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Diddy Verdict: Celebrity #MeToo Cases Are Proving Tough to Convict

From Diddy to Spacey, the cultural reckoning keeps having setbacks in the legal world: “We went from ‘always believe an accuser’ to ‘maybe we too often believe an accuser.’”

“There’s a real disconnect between culture that requires credibility en masse and a legal system that insists on accusers coming forward alone and having their voice alone sway the jury,” says Deborah Tuerkheimer, a former Manhattan prosecutor who is now a law professor at Northwestern. One key exchange undermining the government’s case came in the cross-examination of Bryana Bongolan, a friend of Cassie Ventura who testified that Combs held her above a balcony railing at a hotel in Los Angeles before assaulting her. The judge overseeing the trial said Combs’ lawyers scored a “real Perry Mason moment” when they presented a hotel bill indicating that the rap mogul was staying in New York City that week.

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