal victory, potentially reinforcing her negotiating power in Hollywood.
  • For Baldoni: Limited grounds remain for further litigation, focusing on contractual issues rather than the more severe allegations.

Notable Quotes:

• Emily Simpson: "It's a 132-page decision by the judge... the majority of his claims are dismissed." [14:48]
• Shane: "Legal standards are different. It's not like she did anything moral... it's just legal." [30:58]
• Emily Simpson: "Legally you have no recourse. However, I do feel, and I'm sure people would agree with me, that she definitely lost in the court of public opinion." [30:58]

Discussion Highlights:

• Legal Analysis:
  The hosts break down the judge's decision, explaining why civil extortion and defamation claims were dismissed. They highlight the importance of proving actual damages and wrongful intent in such cases.

• Public Perception:
  Despite the legal victory, the hosts argue that Lively has suffered reputational damage in the eyes of the public, as evidenced by social media backlash.

• Future Developments:
  Baldoni's team may seek to amend and refile remaining claims related to contractual obligations, although the hosts remain skeptical about their success.

• Broader Implications:
  The episode touches on themes of power dynamics in Hollywood, the use of litigation as a tool for reputation management, and the challenges of balancing legal outcomes with public opinion.

---

3. Sean "Diddy" Combs' Trial

Timestamp: [36:03] - [57:56]

The third major topic is the ongoing trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs, who faces serious charges related to sex trafficking and abuse.

Key Points:

• Current Status:
  Diddy remains in jail, with his defense team seeking a mistrial based on alleged false testimony.

• Allegations:

  • Jane (Pseudonym): Former girlfriend and OnlyFans model, claims Diddy orchestrated sex trafficking events and exerted financial control.
  • Brianna Bongolan: Claims Diddy assaulted her by pulling her over a balcony railing, though defense disputes her alibi of being in New York City during the alleged incident.
  • Cassie Ventura: Alleged to have witnessed similar abusive behavior by Diddy, including coercion and threats.

• Prosecution's Case:
  Presents testimonies from multiple accusers, highlighting a pattern of coercion, control, and abuse by Diddy, aligning with federal definitions of sex trafficking.

• Defense's Argument:
  Asserts that all interactions were consensual and part of a swinger lifestyle. Claims any aggression was isolated domestic abuse incidents, not part of a larger trafficking operation.

Notable Quotes:

• Emily Simpson: "He continued to make faces at the jurors... trying to influence them by agreeing or disagreeing with testimony." [36:48]
• Shane: "Dangling them over the balcony by their ankles is just intimidating." [56:13]
• Emily Simpson: "The prosecution's stance is that Jane's testimony aligns closely with Ventura's, showing coercion via violence, drugs, threat of eviction, and blackmail." [46:41]

Discussion Highlights:

• Testimonies and Evidence:
  The hosts discuss the consistency between different accusers' testimonies, noting how Jane's account mirrors Cassie's previous statements. They also critique the defense's use of alibi evidence to undermine Bongolan's credibility.

• Legal Strategies:
  Diddy's attempts to intimidate the jury through his behavior in court are examined, raising concerns about jury impartiality and the integrity of the trial process.

• Social Commentary:
  The hosts express frustration with Diddy's alleged manipulative tactics and the broader issue of abusive power dynamics in the entertainment industry.

• Potential Outcomes:
  While the trial is ongoing, the hosts speculate on the possible ramifications for Diddy's career and personal life should the charges be substantiated.

---

Conclusion

In this episode of Two Ts In A Pod, Teddi Mellencamp and Tamra Judge provide an in-depth analysis of three significant legal battles in the entertainment world. From the dismissal of major claims in the Lively vs. Baldoni lawsuit to the escalating trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs and the grave allegations against Jared Leto, the hosts navigate complex legal terrain with clarity and insight. Their discussion not only sheds light on the specifics of each case but also prompts listeners to consider the broader implications of power, accountability, and public perception in Hollywood.

Final Thoughts:

• Emily Simpson: Encourages listeners to engage via social media and provides links to their Instagram for further interaction.
• Shane: Expresses a desire to move past the contentious cases, emphasizing the emotional toll these public disputes take.

Notable Closing Quote:

• Emily Simpson: "Thank you for listening." [57:30]

---

For more detailed discussions and updates on these cases, be sure to tune into the next episode of Two Ts In A Pod.

Transcript

[Emily Simpson]

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[Emily Simpson]

Hi guys. Welcome to another episode of Legally Brunette. I will be your host today, Emily Simpson with my co host, Shane. Shane. First of all, so much has been going on with the Diddy trial. So we are going to try our best to get into a little bit of. Also, so much going on in Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. And I appreciate that so many of you have sent DMs to me asking us to break that down because it is very complex. The judge's latest ruling, however, first, let's get into just a little bit with Jared Leto. Do you know who Jared Leto is?

[Shane]

I don't know.

[Emily Simpson]

Yeah, you do. 30 seconds to Mars.

[Shane]

I know the name. 30 seconds to Mars. It's a band.

[Emily Simpson]

Yeah.

[Shane]

So he's, that's all I know.

[Emily Simpson]

He's the lead singer, but he was also, he's also an actor. He's been in things. I know him best because I'm Gen X, but I know him best as Jordan Catalano from My so Called Life.

[Shane]

Oh, I don't know that either.

[Emily Simpson]

Well, if, if you are my age and you are a big fan and you are in love with Jordan Catalano like I was in the 90s, then you'll know who he is. Okay. Apparently, he has been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women who have come forward. So nine women have accused Jared Leto.

[Shane]

You know how to pick them.

[Emily Simpson]

Yeah, well, you know, I was a big, I was a big Sean Combs fan too. So nine women have accused Jared Leto of impropriety. This was an Air Mouse story published. It was on Friday, June 6. Some of the allegations include assaulting a 17 year old, walking in front of another 17 year old completely nude and engaging in sexually explicit conversations with a 16 year old. One woman, a former model named Laura Larue, said she met Leto at an animal rights benefit. I love that he loves animals, though.

[Shane]

Well, does he? Maybe this is where he picks up women.

[Emily Simpson]

I don't know. So I guess she met him at an animal rights benefit when she was 16.

[Shane]

There you go.

[Emily Simpson]

I just said she met him at an animal rights benefit. This led to email correspondence between them that eventually resulted in her visiting him in April of 2009. I remember him teasing me the whole time I was there. Larue told Air Mail. He was flirting with me. Then when LaRue was 17, Leto allegedly walked out of a room completely naked in the model's presence. He just walked out, dick out, like it was. Nor I thought maybe this is just what adult men do.

[Shane]

Some in Hollywood.

[Emily Simpson]

Yeah. Not you, though.

[Shane]

No.

[Emily Simpson]

A representative for Leto stated their communications contain nothing sexual or inappropriate. And Ms. LaRue later applied to work as Mr. Leto's personal assistant, further underscoring the absence of anything inappropriate in any of their interactions. LaRue denies ever applying to work as Leto's personal assistant. You know, it's always the personal assistant.

[Shane]

Defense, but that's what we said last week, wasn't it? When with the Chrisleys, it was like, oh, it wasn't me, it's the accountant.

[Emily Simpson]

Oh, yeah.

[Shane]

Well, so here it's like, it's not me, it's the assistant.

[Emily Simpson]

Well, no, he's claiming she wanted to be his personal assistant. So basically, if she was sexually harassed by him, why would she apply to work for him, is the argument.

[Shane]

But quit touching me. Do you have a job application?

[Emily Simpson]

Stop walking around naked. Can I come to your house every day?

[Shane]

How much do you pay?

[Emily Simpson]

Another woman named Ali Teals is a Los Angeles based DJ. She reposted a 2012 Facebook status to her Instagram story last month. You're not really in LA until Jared Leto tries to force himself on you backstage in a kilt and a snow hat, she wrote at the time. She also referred to him as Hollywood's most persistent predator. In a kilt and a follow up story.

[Shane]

Like. Like, there's a cat. There's a bunch of men in kilts in Hollywood that are sexually assaulting. And he's the worst of them all.

[Emily Simpson]

He is. He's the worst. He's the prolific kilt wearing sexual predator. Allegedly.

[Shane]

Yeah, allegedly. My father always told me, never trust a man in a kilt.

[Emily Simpson]

Oh, yeah, that was one of his rules.

[Shane]

Yes.

[Emily Simpson]

He was like, live and let live. Don't let things bother you.

[Shane]

And never trust a man in a kilt.

[Emily Simpson]

Got it. Well, you forgot the snow hat.

[Shane]

That's indifferent. Oh, snow hat or not.

[Emily Simpson]

Oh, that doesn't make a difference. It's really. It comes down to the kilt. All right. In a follow up story, Teals claim she was assaulted and traumatized by this creep when I was 17, alleging that he knew my age and did not care what he did was predatory, terrifying and unacceptable. There's other anonymous claims coming forward. Another woman, whose name Airmel did not publish, said she was an underage actress when she began texting with Leto and alleged that the relationship took a sexual turn when she turned 18. The woman claimed that at one point Leto began masturbating in her presence and asked her to, quote, silent spit on it. Wow, this podcast just took a completely different turn, didn't it? Yeah, we might have to call this explicitly Legally Brunette. A fourth woman alleges that she began texting Leto after meeting him at a cafe when she was only 16 and that the conversation turned sexual. According to the outlet, he'd asked things like have you ever had a boyfriend? Have you ever I this is making me so uncomfortable. Have you ever had oral sex? A representative for Latto told Air Mail. All of the allegations are expressly denied. Of course, other strange occurrences that are alleged in this also in this article as well. Cosmopolitan reported on A now deleted 2015 video posted by the director James Gunn accusing Leto of sleeping with underage girls. The next morning, Gunn posted good morning and sorry to all of you around the world who saw my Ambien fueled periscope session last night at 3am so basically he accuses him of sleeping with underage girls and then the next morning takes down his post and says that it was the result of Ambien.

[Shane]

I don't know these people. You can't keep up with them.

[Emily Simpson]

In 2016, Leto made headlines again for reportedly sending used condoms, anal beads and dead rats to his suicide squad co stars Margo Robbie, Will Smith and Viola Davis. I got so many weird things, robbie Letter later said in an interview with E. I can't even begin to tell you. And then in 2018, the British tabloid Metro reported on a Twitter post by the actor Dylan Sprouse that read, yo, Jared Leto, now that you've slid into the DMS of every female model age 18 to 25, what would you say your success rate is? So apparently there are a lot of instances with Jared Leto of Alleged.

[Shane]

You still like this Jared Leto guy?

[Emily Simpson]

Well, I didn't know about any of this before. I just remember, I bet you all.

[Shane]

His songs are all about sex and all this stuff, and I don't know.

[Emily Simpson]

What his songs are about.

[Shane]

But you like him.

[Emily Simpson]

I specified this in the beginning. I liked him as Jordan Catalano in the 90s on MTV.

[Shane]

You don't listen to 30 Seconds to Mars?

[Emily Simpson]

No, I couldn't name a single song. Can you?

[Shane]

No, of course not. But I disagree. I bet you do listen to him.

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[Emily Simpson]

Let's give an Update on Lively vs. Baldoni. So on June 9, 2025, Justin Baldoni's lawsuit against Blake Lively was dismissed by a federal judge. Okay, let's break it down.

[Shane]

This is big, right?

[Emily Simpson]

This is very big. First of all, the entire lawsuit wasn't dismissed, but the majority of it was. So I actually it is a 132 page decision by the judge which I made Shane print out for me, which he loves to do. And I read through it twice to break it down and try to break it down into digestible chunks so that we could all understand what this decision actually is.

[Shane]

Okay, so what is the decision?

[Emily Simpson]

Well, the majority of his claims are dismissed.

[Shane]

All right, so then we have ones to talk about that are dismissed, and then the ones that still are open for litigation.

[Emily Simpson]

Right, But I'll tell you, the big ones, the main ones are dismissed.

[Shane]

Okay. Okay, so what are the big ones?

[Emily Simpson]

All right, let's just do a little background. Just to give you guys a reminder. If you haven't followed the case that closely, I just want to give you a little background. So back in December 31st of 2024, Lively filed a complaint against the Wayfarer parties were, which is Baldoni and his production company bringing claims for sexual harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, and intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress. And if you remember, last week, Blake Lively's team actually dismissed from their lawsuit the intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress. And we talked about that in an earlier podcast. Then Baldoni and Wayfarer, which, again, is his production company, then filed their claim on January 16, 20, 20, 25. And then by January 30, 2025, the judge had ordered that the two cases be consolidated into one. Now, he sued Blake Lively as well as the New York Times was added, and then also her publicist. And also there's some claim against Ryan Reynolds. But it comes down to, basically, it was civil extortion, defamation and false light, breach of contract, tortious interference with a contract or prospective economic advantage, promissory fraud, and breach of implied covenant. I know those all sound very legal, and they're.

[Shane]

Well, they are very legal.

[Emily Simpson]

They are. I mean, I just meant very legalese. Like, they're all very legal terms. So basically, it boils down to two main broad themes that were dismissed from the case, which are the two big ones, that is the civil extortion and the defamation. All right, the elements of civil extortion under California law are not met. That is what the judge says. The Wayfarer parties have not adequately alleged that Lively's threats were wrongful extortion rather than legally permissible hard bargaining or renegotiation of working conditions. Additionally, the Wayfarer parties have not shown that some of Lively's alleged extortionate acts damaged them. So basically, they're saying, under California law, her acts of trying to coerce him into giving her the cut of the movie, giving her a producer's credit, having her take over the movie using her cut of the movie, do not constitute extortion under California law because the elements were not met. And basically what they're saying is coercion. It has to be coercion. And then there has to be some threat.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Emily Simpson]

And she's.

[Shane]

I'm guessing the threat is lacking. Yeah.

[Emily Simpson]

Right.

[Shane]

It's mostly. Okay. She was a crappy person.

[Emily Simpson]

Right.

[Shane]

Okay, so she was naggy.

[Emily Simpson]

Right.

[Shane]

Right. Or she was. She was kicking and screaming a little bit in the way she was behaving.

[Emily Simpson]

Right.

[Shane]

And not, you know, being civil according to her contract terms. Contractual terms.

[Emily Simpson]

Right.

[Shane]

In this case, it's like there was no threat. Like, they never. Ryan Reynolds never sent a text or something, basically.

[Emily Simpson]

And then also they. Where they. They told Baldoni that he was the one that had to make. Remember we talked about this in an earlier podcast where they basically threatened that if he didn't take responsibility for the marketing of the movie, like they wanted him to write that public statement that says that it was Wayfarer and Baldoni that were the ones that chose to market the movie the way it was and they wanted him to take responsibility for it. They were also claiming that that was the type of extortion. Basically, what the judge said was, none of that is extortion. It's really just her being able to hard bargain and negotiate.

[Shane]

Negotiating tactics aren't like twisting or they're their arm behind their back and forcing them to sign something.

[Emily Simpson]

Right. And also, when it comes to extortion, under California law, there has to be a turning over of money or property. So basically it's your coercing someone into giving you something.

[Shane]

That's what I was saying, like to complete a legal transaction.

[Emily Simpson]

Right. And you're receiving a benefit. So basically what the judge is saying is there was no turning over of property or money that gave Blake Lively an advantage or a benefit. It's basically like she was just using her bargaining power as an A list actress to say, I'm not going to do that unless this. I'm not going to do this. I'm not going to do that. I don't want to do that. I don't want him at the premiere. I want this. And I guess technically what he's saying is if that's the way she wants to be and that's the way she wants to bargain her. Her role and that's the way she wants to negotiate things, then that's her.

[Shane]

Then that's on.

[Emily Simpson]

Yeah, that's on her. And the judge also explains that there were so many things that she requested of them or demanded or however you want to say it, that they didn't do that.

[Shane]

They write a statement, maybe a threat. Could have been more like had she or Ryan Reynolds said, if you don't do this and that, then we will not show up at the premiere. Or you don't do this and that, then we will not go on a tour to promote the movie. And then, then he's in a position where he's like, okay, okay, okay. And he. He signs whatever document or gives her some, you know, some. Something that she wants, and then now she completes the terms of the contract. That would have been more like civil threat, right?

[Emily Simpson]

Maybe. And also, the judge also says that there's just no evidence of actual monetary loss. Like, you can't prove there has to be damages, so there has to be duress. And then you have to prove that as the plaintiff, you suffer damages, and there's just no proof that there was damages. This is according to the judge. I mean, you can argue both sides. I would say this guy's reputation has been damaged. His.

[Shane]

Oh, yeah.

[Emily Simpson]

I mean, his. I don't know if he can make movies anymore. He's clearly, in my opinion, probably lost projects because of all of this going on. I don't know. But obviously they aren't showing in their original pleading where they're suing her. They aren't showing enough damages.

[Shane]

Well, there might not be damages show yet.

[Emily Simpson]

Right. But anyway, so the civil extortion part was dismissed by the judge. He just says that Lively threats were not legally wrongful, that it was this basically hard bargaining and negotiation. There was no threat of physical harm to person or property or threaten a false lawsuit.

[Shane]

Man. Do you know how much of a bigger head those two have now?

[Emily Simpson]

Oh, I know. And I keep seeing now they're like.

[Shane]

See, we were in the right. See, we didn't do anything wrong.

[Emily Simpson]

Right? And I tell you, every time I get on Instagram and I flip through it, it's just ease posting Blake Lively out and about at some event on a red carpet. And I. I don't. I personally, I don't want to see her. I would like to put the no Blake Lively filter on my phone so that every time I flip through Instagram, I don't have to see her on a red carpet. The judge goes on to say, Wayfarer and Baldoni do not show facts that Lively had a contractual obligation to promote the film or to approve marketing mater. That is a problem. And I knew this was going to be an issue when I read the original complaint by Justin Baldoni and Wayfarer. They do talk about how Blake Lively Never actually signed her contract to appear in the movie. That there were emails going back and forth and she took whatever the chunk of money is to retain her, but that she actually never signed her contract. So she went through and starred in this movie and. And did promotional things and marketing things, but never had an actual.

[Shane]

I wonder if that was intentional to never really lock herself into something.

[Emily Simpson]

I don't know. But it seems like it's working in her favor because it's saying, how can you. How can you claim that she has a contractual obligation to promote the movie and market the movie without a contract for the movie? And then you're saying there's no contract in place for her to be in this movie.

[Shane]

So, yeah, it's like, she didn't do what we agreed to. She would do what she agreed to do. Nothing.

[Emily Simpson]

Only bargaining and seeking improved working conditions is basically what the judge comes down to saying that she was doing, that she had every right to do what she did and to do it the way that she did it.

[Shane]

Wow. Good luck to the next producer that signs her on.

[Emily Simpson]

Right?

[Shane]

Yeah. I mean, she's got even a bigger head. She's like, I'm just negotiating. I mean, get out of here.

[Emily Simpson]

That was just.

[Shane]

I'm just negotiating.

[Emily Simpson]

Right.

[Shane]

Do it my way or the highway.

[Emily Simpson]

That was just like an all encompassing power trip for her and Ryan Reynolds. Basically, like the way you've acted, the things that you've alleged, the way that you kept him from attending his own premiere, the way you undercut the movie, made your own edit, took over, coerce them into giving you a pga. Talk about being this.

[Shane]

In the beginning, you said that she was surrounded by yes people.

[Emily Simpson]

Yeah.

[Shane]

She surrounded by a yes judge.

[Emily Simpson]

Yeah. Now she has a yes judge. Well, you know, here's the thing about the judge. And I don't know, you can. You can take away what you want from this, but his brother is a big director and producer in Hollywood.

[Shane]

The judge's brother.

[Emily Simpson]

The judge's brother. His name's Doug Lyman. All right, so that's the civil extortion part of Baldoni's claim that the judge dismissed. There was also the defamation part of Baldoni's suit, which. Those are the two big ones. It was extortion and the defamation. It was a. And defamation is an injury to reputation by a false oral or written communication. And obviously, there is a different standard for public versus private person. We're talking about Blake Lively being a public person and Justin Valdoni being public. So what's the standard? Do you know well, first of all.

[Shane]

A defamation doesn't include opinions.

[Emily Simpson]

Right.

[Shane]

So it can't be like, he's a jerk.

[Emily Simpson]

Yeah.

[Shane]

He's a creep.

[Emily Simpson]

Right.

[Shane]

Stuff like that.

[Emily Simpson]

It's more like he's a sexual predator. Right. I think that's defamatory.

[Shane]

Right. For private figure, basically, it just needs to be a fact that can be disproven. Right. Or something like that.

[Emily Simpson]

Right.

[Shane]

It has to be a false statement.

[Emily Simpson]

Yeah, but also you also have to. It has to be negligent, like you were. You didn't try to find the truth.

[Shane]

No, I was talking about private person.

[Emily Simpson]

Yeah.

[Shane]

Private person just needs to be a false statement. Is it a negligence standard?

[Emily Simpson]

Yes.

[Shane]

Okay, so then a public figure.

[Emily Simpson]

Yes.

[Shane]

Would probably be more of a malicious.

[Emily Simpson]

Yeah, it's actual malice.

[Shane]

Actual malice, which.

[Emily Simpson]

Actual malice means knowingly you know something is false or you have a complete disregard, a reckless disregard for the truth. So that's the standard. And there has to be special damages. That's the legal term of it. So I always like to give you guys a little legal background. So if you're having a conversation with your friends, you can just pull out, you know, your defamation. You. You can tell them that it's a public figure, so. Which is kind of crap because the actual.

[Shane]

Don't journalists do a lot of the time they'll be like, oh, well, I had an anonymous source that told me this, so therefore, like, that was my research.

[Emily Simpson]

Yeah, yeah.

[Shane]

Didn't Tom Cruise used to go around suing everybody?

[Emily Simpson]

I don't know.

[Shane]

It was Tom Cruise and nickels. Yeah, you do.

[Emily Simpson]

I. Other than movies. I don't know about him suing people.

[Shane]

Other than he's good looking. I don't know anything about him.

[Emily Simpson]

And he's short. I know that.

[Shane]

Short tempered. He's.

[Emily Simpson]

No, he's short.

[Shane]

Oh, and short. Yeah. Yes.

[Emily Simpson]

I think he's maybe shorter than you.

[Shane]

Maybe.

[Emily Simpson]

I think he's like five, six. I think you have an inch on him.

[Shane]

Okay. He's got nothing on me. No, but it's. Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman used to go around suing all the tabloids and stuff.

[Emily Simpson]

Oh, yeah, yeah. All right, well, basically, the judge denies the defamation suit against Blake Lively, saying that the litigation privilege applies. Basically that everything she wrote in her original CRD complaint, which was a civil rights complaint and that she filed, and then that New York Times used that complaint to then write their article is basically called a litigation privilege, which means that you can feel safe.

[Shane]

Right. Writing space.

[Emily Simpson]

It's a safe space. This piece of paper is a Safe space. It's a safe space for you to write whatever you want.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Emily Simpson]

About anyone else.

[Shane]

No standards here. No, just write whatever you want.

[Emily Simpson]

Anything you want. You can accuse anyone of anything. You can call them anything you want. You can say whatever. You can collude with the New York Times, and then they can write an article accompanying it and. And. And taking all the information that you put in your complaint, and then you are covered under the litigation.

[Shane]

So someone photocopies it and shares it, which is essentially what the New York Times did. That's okay, because where it came from, it was allowed to be written as it was.

[Emily Simpson]

Right. And the New York Times also falls under the fair reporting privilege, which basically is very broad. You know that under the Constitution, the First Amendment, there's the free press, and they have a very broad range of being able to.

[Shane]

So is that more like you can report this. What is it called, a crd?

[Emily Simpson]

Well, the original complaint, before she filed.

[Shane]

A federal court, was that civil rights.

[Emily Simpson]

What's the civil rights department?

[Shane]

Okay, so she files something with the civil rights department.

[Emily Simpson]

Right.

[Shane]

And then they're saying it's fair for the press to review it and report on it.

[Emily Simpson]

Right?

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Emily Simpson]

So that's. And they're saying she also, due to privileged communications, everything within her CRD complaint is privilege. Therefore, everything that she alleges about him or says about him is privileged. So it's not defamation. So basically, what we have all learned.

[Shane]

From this, and Freeman learned this, too.

[Emily Simpson]

You can say whatever you want about someone else as long as you put it on pleading paper, file it, and then you're protected under the litigation privilege. So. And basically, also because Justin Baldoni alleged that even the things that she put in her original CRD complaint, where it was like she was manipulating text, not showing full context, you know, leaving emojis out that had that set a tone to what she was, you know, implying in her and her complaint. And the judge goes on to say she's permitted to marshal the facts to tell her side of a contested story. She doesn't have to provide a balanced account of what happened, and the litigation privilege still applies. So basically, you can just marshal the facts.

[Shane]

And she really. Yeah, I'd be careful if I was producing her next movie, that there might be some complaints with the CRD department, because now she knows, like, well, she just. Whatever I want to complain about, I'll just make. I'll just put it in with the crd.

[Emily Simpson]

Well, basically, what she's done is laid out the exact steps that you need to do Take to.

[Shane]

To go on a sphere campaign, someone's.

[Emily Simpson]

Livelihood and reputation with zero consequences on your part. Also, there was the false light, which is also a form of invasion of privacy under California law. The invasion of privacy by placing a plaintiff and a false light in the public eye. False light must be highly offensive to a reasonable person. So this was a claim that Justin Baldoni made in his claim against Blake Lively that she placed him in a false light by her litigation. The judge dismisses the slight claim because of the same reasons as the defamation claim.

[Shane]

Yeah, you're suing someone anytime you get sued. It's a negative look on your, on your image.

[Emily Simpson]

Right. All right, so basically, just to break it down, just to give a simple summary of what happened, the judge threw out the extortion claim, which was the big one, which was the way she went about trying to coerce herself into taking over the movie, taking over the editing, producing the movie, getting producer credits. And the judge basically said, you know what, that's just her being an A list actress, negotiating her way through the system and just.

[Shane]

Yeah, it's more like an a hole actress, but whatever.

[Emily Simpson]

Then the second big one that got thrown out, which we just talked about, was the defamation suits. And that's because the judge is stating that everything she put in her filings was privileged. And also the New York Times has no culpability because of the fair reporting.

[Shane]

But that's. Those are all legal standards. It's not like she did anything moral. Like, it's not like, oh, she's a great person. Calm down. No, it's like, no, legally, legally you have no recourse.

[Emily Simpson]

Legally you have no recourse. However, I do feel, and I'm sure people would agree with me, that she definitely lost in the court of public opinion.

[Shane]

I hope so.

[Emily Simpson]

And I. Well, she has.

[Shane]

No, but I mean, is this not. Is this going to change people's opinions? Are they going to be like, oh, so it wasn't that bad.

[Emily Simpson]

I don't know. I feel like if you look at social media and anytime there's anything posted of her, if you read the comments, it is just non stop, like she's a horrible person. Get her off my page. I don't want to see her. Why are you posting her? Why are you giving her. It's, it's bad. It looks like the backlash is pretty bad, but.

[Shane]

And here we are talking about her.

[Emily Simpson]

Yeah. All right. The judge did allow for two. Two causes of action to be amended and refiled, but these have to do with contractual issues. Not the bigger overlying things like defamation and extortion, which have been thrown out.

[Shane]

It's not the juicy stuff.

[Emily Simpson]

It's not the juicy stuff.

[Shane]

It's boring. Contractual.

[Emily Simpson]

Contractual stuff.

[Shane]

But they're gonna refi. They're gonna amend and refile. Because they can't just, like, walk away.

[Emily Simpson]

Oh, no, they'll definitely amend and refile it. I don't know if it will be successful, but they will. One is breach of implied covenant of good faith. The judge said that they're able to amend this and refile it. It means that there's the existence of some specific contractual obligations and that she interfered with plainest performance of the contract or failure to cooperate with the plaintiff. So basically, there's no relevant contract in place. That's what we talked about. And the judge talks about this, how there isn't a contract because Baldoni claimed several times that Lively did not sign her employment contract. But he's giving them the opportunity to prove that there is some type of contract and that she didn't fulfill her duties under that contract. And then also they're allowing Baldoni's team to refile. To re. Amend. Refile. The tortious interference with contractual relations or perspective or prospective economic advantage. This. I had to read this a couple times to understand this, because this gets down into just like, logistics and. And legalese, and it was difficult. But this has to do with the accusation that Ryan Reynolds interfered with Justin Baldoni's talent management team. You know, how he was dropped from wme, which is the talent company, after all these allegations came out. And Justin Baldoni claims that they dropped him because Ryan Reynolds was like, that guy's a sexual predator. I don't want him, you know, I don't want to be in the same talent agency as him. And they dropped him. So basically, they're saying if you can. If you can prove that, you know, you're a part of this talent agency, he's a part of this talent agency. He forced them to drop you, which interfered with your contract with them, and that you suffered damages from that, then, okay, re. Amend, refile, and we'll. We'll hear that.

[Shane]

Good luck with that one.

[Emily Simpson]

But again, like Shane said, which makes sense, all the juicy. All the juicy stuff is gone. And this was a huge. I hate to say this because I don't even want to say it, but this was a huge win for Blake.

[Shane]

Lively in the public courts.

[Emily Simpson]

Yes, no, and yes. Not in the public eye, no. But in the public.

[Shane]

In the court system, civil court system.

[Emily Simpson]

This was a no, it's a federal.

[Shane]

Court in the federal civil court system.

[Emily Simpson]

What are you talking.

[Shane]

I don't know. I'm just ready to move on. These people are annoying me.

[Emily Simpson]

All right, let me just. I just want to do one more thing. I just. On this, I like to give Brian Friedman's response to all of this.

[Shane]

Oh, yeah? What is it?

[Emily Simpson]

So Brian Friedman said while the court dismissed the defamation related claims, the court has invited us to amend four out of seven claims against Ms. Lively. I don't understand the math there because I read his the judge's ruling twice and I only see two claims that he allows them to amend. But maybe there's some smaller claims underneath those big broad claims. I don't know.

[Shane]

I'm gonna go off of what Freeman said versus what you said.

[Emily Simpson]

I know. Whatever. He has invited us to amend four out of the seven claims against Ms. Lively, which will showcase additional evidence and refined allegations. Most importantly, Ms. Lively's own claims are no truer today than they were yesterday. And with the facts on our side, we march forward with the same confidence that we had when Ms. Lively and her cohorts initiated this battle. And I look forward to her forthcoming deposition, which I will be taking. He loves to remind her that he's taking her deposition because, you know, if you remember, when we did earlier podcasts, she was trying to do everything possible to get out of it and to not have Brian Friedman be the one that deposes her.

[Shane]

So if anything, that we're going to get it. Hopefully a video depot.

[Emily Simpson]

Hopefully we just. Hopefully we'll get a comeback. It will be Brian Friedman deposing Blake Lively. And that will feed our souls.

[Shane]

Yeah. And that you want to see on Instagram.

[Emily Simpson]

That I want to see. We are grateful for the organic show of support from the public and for the dedication of the Internet sleuth community who continues to cover this case with discernment and integrity. All right, so there we are on Lively and Baldoni. That was a big win for Blake Lively. Boohoo, womp womp.

[Shane]

And Ryan Reynolds.

[Emily Simpson]

And Ryan Reynolds. If you did not think that their heads could be any bigger. I feel like they have.

[Shane]

They're gonna have to inflated. They're gonna have to move into a new place. A bigger place.

[Emily Simpson]

Yeah.

[Shane]

To fit their heads.

[Emily Simpson]

Right. All right, let's move on to the Diddy trial. Have you been following Diddy? Do you know anything?

[Shane]

Yeah. He's still in jail.

[Emily Simpson]

He's still in jail. Yes, he is. He's still in jail. I did think I just want to talk about this. It's on the rundown, but we'll just talk about it first because I want to know your reaction to this. But he did get admonished, I think it was yesterday by the judge because he continues to make faces at the jurors.

[Shane]

Yeah. What kind of faces?

[Emily Simpson]

Well, I don't know because there's no cameras in the courthouse, so it's not like I. I've seen the actual faces.

[Shane]

There's paintings.

[Emily Simpson]

There are paintings, but they're not. I haven't seen any artwork that shows me the faces that he's making. But.

[Shane]

So what does it allege that he's made?

[Emily Simpson]

He's doing that.

[Shane]

He.

[Emily Simpson]

He be like when someone's testifying, he shakes his head or he nods his head or any looks at the jury. And I think he's. I mean, really the interpretation is that he's trying to influence them by agreeing disagreeing with testimony, which you. You cannot do. So he got in trouble for that.

[Shane]

What kind of trouble?

[Emily Simpson]

Well, I don't know.

[Shane]

The judge spoken to the judge said.

[Emily Simpson]

That she was gonna kick him out of the courtroom if he continued to do it. So, yeah, we'll see what happens with that. Hopefully he keeps his face straight up.

[Shane]

Then he would probably be a video presence. Huh? He could like video. I can see your accusers.

[Emily Simpson]

Right. But I guess the problem is, is that the jury's over here to the side, and he just completely turns to the side.

[Shane]

Address slits his throat. He's like scratching his throat.

[Emily Simpson]

Yeah, he's like pointing to. I know where you live. Yeah, well, anyway.

[Shane]

Yeah, but you were pointing like, like in the manner of a gun with your fingers, and you pulled a trigger. What does that mean?

[Emily Simpson]

Okay, so we have Jane, who's been testifying for the last couple days. It is a former girlfriend, and she's using the pseudonym Jane. We know that there was an earlier a woman who testified under the pseudonym Mia. So now we're to Jane, Jane, pick that name.

[Shane]

Who gets to pick your pseudonym?

[Emily Simpson]

I don't know. I wondered the same thing. And why Mia, and why. What would your pseudonym be?

[Shane]

I don't know, Frank. I don't know what it would be. John Jansen. And everyone would just flood over to him.

[Emily Simpson]

So Jane dated Sean combs from early 2021 until his arrest in September of 24. So this is a recent girlfriend, which is interesting. She Met Combs in 2020. She's a single mother and an only fans model. Jane began testifying on June 5, and her cross examination begins on June 10. What is today? Oh, that's today. So she's getting cross examined today. All right, so let's just go through some key points from her testimony. She talks about the emotional impact. So from around May of 2021, Combs introduced her to voyeurist group sex events he called hotel nights parallel to the freak offs that Cassie Ventura described. So here's what I'm thinking. Every time he has a new girlfriend he has to change the name.

[Shane]

Change the name of his, of his.

[Emily Simpson]

Because with Cassie Ventura he called him freak offs but with this girl he calls him hotel night.

[Shane]

It's like a new chapter in my life. I didn't. I need to rebrand.

[Emily Simpson]

Yes.

[Shane]

My freak offs. Yeah.

[Emily Simpson]

So what would the next, the next.

[Shane]

So wait, so this one's called Hotel Hotel night Nights. Hotel nights.

[Emily Simpson]

The no tell hotel.

[Shane]

Okay.

[Emily Simpson]

The first encounter involved a male escort in a hotel room set up by.

[Shane]

The next one will be called in my cell Alone, sad with gray hair. That's what it'll be nights. Yes.

[Emily Simpson]

The first encounter involved a male escort in a hotel room set up by Combs assistants. Jane testified that she was super nervous and found herself participating in a multi man event that open up Pandora's box. First of all, you do understand, and let's just talk about this briefly that the fact that she's testifying that the assistant set it up is very important because that is going to proving rico which is that this is a criminal enterprise and that he has employees who are working underneath him who are setting up these freak offs hotel nights.

[Shane]

Criminal activity.

[Emily Simpson]

Criminal activity. And that these sex workers are being paid and are traveling from state to state which then goes to the sex trafficking. Though initially exhilarated, she regretted it and the events became the centerpiece of their relationship. Okay, so we have to get down to coercion control and the abuse part of it. She repeatedly told com she did not want to participate, texting to him. I'm not a porn star, I'm not an animal.

[Shane]

I'm an only fan star.

[Emily Simpson]

I'm an fans. What is your problem? It's loveless for me. I mean I feel like when there's lights and people setting it up, oh.

[Shane]

It'S implied that it's love, that it's.

[Emily Simpson]

Loveless when there's like stage and baby oil and, and, and ring lights. Combs responded dismissively, calling her crazy and urging her to continue on. Starting In March of 2023, Combs paid her 10,000 month month rent, a benefit she feared losing if she refused to Comply. Basically, this is how he leverages these women. He coerces them by taking financial control, and then they get their self in a position where they have to go along with what he wants because he's controlling their finances.

[Shane]

That would sound about right.

[Emily Simpson]

He also controlled her appearance, requiring veneers and regular grooming, then.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Emily Simpson]

Okay.

[Shane]

Can I say something?

[Emily Simpson]

Yes. No, you can't.

[Shane]

I can't?

[Emily Simpson]

Yeah, go ahead.

[Shane]

I can or cannot?

[Emily Simpson]

You can go ahead.

[Shane]

Thank you. If he has all this money that he uses, Right, to control people and have these large parties and all that, so money's not an issue for him. He's got plenty of it. Why doesn't he just find the women that fit his criteria instead of finding someone that needs veneers? Now that I think about it, maybe it's because he wants someone that he can say, I'll give you this. I'll do this, and you need this. You look ugly.

[Emily Simpson]

You need this. So you're saying he targets like a 6, 7 or 8 so that he can make them a 10 and then they owe. Or.

[Shane]

Or he could just make them feel inferior by saying, your teeth are nasty. You. You need me to help you. You need me to make you look good. You're. You're nothing without me. Yeah, that's probably.

[Emily Simpson]

So you're saying that's a way of controlling and breaking them down.

[Shane]

Which is funny, because when we got married, you got veneers.

[Emily Simpson]

I was just. I was just gonna say, when we got married, you were like, I think you need veneers.

[Shane]

And then you were like, how come you didn't just. Just marry a 10?

[Emily Simpson]

Wow.

[Shane]

I'm just kidding. And I said, I did marry it.

[Emily Simpson]

Oh, yeah.

[Shane]

I like how you just need veneers.

[Emily Simpson]

You just got yourself out of trouble. Even after an FBI raid on his homes In March of 2024, the sexual encounters continued in cities like Miami and LA. I did not know that, but that's very interesting. So even after his homes got raided, he still continued with his hotel night?

[Shane]

I guess.

[Emily Simpson]

So he's like, not even the FBI is going to stop this. Wow.

[Shane]

That means he really thought he wasn't doing anything wrong or he had something.

[Emily Simpson]

I don't know if he thought. If he didn't think he was doing anything wrong or he just thought he was above the law and that he.

[Shane]

Well, I guess that's what I meant. Like, he thought he was untouchable.

[Emily Simpson]

Yeah.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Emily Simpson]

During her 2023rd birthday. And this is. We're talking about. Jane Combs orchestrated.

[Shane]

Wait, who Went to the freak offs after he was raided. That's interesting.

[Emily Simpson]

Oh, yeah.

[Shane]

Who also thought they could go, like.

[Emily Simpson]

Why people kept showing up.

[Shane]

Were there any celebs that went?

[Emily Simpson]

I don't know. That's an interesting question. Okay, so during Jane, we're still talking about Jane. This is her testimony. During her 2023rd birthday, Combs orchestrated a multi escort event at a hotel which she said left her feeling invaded. Can you imagine though, it's her birthday and he's like, for your birthday, you're going to have sex with a bunch of of escorts for your birthday and I'm going to watch for your birthday.

[Shane]

Right. Well, it didn't matter. Even if it was Combs birthday, that's still wrong. You act like she got, you know, screwed out of a birthday present or something. No, I'm just saying it didn't matter if it was a birthday or Memorial Day or anything.

[Emily Simpson]

The whole point of it being like.

[Shane]

Her birthday, you're saying that's how disgusting and twisted.

[Emily Simpson]

So apparently in a recorded phone call that she had, Combs is asking her, is this coercion? They played this in court. And this is after he hit her and forced her to take ecstasy at a June 2024 dinner. He would threaten to expose sex tapes or stop paying rent if she pushed back. You know, he did the same thing with Cassie. And this is her corroborating a lot of Cassie's testimony. Because if you remember when Cassie testified that she also remember her mom testified that he said he would release sex tapes of Cassie grand and then she had to take a mortgage out on her house and pay him the 20 grand. And then like two days later, he gave her the 20 grand back. It was basically just like, just to mess with her. That's like a cat messing with a mouse. You know, they're just playing with them.

[Shane]

Yeah, they grab it, they bite it.

[Unknown]

Then they let it go, then they.

[Shane]

Go chase it again.

[Emily Simpson]

They grab it exactly like, that's the kind of sick and twisted behavior you know, that he has. A lot of her testimony had a lot of parallels with Cassie Ventura, which is good because the prosecution has her testifying, which helps to corroborate everything that Cassie had testified about earlier. Jane noticed striking similarities between her experiences with Cassie Ventura's lawsuit. So much so that she almost fainted when she was reading it during a recorded call. Combs dismissed both experiences as some kinky shit that we both enjoyed, which she firmly rejected. It's interesting that when she read Cassie's lawsuit and all of the Facts and all the details she puts in there about her time with Sean Combs. And then this. This girlfriend Jane reads it and says that she, like, she almost fainted because it was basically the same thing. It just goes to show you that it's just repeated behavior of control over these women. And I think that he would. He probably is so advanced in how he does it and how he goes about it. It's almost systematic. Like, I'm sure he looks for a certain type of girl, and then he makes them better. He gives them money, he pays their rent. Then he slowly introduces them into this voyeuristic lifestyle with these.

[Shane]

Well, I'm sure. And I'm sure some of the happy. Some of the things he's exposing them to him is, you know, glamorous, right? Well, it's big parties. You know, he might shower them with, you know, I don't know, they go clothes shopping or whatever it is to make them feel like this is like an upscale lifestyle and I'm living it, right? And then, you know, bam. Him, he hits him with a bunch.

[Emily Simpson]

Of other crap, right? There was evidence presented, which were text messages, Jane stating discomfort like, I'm not a sex robot. And Combs dismissing her objections. Recordings. There were dialogues where Combs exhibits physical force and defensiveness. And photos. There were 15 images showing encounters with escorts that were displayed for the jury. The prosecution stance is that Jane's testimony aligns closely with Ventura's, showing coercion via violence, drugs, threat of eviction, and blackmail, fitting federal definitions of sex trafficking. So we know what the prosecution is doing. They're just laying out this criminal enterprise by having all of these people testify over and over again, corroborating the way he systematically goes about setting it up, about how the employees work for him, about how they set things up about the sex workers. And the defense's argument is obviously that they assert that all acts were consensual and part of a swinger lifestyle. They also claim Combs aggression was isolated domestic abuse, not trafficking.

[Unknown]

Hi, Zoe Saldana. Welcome to T Mobile. Here's your new iPhone 16 Pro on us.

[Tamra]

Thanks. And here's my old phone to trade in.

[Unknown]

You don't need to trade in. When you switch to T Mobile, we'll give you a new iPhone 16 Pro plus we'll help you pay off your old Phone up to 800 bucks and you still get to keep it.

[Tamra]

There's always a trade end.

[Emily Simpson]

Not right now.

[Unknown]

@ T Mobile.

[Tamra]

I feel like I have to give you something in return for karma. That's Okay, I don't really have much in my purse. Oh, let's see. Hand sanitizer. It's lavender.

[Unknown]

I'm good. Seriously.

[Tamra]

Let me check this pocket. Oh, mints.

[Unknown]

Really, I'm fine.

[Tamra]

Oh, I have raisins. I'm a mom. Wait, wait one sec. I've got cupcakes in the car.

[Emily Simpson]

It's all our best iPhone offer ever. Switch to T Mobile get a new iPhone 16 Pro with Apple Intelligence on us. No trade in needed. We'll even pay off your phone up to 800 bucks with 24 monthly bill credits.

[Tamra]

New line 100 plus a month on experience beyond finance agreement $999.99 and qualifying.

[Emily Simpson]

Forwarded for well qualified plus tax and 10 connection charge pay off via virtual prepaid card.

[Tamra]

Allow 15 days credits end and balance due.

[Emily Simpson]

If you pay off earlier, cancel see.

[Unknown]

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[Ryan Seacrest]

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[Unknown]

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[Justin Richmond]

This is Justin Richmond from Broken Record. Are you the kind of person who sets standards for themselves? Like, personally, I told myself if the Lakers lose or do or die Game five, I wouldn't let it impact my mood at home with family. The standard Lexus has set for themselves is to experience amazing. Lexus measures success by the feelings and emotions evoked in a driver, like exhilaration and joy. Amazing can only be achieved by knowing people on a deeper level. The standard of amazing results in machines that make you feel more human. Because a car that doesn't make you feel something is a car that stops short of amazing experience. Amazing at your Lexus dealer.

[Emily Simpson]

All right, so another thing that happened was Diddy. His defense team seeks a mistrial over alleged false false testimony. This is actually very interesting. So there was a woman named Brianna Bongolan who testified she's a fashion designer and a friend of Cassie Ventura. She testified about a confrontation with Sean Diddy Combs at Cassie's apartment. Bongolin stated that while she was on the balcony, she said she was either out there smoking or about to smoke. Diddy allegedly ran out onto the balcony, grabbed her and held her over the balcony railing. She said that he shouted, quote, you know what the F you did? Before pulling her back inside and forcefully pushing her into furniture. Bongolin testified that she sustained injuries to her leg and neck as a result. And the prosecution presented photos showing large bruises on her leg along with marks on her neck and back.

[Shane]

That's a very hip hop artist thing.

[Emily Simpson]

Yeah, it really is. The. Isn't that Suge Knight? Didn't he hang Vanilla Ice over a balcony too? Yeah, there must be like a. Like a rap handbook.

[Shane]

Yeah, exactly. As to how to deal, I don't know how to. How to negotiate effectively. How to negotiate the opposing party over a balcony by their ankles.

[Emily Simpson]

Yes.

[Shane]

While screaming at them. Yes.

[Emily Simpson]

However, the defense challenged the prosecution's evidence, which was Bongolan testifying to this alleged balcony incident, pointing out that the metadata on the photo shows that they were taken on September 26, 2016, when Diddy was reportedly on the east coast for the Bad Boy Family reunion tour, making it highly unlikely that he was in Los Angeles at the time. I do know that they had. They had hotel receipts from him staying in the. In the hotel in New York City. So the point is, clearly he cannot be physically in New York City doing a concert. Yeah, well, and in la, hanging someone over a balcony.

[Shane]

That's true.

[Emily Simpson]

If she claims that those bruises were the result of an incident that happened hours before or the day before or whatever. But he's in New York City.

[Shane]

Yeah, I don't know. Again, that's for the jury to decide.

[Emily Simpson]

Right. Cassie Ventura recounted the violence during her own testimony at. At Combs trial. So Cassie, when she was testifying, talked about this incident on the balcony. However, Diddy's defense argued that a series of texts from Cassie to Christina Coram, who, if you remember we talked about her before, was one of Diddy's employees, indicated she hadn't witnessed the incident herself. TMZ reported this. The text, which said, I just found out some crazy, indicated to the defense that she had heard of the alleged incident through another source, had not seen it firsthand like she claimed. So just to break that down, to make that make sense, Cassie testified on the stand that she witnessed the balcony incident happen. First person she was there, she saw it. That's what she testified to. The defense offers texts that she has with Diddy's assistant stating, oh, I heard about that. So basically, like, she.

[Shane]

Did you see it or did you hear about it?

[Emily Simpson]

Right. So basically her text messages saying, oh, yeah, I heard about that. Crazy.

[Shane]

That's. There's gonna be questioning around that, and then the jury's gonna have to decide.

[Emily Simpson]

Right.

[Shane]

Which version of the story is the truth.

[Emily Simpson]

Exactly.

[Shane]

Or at least they see as the truth.

[Emily Simpson]

All right, so that's where we're at, is Diddy, do you have any final thoughts on this criminal enterprise and the sex trafficking charges? What do you think?

[Shane]

I don't. At the end of the day, it's. As long as he's in jail for the rest of his life, you don't care what he's. I don't care.

[Emily Simpson]

As long as he just never gets.

[Shane]

Out of prison, cares. Tax fraud, whatever. It doesn't matter. No, no.

[Emily Simpson]

You just want him.

[Shane]

Yeah. He should never be with public again. With, like, people again. Yeah, because he's terrible. I mean, look what he did. I mean, assuming all this is true, obviously we weren't there, but it. Look at how he reacted to the jury, you know, giving him, you know, threatening you know, facial expressions or intimidating facial expressions.

[Emily Simpson]

Well, I don't know if his facial expressions or whatever it was.

[Shane]

Or intimidating or enough for the judge to slap him and tell him to stop doing that.

[Emily Simpson]

Well, it's. I think his. His expressions and his nodding are to influence them as to what he. When he agrees with something that's being testified to or when he disagrees.

[Shane]

Okay, so you're saying not intimidate, influence. That's the same thing.

[Emily Simpson]

Well, no, yeah, exactly.

[Shane]

But that's like saying dangling them over the balcony by their ankles is just influencing tactics. No, it's intimidation.

[Emily Simpson]

No, I'm saying that there were. There was alleged incidents of actual intimidation in the beginning. That's why he wasn't allowed to be on house arrest. Right. And jury tampering. And that's why they were worried about being able to get a jury of 12 people of his peers, because there was rumblings or. I don't know if there was actual evidence, but I think there was a lot of concern. There was concern. Right. That's the word I was looking for. Concern with jury intimidation and people not wanting to sit on his jury. So here he is in court, actually addressing the jury, looking at them and giving them nods or whatever. So you're right. I mean, you can call it whatever you want. Influence, intimidation, whatever. What he's doing is wrong. And so, anyway. All right, well, so we went through a lot today.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Emily Simpson]

And we tried to break it down into digestible chunks because it was a lot of information. So.

[Shane]

Yeah, it is a lot. Especially the Baldoni stuff that was. That could be very complicated.

[Emily Simpson]

And it is complicated.

[Shane]

Kind of boring, depending on how you go over it. Or you can just pull out, like, the basics and.

[Emily Simpson]

Yeah.

[Shane]

You know, Know the status of the case as it is today.

[Emily Simpson]

All right, well, thank you guys for listening. We appreciate it. And as always, I appreciate all the feedback. A lot of you send me so many dms, telling me that you enjoy the podcast or asking about other cases that you would like us to talk about and touch on. So I appreciate that. So continue to do that, and if you have any questions or comments, feel free to DM me as well. And also we do have an Instagram Legally Brunette podcast. You could follow that, and you can always comment on the pieces that we discuss and talk about. So thank you for listening.

[Shane]

Thank you.

[Tamra]

Hi, I'm Danielle Fishel from Pod Meets World. So for my two boys, I got Samsung Galaxy Watch for kids. And I'm not saying I'm kind of jealous of my kids. Tech. I'm saying I am definitely jealous of my child's tech. This thing lets them call, text and explore all from their wrist. No smartphone required. And don't worry, you're still the boss. You control who they can talk to and yes, you can totally stalk their location in real time. Get Galaxy Watch 7 on T mobile now Kid ready with a new paired line? Visit t mobile.com to order yours today. Parent and child must have a Samsung account and Google account with family link Requires initial pairing with a compatible Samsung smartphone and qualifying wireless plan with LTE service activated. Please check with your carrier for more information. Trusted contact applies to compatible it does not restrict communication through third party or other communication apps. Emergency services and contacts remain accessible. Location sharing is dependent on network connectivity and device being recently active. T Mobile terms via 24 monthly bill credits when you add a qualifying paired watch line. See additional offer terms on t mobile.com.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and safeway now through June 24th. Score hot summer savings and earn four times the points. Look for in store tags on Items like Pepsi 2 liter bottles, poppy prebiotic sodas, all laundry detergent and kinder seasoning blend. Then clip the offer in the app for automatic event long savings. Enjoy savings on top of savings when you shop in store or online for easy drive up and go pickup or delivery subject to availability restrictions apply. Visit Albertsons or Safeway.com for more details.

[Tamra]

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[Unknown]

Gilmore Girls has a new home on Start tv, the network celebrating strong, smart women in iconic dramas. You can catch it every weekday at 5:00pm 4:00pm Central and 11:00pm 10:00pm Central. And now they've added a five hour block every Saturday from 5 to 10:00pm 4:00pm to 9:00pm Central. Whether you're watching for the first time or coming back to Stars Hollow, it's all on Start tv. Start TV is easy to find. Stream it, watch it on cable, satellite flight or free over the air. Head to starttv.com to see how to watch where you live.

[Justin Richmond]

This is Justin Richmond from Broken Record. Are you the kind of person who sets standards for themselves? Like personally, I told myself if the Lakers lose or do or die game five, I wouldn't let it impact my mood at home with family. The standard Lexus has set for themselves is to experience amazing. Lexus measures success by the feelings and emotions evoked in a driver, like exhilaration and joy. Way amazing can only be achieved by knowing people on a deeper level. The standard of amazing results in machines that make you feel more human, because a car that doesn't make you feel something is a car that stops short of amazing. Experience amazing at your Lexus dealer.

[Emily Simpson]

This is an iHeart podcast.