In a twist that could have been scripted by Alfred Hitchcock himself, the high-profile federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs ground to an abrupt halt Wednesday morning when a juror was struck by vertigo, forcing U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian to cancel the day’s proceedings.
The unexpected adjournment came on what would have been the 26th day of testimony in a case that has gripped the public with its lurid details and celebrity intrigue.
The juror’s medical episode, described by Judge Subramanian as “unexpected and momentary,” was reported by the juror’s partner, who informed the court that the individual experienced vertigo symptoms while en route to the Manhattan courthouse and was forced to return home. “I don’t think there’s any way for us to proceed today,” Subramanian announced after a brief sidebar with prosecutors and defense attorneys to discuss options.
The judge emphasized that further inquiries would be made into the juror’s condition to determine whether they can continue serving, but no immediate decision was reached.
The trial’s sudden pause delayed highly anticipated testimony from Brendan Paul, a former assistant to Combs and an alleged “drug mule” implicated in the mogul’s inner circle. Paul, a 25-year-old former Syracuse University basketball player, was arrested in March 2024 at Miami’s Opa-locka airport on charges of cocaine and marijuana possession.
After completing a six-month drug intervention program to avoid jail time, Paul was granted immunity by Judge Subramanian to testify without fear of self-incrimination.
Prosecutors had planned for Paul to take the stand Wednesday, where he was expected to detail his role in allegedly transporting drugs, including GHB—a common date-rape drug—for Combs and his entourage.
The vertigo-induced delay adds another layer of drama to a trial already fraught with juror issues and sensational evidence. Just days earlier, on Monday, Judge Subramanian dismissed Juror No. 6, a 41-year-old Black corrections officer, over “serious concerns as to the juror’s candor” after conflicting statements about his residency surfaced.
The defense, led by attorney Marc Agnifilo, had argued that dismissing the juror would diminish the panel’s racial diversity, but Subramanian rejected the claim, replacing the juror with a 57-year-old white accountant from Westchester County.
Tuesday’s proceedings had already pushed the boundaries of courtroom decorum, as jurors donned headphones to view approximately 10 minutes of explicit “freak-off” videos—graphic recordings of sexual encounters allegedly orchestrated by Combs, featuring himself, his former girlfriend Cassie Ventura, and male escorts.
The footage, described by prosecutors as central to their case, purportedly shows drug-fueled orgies that Combs recorded and used as leverage to silence victims. The courtroom fell into a hushed silence during the screening, broken only by faint moans escaping through the jurors’ headphones, audible to the public gallery. “You could hear a pin drop,” one observer noted, underscoring the surreal atmosphere.
The prosecution, led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey, has relied heavily on such evidence to build its case against Combs, who faces charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution.
Federal authorities allege that between 2004 and 2024, Combs ran a criminal enterprise that “abused, threatened, and coerced women” into participating in prolonged, drug-fueled sexual encounters, dubbed “freak-offs,” while using recordings to enforce their silence. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to all charges and maintains his innocence.
The vertigo episode has thrown a wrench into the trial’s tightly packed schedule. Prosecutors had initially expected to rest their case by Friday, but with Wednesday’s cancellation and Thursday’s court closure for the Juneteenth federal holiday, that timeline now appears likely to slip into Monday.
The defense, which has indicated it will call three witnesses, including a human resources chief from Combs’ company, estimates its case will take two to five days. Judge Subramanian, who has repeatedly stressed his goal of concluding the trial by July 4, acknowledged the scheduling disruption but expressed confidence that the juror’s absence would be a “one-day
As the court prepares to resume Friday, all attention remains on Brendan Paul’s forthcoming testimony and the prosecution’s final push to cement its case.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
The federal trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs was abruptly halted on Wednesday after a juror suffered vertigo, delaying testimony from key witness Brendan Paul. The pause followed intense courtroom sessions featuring explicit “freak-off” videos, underscoring the case’s sensational nature. The trial resumes Friday after the Juneteenth holiday, with the juror’s condition as the critical factor to watch.
Vertigo: a sensation of whirling and loss of balance, associated particularly with looking down from a great height, or caused by disease affecting the inner ear or the vestibular nerve.
