Dr. Phil predicts judge will throw Diddy's case out of the court as prosecution has failed to prove RICO charges against the rapper
Television personality Dr. Phil recently predicted that Sean "Diddy" Combs' ongoing s*x trafficking trial might be thrown out of court due to insufficient evidence to support his charges. For the uninitiated, the rapper faces five federal charges, including "s*x trafficking, racketeering conspiracy (RICO), and transportation to engage in prostitution."
In an exclusive op-ed for The Daily Mail, published on June 9, 2025, Dr. Phil theorized that Arun Subramanian—the judge presiding over the trial in Manhattan—"may be tempted to essentially throw the case out of court" due to the prosecution allegedly failing to provide substantial evidence to prove RICO and other charges.
"I question whether the jury has been presented with enough evidence to reasonably expect them to find a legal basis to convict. And for that reason, I predict the judge may be tempted to essentially throw the case out of court...So far, I believe the prosecution has failed to effectively prove the elements of those crimes beyond a reasonable doubt," Dr. Phil wrote.
Elsewhere in the article, he continued:
"Did the prosecution prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt? It's a brutal reality of how these cases are judged. But above all else, the prosecutors haven't, to my mind, tied these terrible stories of abuse to a criminal enterprise under the RICO statute."
Dr. Phil claims a lack of "specific, targeted evidence" proving Diddy's charges
In his exclusive article for The Daily Mail, Dr. Phil claimed the prosecution has not provided "specific, targeted evidence" for any of the charges Diddy has been accused of. He further speculated that the judge may take the verdict out of the jury's hands due to insufficient evidence if the defense decides to "make a motion for a 'directed verdict,'" writing:
"I suspect the defense team will make a motion for a 'directed verdict,' also known as a judgment as a matter of law, after which a judge may conclude that the evidence presented at trial is not legally sufficient to support the charges. And if so determined, the judge can effectively take the decision out of the jury's hands and end the proceedings."
He continued:
"Now, this is an extremely rare move for a judge to make, especially in a criminal case, and judges are typically reluctant to take cases away from juries, as well they should be. But, at the moment, the judge could be swayed by an argument for such a decision, although unlikely.
Dr. Phil also commented on Cassie Ventura, Diddy's former partner and the prosecution's star witness, adding that her four-day testimony—which detailed "her professions of love for him, the periods when she left Combs and then returned to him, and her text messages"—may have planted doubt in the jurors' minds.
He further explored the makeup of the jury panel, which reportedly consists of eight men and four women. Dr. Phil speculated that male jurors often "carry a degree of skepticism" in cases involving sexual dynamics, while female jurors tend to hold female victims "to a higher standard," which may work against Ventura. He also noted that the prosecution needs all 12 jurors to agree on a guilty verdict to convict Diddy, as this is a criminal trial.
Dr. Phil went on to compare Diddy's trial to that of football star O.J. Simpson, who was on trial in 1995 for allegedly murdering his ex-wife and her friend. While Simpson was acquitted by the jury, the trial and its verdict remain widely debated.
In the article, Dr. Phil stated that he believed Simpson was guilty of the crime, however, the jury was not provided with substantial evidence to convict. The television host speculated that Diddy's trial might encounter a similar fate, writing:
"I prepare you for the possibility that this type of outcome could happen again. I believe Sean Combs is 100 percent guilty of orchestrating long-term abuse, of controlling and damaging people using his money, power, and influence. But, to my mind, that's not what this trial, to date, has yet proven."
Latest updates in Diddy's trial
On June 9, Diddy's trial will resume with the testimony of one of the rapper's alleged victims and his ex-girlfriend, who is testifying under the pseudonym 'Jane.' On June 6, Jane testified that she participated in three-day-long "hotel nights" with male escorts under the rapper's instruction throughout their relationship.
Jane recalled one such incident during her birthday in 2023, stating that Diddy flew her to Miami for what she believed was a birthday trip. She further testified that she used a "mix of drugs, caffeine, and protein shakes" to power through the "hotel nights."
Before Jane's testimony, Cassie Ventura had described similar incidents during her testimony, testifying that she was coerced to participate in "freak offs" with male escorts during her decade-long relationship with Diddy. Ventura also testified to being assaulted and abused by the rapper on multiple occasions.
In other news, Diddy's legal team has requested the judge for a mistrial, claiming the prosecution provided "demonstrably false" evidence concerning witness Bryana Bongolan, a friend of Cassie Ventura. Bongolan previously testified that the rapper once dangled her off a 17-story balcony. However, Diddy's legal team accused Bongolan of perjury in a letter to the judge submitted on June 7.
This is not the first time the defense has asked for a mistrial. In May, the defense argued that the prosecution's line of questioning regarding the destruction of fingerprints in the investigation surrounding Kid Cudi's blown-up Porsche was improper and asked for a mistrial. However, the judge denied the request.
