While police continue to investigate an altercation allegedly involving Sean “Diddy” Combs, Access Hollywood has learned an arrest in the matter could end up costing the hip-hop mogul a fortune.
A law enforcement source told Access that Combs’ lawyer, Ben Brafman, is “furiously trying to prevent an arrest and to have the victim be uncooperative and is trying to convince the cops that it’s an un-provable case.”
“He’s doing everything to convince the police and the DA not to move forward,” the source said of Brafman.
According to the source, Diddy has a number of business contracts that include morals clauses, which can be triggered “based on an arrest.” As a result, simply being arrested could cost Diddy a fortune, regardless of if he’s convicted or not.
“There are often morals clauses built into celebrities’ contracts to keep them in line and make them think twice before they go out and do something that might be against the law because there’s a lot at stake. It could affect their wallet,” Robert Wallack, a New York-based attorney and former Manhattan District Attorney told Access. “There’s fear of arrest and prosecution, but the added fear of losing millions of dollars for violating their contracts.”
Access has reached out to Brafman for comment and had yet to receive a response at the time of publication.
Sources have told Access police were planning on charging Diddy with third degree assault and “possibly other misdemeanor charges as well.”
The charges stem from an Oct. 13 incident outside Gotham city hot spot, Kiosk. An eyewitness told MTV News that around 3:30 a.m., they saw Combs engaged in an “intense” discussion with a man outside of the establishment. Soon thereafter, Combs and the other man involved reportedly entered the club and were seated at different tables.
Once inside Kiosk, Combs “aggressively marched” to the man’s table and confronted him, the witness claimed. It was at this point that Combs allegedly hit the man twice.
The two were separated by their respective friends and both men left the club shortly thereafter, according to the witness.