Stefon Diggs is now facing a fresh fight in his ongoing civil case, and this one is all about where the trial should be heard.
Christopher Blake Griffith, the man who accused Diggs of drugging and sexually assaulting him in 2023, has formally asked for the case to be moved away from the Washington Commanders’ home stadium area. Griffith’s legal team says the current venue gives Diggs an unfair edge because local jurors could be inclined to side with a well-known hometown athlete. His lawyers argued that there is a dangerous “ordinary tendency to extend the benefit of the doubt” to celebrity figures, and they want the proceedings shifted to a neutral location so the allegations can be decided strictly on the evidence.
The motion is the latest development in a case that started with allegations tied to a May 2023 charity basketball game in Washington, D.C. Griffith has said that after the event, he and Diggs returned to Diggs’ Maryland home, where he was given candy “laced with drugs.” He also claimed that after rejecting Diggs’ initial advances, he was sexually assaulted, and that a week later he was violently beaten outside his apartment in an effort to suppress his evidence.
Diggs has denied the allegations and responded with his own defamation lawsuit, saying Griffith made up the claims for clout and attention. In that suit, Diggs described Griffith as an acquaintance, but a federal judge said that was not enough. The court ordered Diggs to provide a “truthful, complete, and non-evasive response” about the nature of their relationship.
Now Griffith is pressing for another win, this time on venue, while Diggs’ defense is pushing hard to keep the case local. The judge has not yet ruled.
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