It is a setback for the MeToo movement. Despite footage of violence and testimony recounting cruelty, the rap mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs was acquitted on Wednesday, July 2, by a federal court in New York of the sex trafficking charges brought by the Manhattan prosecutor on the basis of testimony from two former partners, including the singer Casandra Ventura.

The powerful producer, whose parties were highly coveted in the entertainment industry from New York to Hollywood, also escaped the most serious charge: racketeering conspiracy, which could have resulted in a life sentence. He was convicted on only two of the five charges, both related to transporting individuals for the purpose of prostitution.

The downfall of "Diddy" fascinated the entertainment world, paralyzing it much as the film and political worlds were a decade earlier by the fall of movie producer Harvey Weinstein, another regular on the red carpet. Before the verdict was read, the rapper turned to his family – his son, King, and his mother, Janice, seated in the front row – and invited them to pray. According to sketches from the courtroom (cameras are not permitted in federal trials), he wore ordinary civilian clothing, having obtained permission to forgo the orange detention uniform. He expressed relief with clasped hands raised toward the sky – and toward Judge Arun Subramanian. "Mr. Combs has been given his life back by this jury," said Marc Agnifilo, the head of his eight-lawyer defense team.

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