Sean “Diddy” Combs’ legal team has made a shocking new claim regarding the controversial 2016 video showing him allegedly assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Cassie.

According to the 55-year-old music mogul’s defense attorneys, CNN obtained the “only known copy” of the footage, then altered and ultimately destroyed the original, as reported by TMZ.

The defense alleges that after acquiring the video, CNN uploaded it into a free editing software, modified the footage, and discarded the original, despite being aware of and extensively covering the federal investigation into Combs.

They claim the network manipulated the video by obscuring the time stamp, rearranging sequences, and increasing the playback speed to make the events appear more aggressive than they actually were. As a result, the defense argues, the footage does not accurately reflect what happened.

A 2016 surveillance video obtained by CNN shows Sean “Diddy” Combs violently grab, shove, drag and kick his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura during an altercation in a hotel in California. https://t.co/qgD40mRPtQ pic.twitter.com/1u7qJgn3mC

— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) May 17, 2024

The video was captured in the hallway of the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles, which has since closed. TMZ reports that no other known recordings of the incident exist.

Diddy’s legal team intends to file a motion to have the video excluded from his upcoming trial. Although he is not facing charges for the assault—since it falls under state jurisdiction and the statute of limitations has expired—prosecutors aim to use the footage to establish a pattern of alleged violent behavior.

Legal experts suggest that since courts rarely admit edited video evidence, there is a strong likelihood the footage will be deemed inadmissible.

Meanwhile, NFL star Odell Beckham Jr. and comedian Druski have also been named in a lawsuit involving Combs.