‘Under no circumstances can I continue’: Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ attorney quits trafficking case

According to the New York Post, lawyer Anthony Ricco filed a motion on Thursday to withdraw from the case as one of the six defense attorneys working for Combs, 54. The step-down, however, is not finalized until a judge approves of it.

“Under no circumstances can I continue to effectively serve as counsel for Sean Combs,” Ricco wrote in the filing. “It is respectfully but regrettably requested that the court grant the relief requested.” The filing noted that Ricco’s decision to step down came after he spoke to the lead defense lawyer for Combs, Marc Agnifilo. However, he did not divulge the exact reason for stepping aside.

The attorney suggested that the "brevity" in his reasoning for stepping down is because he did not want to release attorney-client privileged information.

In the filing to the judge he simply said that there are "sufficient reasons” for him to step away from his role as defense lawyer for Combs. The rapper will still be represented by the five other attorneys in court.

Combs has been accused of drugging women and then forcing them into sex shows. He pleaded not guilty in the case but has been put behind bars without bail since he was taken into custody in September. Combs is also facing at least 40 other lawsuits launched by men and women who have accused the rapper of sexually abusing or raping them after being drugged. He has denied all the accusations.

In October, when a tip line was set up by a Texas attorney in order to make allegations against Combs, he said within 24 hours it logged 12,000 calls. To comb through the calls, the lawer at the time said, "We have almost 100 people working on this."