Sean "Diddy" Combs lost a bid for a mistrial in his sex-trafficking case on Wednesday, after his lawyers argued that prosecutors were improperly trying to suggest that the hip-hop mogul had evidence tied to an alleged arson incident destroyed.
Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to five counts including racketeering and sex trafficking.
Last week, Scott Mescudi - the rapper known as Kid Cudi - testified that his car was set on fire in 2012, shortly after Combs learned that Mescudi had a romantic relationship with Combs' on-and-off girlfriend, Casandra Ventura.
Alexandra Shapiro, a lawyer for Combs, said on Wednesday outside the jurors' presence that prosecutors' questions to a Los Angeles arson investigator who probed the fire implied that Combs had a role in the destruction of fingerprint evidence.
US District Judge Arun Subramanian swiftly denied Shapiro's request for a mistrial.
"There was absolutely no testimony from the witness that was prejudicial in any way shape or form," Subramanian said.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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