Diddy‘s newest attorney is a sexual assault survivor who was raped at a Cash Money Records stuido party in 2001.
Diddy Adds New Attorney to Legal Team
On Tuesday (May 6), Diddy added another lawyer to his legal team for his sex crimes case, appointing Atlanta-based attorney Nicole Westmoreland. According to court documents obtained by XXL on Wednesday (May 7), Westmoreland was the victim of a rape 24 years ago when she was 19. At the time, she worked at a business that helped people reinstate their suspended driver’s licenses. In December of 2001, she was invited to Patchwork Studios in Atlanta by Cash Money Records CEO Birdman for a pitch meeting to help his artists. During the meeting, which Westmoreland claimed ended up being a party, she went to the bathroom and was followed by a man named Alfred Cleveland who proceeded to rape her.
Westmoreland went to the police about the incident and Cleveland was arrested and later pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with intent to rape. Westmoreland sued Cash Money and Patchwork Studio but lost a summary judgment. She appealed the ruling but her appeal was dismissed in 2008.
XXL has reached out to Cash Money reps for comment.
Westmoreland is the latest attorney to join Diddy’s legal team. Brian Steel, who was lead counsel on the YSL RICO case, was added to the legal staff last month. Westmoreland’s appointment comes three weeks after TMZ reported Puff was on the hunt for a Black female attorney to add to his counsel.
Diddy’s last-minute appointment could be a tactic of optics, as the prosecution in his case is made up of six White women. During jury selection on Tuesday, Judge Arun Subramanian reportedly called out Diddy’s lead attorney, Mark Geragos, for referring to prosecutors as a “six-pack of White women” on a recent TMZ podcast, according to the New York Post.
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Jury Selection for Diddy Trial Commences
On Monday (May 5), jury selection began in the Diddy trial, causing a media circus outside the New York federal courthouse in Lower Manhattan. It will continue this week until 12 jurors and six alternates are chosen. Opening arguments are expected to begin on May 12. Diddy is facing one count of racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. If found guilty, he could spend the rest of his life in prison.
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