Overview
- The 84-page brief asks the court to order his release, enter a judgment of acquittal, or vacate the case for resentencing.
- Defense lawyers say Judge Arun Subramanian "acted as a thirteenth juror" by finding coercion and conspiracy that the jury rejected.
- Combs is serving 50 months at FCI Fort Dix on two Mann Act counts after acquittals on racketeering and sex trafficking, with release projected in May 2028 absent relief.
- The appeal also advances a First Amendment claim asserting his role as an observer and producer of filmed encounters should not support the convictions.
- The court set a fast-track schedule with the government’s brief due Feb. 20, 2026 and Combs’ reply due March 13, 2026.