Diddy Trial Juror Ousted After Residency Rollercoaster
Turns out claiming Bronx and New Jersey as home turf in the same breath is not the bold new frontier of residency bragging, but a ticket out of Diddy’s jury, courtesy of Judge Arun Subramanian. The federal trial in New York City has already delivered more twists than a daytime soap, and Monday’s surprise dismissal of Juror Number Six is the latest plot twist.
According to court transcripts and reported by TMZ alongside People Magazine, the juror in question managed to tell Judge Subramanian during voir dire that he lived both in the Bronx and across the Hudson, New Jersey—a feat Judge Subramanian found less “cultural duality” and more “geographical confusion.” You would think someone flipping between two states would earn bonus points for multi-state real estate management, but not when you’re supposed to be neutral in a high-stakes trial.
While the jury was enjoying a well-deserved break last Friday, the judge revisited the juror’s original sworn statements and declared that a person who can’t commit to a single zip code probably shouldn’t decide the fate of a megastar. The court’s thinking is simple: alternate jurors exist for a reason, and you don’t keep one floating around if their address history resembles a frequent-flyer card. Cue the dramatic music.
Stepping into this reality TV–style courtroom shuffle is a 57-year-old Westchester County resident, now Jr. Juror Five turned Four—or whichever skeleton sits next in line. In case you’re wondering, last week’s courtroom debate sounded suspiciously like an episode of “Judge Judy: Residency Edition.” Diddy’s attorney Xavier Donaldson angrily objected, calling out what he saw as an unfortunate hit on diversity—since Juror Six was one of the few Black jurors. Donaldson even begged the bench to let him clarify his tangled residency tale. Spoiler alert: it didn’t work.
Juror Six was introduced as a 41-year-old Black Hispanic Department of Corrections employee who handles payroll at the Edgecombe Correctional Facility in Upper Manhattan. That’s right: we had a corrections accountant auditioning for jury duty. He’d previously sued and settled with the Port Authority over a back injury on an escalator and was also arrested for alleged insurance fraud after a car accident—because when you’re already juggling two addresses, why not throw in a legal cameo?
As if this weren’t enough, the ex-juror roots for the Mets, not the Yankees—proof he enjoys going against the grain. He’s a reggaeton devotee and ’90s hip-hop nostalgist, suggesting his playlist might have been more relevant to the jury break room than the courtroom.
Whether this replacement juror brings more coherence or a new brand of chaos remains to be seen. Tune in next time for another episode of “Courtroom Confessions and Relocations.” Humanity at its finest, indeed.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and TMZ.com
People Magazine
Court Transcripts
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
