Stefon Diggs Could Have Hard Time Proving Financial Motive in Strangulation Case

This week on, Rachael Bennett, certified family law specialist and senior attorney for Sullivan Law & Associates, breaks down the legal repercussions athlete Stefon Diggs could face after he was accused of strangling his personal chef, Mila Adams, in December 2025.

“Given how far apart the two sides are and how serious the allegations are, the not guilty plea is exactly what you would expect at this stage, it’s just going to formally push the case into pre-trial,” Bennett tells Us Weekly. “From here, it’s going to be discovery, evidence, exchange, probably some pretrial motions and possible plea negotiations, and if there’s no resolution, it will head to trial.”

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The New England Patriots star, 32, was charged with felony strangulation and misdemeanor assault and battery in December 2025 and has since entered a not guilty plea. His former chef claimed at the time that Diggs strangled her and threw her onto a bed after confronting him about allegedly unpaid wages.

Diggs’ attorney David Meier issued a statement to Us Weekly on February 10 to note that his client “categorically denies these allegations,” calling Adams’ assault claims unsubstantiated and fueled by a financial dispute.

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On February 13, Adams spoke to TMZ and said that she has “never sought money nor engaged in settlement discussions to settle this matter.”

“Financial motive arguments are common in high profile cases and celebrities can often be targeted by people just looking for a payday,” Bennett explains. “What’s notable here is that Adams hasn’t filed a civil suit. This is strictly criminal, at least for now, so unless there’s evidence that she fabricated the allegations or attempted extortion before she reported the situation to the police, proving financial motive can be difficult. That said, if the prosecution’s physical evidence is weak, the defense can absolutely use any financial motivations to challenge her credibility on cross examination.”

Diggs has an upcoming pretrial hearing on April 1.

For a full Legally Us recap, watch the video above.