‘Diddy’ trial draws opinions and onlookers

Prosecutors painted the man they called “Puff Daddy” as an abusive kingpin who coerced women into sex parties. The defense called him Sean Combs and described him as a Harlem-born, hard-scrabble success story whose only crime was a tumultuous love life.

Opening statements Monday gave a glimpse into the eight weeks to come of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ trial, with outside attorneys split on who’s better-positioned.

“The prosecution set the bar sky-high, and now they’ll have to deliver,” Ryan Hayden Smith, an attorney who’s represented rappers including Ja Rule, told me. “Whereas the defense has done a good job humanizing him ...