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Tony Buzbee, the attorney who represents clients in numerous sex trafficking lawsuits against Sean "Diddy" Combs, has removed himself from several cases as the mogul's trial date quickly approaches.
According to a report TMZ published on Wednesday, March 19, Buzbee submitted a request to withdraw from 15 cases he filed in the Southern District of New York. He plans to step back from the cases until he's approved to operate within the SDNY. Combs' legal team previously mentioned the Texas-based attorney was not licensed to practice law in the prestigious district. Buzbee provided proof that he's licensed in the State of New York, but conceded he was not admitted to the SDNY.
"I made an error in judgment by failing to inform you that I was not admitted to the Southern District," he wrote to U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams.
Buzbee's latest filing happened a few weeks after Combs' team halted his attempt to litigate a civil lawsuit that Candice McCrary filed against the music mogul. He believes the controversy surrounding his admission to the SDNY has caused a "distraction" that won't benefit his clients. While he may be off the case, his clients' cases will still move forward with attorneys from New York-based firms. The high-profile attorney also still represents other clients who are suing Combs in different states.
"I personally withdrew, not my firm, from the few federal court cases we have on file until such time as my admission is cleared up," Buzbee told TMZ. I'm still attorney in charge in all the New York state cases and intend to file cases very soon in Nevada and California."
The latest update on Buzbee's involvement with the civil lawsuits comes after Combs' team learned more about the alleged victims in the federal indictment ahead of the Bad Boy Records founder's trial. TMZ also reported that prosecutors allowed the defense to view the names of the three victims cited in the government's federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) case against Combs. They've only been referred to as Victims 1, 2 and 3 thus far but only attorneys are allowed to know their identities for now.
Combs' trial is set to begin on May 5.