Here’s Exactly Why Celebrity Attorney Joe Tacopina Turned Down Representing Diddy

As Sean “Diddy” Combs’ May trial inches closer, many people are curious about the legal proceedings behind the major event. Attorney Joe Tacopina has made headlines throughout his career for his victory run in handling high-profile celebrity cases, leading many to assume he would consider representing the Bad Boy founder in his trial. However, Tacopina provided an in-depth explanation about why he chose to turn down the opportunity.

“I didn’t turn him down because I don’t like him or I don’t believe in his case. I think he’s got a very defensible case,” he explained in a recent VladTV interview. “To me, this whole case boils down to an issue of consent. As far as I know, I don’t know all the evidence, but it’s an issue of consent.”

He went on, “Did they consent or did they not? Was a gun put to someone’s head? Or did they want to do it because they were getting all the perks associated with being part of a Diddy party and being one of Diddy’s entourage?”

The successful legal rep’s most recent victory was A$AP Rocky’s gun assault case, helping the Harlem rapper beat a potential sentence of up to 24 years. “My turning it down is because I [had] Rocky’s trial coming up and a host of other things,” Tacopina further explained. “It was just timing for me.”

Tacopina was also asked if his decision to turn down Diddy’s case had anything to do with his relationship with JAY-Z and Roc Nation, which he denied. “I do have a great relationship with Jay and Roc Nation, I represent a lot of them,” he replied. “That would have nothing to do with it. No one at Roc Nation ever told me not to represent him, so, that I think was misconstrued and probably taken out of context.”

However, this answer is slightly different than the one he provided on The Breakfast Club back in February. When asked about why he turned down the case, he mentioned his relationship with the storied label. “I represent Roc Nation; a lot of people in Roc I’m very close with. [JAY-Z] and [Roc Nation president] Desiree Perez, who’s the most amazing, like bomb of a boss. Jay is amazing. You know, Jay Brown, all those people are just, like, they really are special, special people. That’s sort of family to me and I don’t think they see eye-to-eye with P. Diddy,” he said at the time.

Tacopina is still going to be a busy man for these next few months. He recently revealed he will be representing Wendy Williams in her current guardianship battle. In an April 3 interview with NewsNation, he made it clear he’s confident taking on this case. “Yes, I am representing her, I’m her personal attorney right now. I will be entering the case one way or another, but it’s a convoluted process… the last thing they want to do is see my face in that courtroom,” he said.