As opening statements for Sean “Diddy” Combs’ criminal trial kicked off, an unexpected guest showed up: his ex-partner Misa Hylton.
The fashion designer has attended both days of this week’s proceeding, entering with a walker amid a hectic scene outside the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse in Manhattan. On May 12, she walked into the courthouse alongside her and Combs’ 31-year-old son Justin Combs.
In a statement to USA TODAY on May 13, Hylton’s lawyer Nicholas Ramcharitar addressed her attendance at the trial.
“Misa’s appearance and her attendance at Mr. Combs’ trial is strictly in support of her son Justin and his siblings,” Ramcharitar’s statement read. “During the course of these allegations against Mr. Combs, it has proven to be a very challenging and difficult time for all involved especially his children.”
He added that Hylton was temporarily using a walker because she sustained a “personal injury and is recovering.”
Combs has denied all allegations of wrongdoing and plead not guilty in his trial, where he faces charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution.
In her Instagram stories on May 12, Hylton posted a photo of herself with a knee-high protective boot on her right leg.
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On the day of opening statements, Hylton did not address her attendance but among the Instagram graphics she re-shared was one that read, “The final stage of healing is using what happened to you to help other people.”
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Misa Hylton previously spoke out in support of Cassie
Last year, after a video surfaced showing Combs physically abusing another ex-girlfriend and star witness Casandra “Cassie” Ventura Fine at a luxury hotel in Los Angeles, Hylton took to Instagram to speak out about the video of the “Me & U” singer.
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The footage showed Combs hitting, dragging and kicking Ventura Fine, who testified about the experience on May 13. In her now-deleted Instagram post last year, Hylton addressed the incident alongside photos of Diddy’s seven children.
“I am heartbroken that Cassie must relive the horror of her abuse, and my heart goes out to her. I know exactly how she feels, and through my empathy, it has triggered my own trauma,” Hylton wrote.
“These young people were raised by women that want the best for them – we put God and education first and have always been united in our mutual effort to support their dreams. Two of the youngest do not have their mother here and it has been our duty to support them,” Hylton wrote in her Instagram caption.
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In her Instagram post, Hylton said that “their father needs help and I am praying that he truly does the personal work and receives it.”
In addition to his son with Hylton, Diddy has six other children. He adopted Quincy Brown, 33, the son of Kimberly “Kim” Porter. The model and Diddy’s former girlfriend died in 2018 of pneumonia.
Diddy and Porter also had three other children together: son Christian Combs, 27, and twin daughters D’Lila and Jessie Combs, 17. He also shares 18-year-old Chance Combs with businesswoman Sarah Chapman. His seventh and youngest child, daughter Love Sean Combs, was born in October 2022 with model Dana Tran.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Misa Hylton attends Diddy trial
