NEW YORK — A federal grand jury in New York will hear new evidence in the criminal case against Sean “Diddy” Combs, according to people familiar with the matter.

The grand jury is expected to meet Thursday, sources said.

The sources declined to say what the new evidence was or who might be called to testify about it.

Federal prosecutors had previously raised the possibility of additional charges against Combs.

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York declined to comment.

His trial is scheduled for May, but prosecutors have suggested the timing or duration of the trial could change if they choose to add charges.

Combs has denied all allegations against him in both the criminal and civil cases. Following the criminal case, many people filed civil lawsuits against the music producer.

In a statement Monday, defense attorneys responded to new allegations in the civil lawsuit filed against the rapper. Sexual assault on a 10-year-old boy –accusing the plaintiff’s attorney of not being trustworthy.

“The attorney behind this case is more interested in media attention than the facts, as evidenced by his constant press coverage and 1-800 numbers,” the statement said. The statement was included. “As we have said before, Mr. Combs cannot respond to every new publicity attempt, even those that are seemingly ridiculous or provably false.”

Defense attorneys said they and Combs “have full confidence in the facts and the integrity of the judicial process.”

“The truth will prevail in court: Mr. Combs never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone, male or female, adult or minor,” defense attorneys wrote. he said.

As for the criminal case, Combs has already pleaded not guilty to racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and prostitution charges and is being held without bail over the objection of his lawyers.

As part of his plea, Combs’ lawyers asked the judge to order federal prosecutors to release the identities of his accusers, and on Wednesday a judge ruled in a civil lawsuit that a Tennessee woman who claimed Combs sexually assaulted her when she was a minor. The 19-year-old Brooklyn college student is unable to proceed with his lawsuit anonymously because he finds the woman’s allegations “completely unfounded.”

“Simply put, allegations of sexual assault alone are not sufficient to entitle the plaintiff to sue under a pseudonym,” Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil wrote in the decision. he wrote.

The woman claimed that at the party hosted by Combs, a security guard took her to a private room and the security guard told her, “You know what you’re here for.”

The woman, who wanted her identity to be hidden, argued that she might be harmed if her name was published, but the judge was not convinced in the end.

“Combs has had no contact with Plaintiff in the nearly 20 years since the alleged rape, and Combs is currently in custody pending trial. Therefore, counsel has not identified any current threat of physical harm to Plaintiff,” the ruling said. The statement was included.

The judge also said Combs had the right to investigate his accuser and his credibility.

This ruling could impact a number of other lawsuits filed by accusers suing Combs under a pseudonym.