A Massachusetts jury found Stefon Diggs not guilty on May 5, 2026, ending the criminal case brought against the NFL wide receiver by his former personal chef. The Stefon Diggs personal chef assault case centered on Jamila “Mila” Adams, who accused Diggs of slapping and choking her during a pay dispute at his Dedham home in December 2025. After a two-day trial in Norfolk County District Court, the six-person jury deliberated for roughly 90 minutes before acquitting him of one felony count of strangulation or suffocation and one misdemeanor count of assault and battery.1CBS News Boston. Stefon Diggs Trial Testimony
What Adams Said Happened
According to the criminal complaint, the confrontation occurred on December 2, 2025, at Diggs’ residence in Dedham, Massachusetts. Adams, who had been living in the home and working as Diggs’ personal chef since roughly February 2025, testified that Diggs entered her bedroom to argue about money he owed her. She said the argument turned physical when he “smacked me with an open hand” across her face, then wrapped the crook of his elbow around her neck from behind in a chokehold that left her struggling to breathe. Adams also alleged that Diggs threw her onto a bed and said “thought so” before leaving the room.2ESPN. Chef Shies From Financial Questions at Stefon Diggs Assault Trial3Enterprise News. Stefon Diggs Trial Jury Selection Starts in Dedham
Adams did not go to police right away. She walked into the Dedham police station on December 16, two weeks after the alleged assault, telling officers she had been “in a state of shock.” The reporting officer noted redness on her upper chest but did not document any injuries with photographs. He applied for a criminal complaint on December 23, citing Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 265, Section 13A (assault and battery) and Section 15D (strangulation or suffocation).4NBC Boston. Stefon Diggs Police Report Details Allegations The complaint was formally filed in Dedham District Court on December 29, 2025. Diggs was arraigned on February 13, 2026, pleaded not guilty, and was released on personal recognizance with an order to stay away from Adams.5CBS News Boston. Stefon Diggs Arraignment in Dedham A conviction on the strangulation charge would have carried up to five years in state prison under Massachusetts law.6FindLaw. MA Gen Laws Ch. 265 Sect. 15D
The Relationship and the Money Dispute
Adams is a professional private chef with more than a decade of experience cooking for athletes and entertainers. She and Diggs connected through Instagram in 2022, and their connection evolved from a friendship into what Adams described at trial as a “complicated” dynamic that was at times sexual.7ABC7. Stefon Diggs Found Not Guilty in Trial Involving Chef Jamila Adams By the 2025 NFL season, she was living in Diggs’ Dedham home preparing his meals for a salary of roughly $2,000 per week. Her last day working for him was December 15, 2025, the day before she went to the police.
The financial relationship became a central issue at trial. Adams claimed Diggs owed her for missed paychecks. The defense countered that Diggs’ financial consultant, Melissa Goddard, had identified incorrect invoicing and instances of Adams submitting the same receipts for reimbursement, and that Adams had actually been overpaid by approximately $2,500.8NBC Boston. Stefon Diggs Trial Live Stream Updates – Day 2 Defense attorney Andrew Kettlewell told jurors that Adams initially sought $19,000 and that the demand later ballooned to $5.5 million through her attorney. He argued the assault claim was manufactured to “leverage and humiliate and punish” Diggs.
The Prosecution’s Case at Trial
The trial began on May 4, 2026, before Judge Jeanmarie Carroll. A jury of five women and one man was selected, and both sides rested by the second day.
Adams took the stand and described the alleged assault. She also testified that she was upset because Diggs had waited until the last minute to tell her she was excluded from a trip to Miami for Art Basel. She proved a difficult witness. Even the prosecutor, Assistant District Attorney Drew Virtue, acknowledged she was “argumentative, avoidant, difficult.” Judge Carroll repeatedly instructed Adams to answer questions directly and warned that nonresponsive answers could be stricken. When the defense pressed her about the $5.5 million demand, she replied, “I can’t speak on that.”9Defector. Stefon Diggs Not Guilty, Former Chef At one point Adams testified that Diggs had offered her $100,000 to recant her statement, but Judge Carroll ordered that remark stricken as nonresponsive.10Boston 25 News. Stefon Diggs Assault Trial – Jury Deliberating
Adams acknowledged deleting text messages from her phone before contacting police. She testified that she withheld certain details from her initial report because Diggs was in a high-profile relationship with rapper Cardi B and she feared the public fallout.11CBS News Boston. Stefon Diggs Trial Jury Selection in Dedham Virtue urged jurors to weigh her testimony despite her flaws, framing the case as one involving a significant power imbalance and telling the jury that Diggs was “an athlete, a celebrity, financially powerful, surrounded by people that were all on his payroll.” He argued defense witnesses were biased because they depended on Diggs for their livelihoods.12NBC Boston. Stefon Diggs Not Guilty – What’s Next
The Defense’s Case
Diggs’ defense, led by attorneys Mitchell Schuster and Andrew Kettlewell, argued that no assault ever occurred. In closing, Kettlewell told the jury: “Three words. It didn’t happen.”13The Daily Record. Stefon Diggs Assault Trial
The defense leaned heavily on the absence of physical evidence. Officer Kenneth Ellis, who took Adams’ initial report, confirmed he observed no visible injuries and did not collect photographic evidence. Several witnesses who saw Adams in the days after the alleged assault testified they observed no injuries. Janelle Sales, Diggs’ chief of staff, said she saw Adams on the day of the alleged assault and observed no marks, redness, or swelling, and that Adams appeared to be in “normal spirits” while looking for supplies to write a birthday card for Diggs. Hairstylist Xia Charles testified she spent time with Adams on a trip to New York in the days following the incident and saw no marks on her neck; Charles also told the court that Adams said she planned to sue Diggs for wages and “take it to the blogs” but never mentioned being assaulted. A massage therapist, a nurse, and another associate, Natalia Moses, offered similar testimony.
The defense also introduced cell phone videos showing Adams socializing, dancing, and laughing with friends in the days after the alleged assault. It noted that Adams returned to work for Diggs roughly a week after the alleged attack and sent him text messages in which she apologized for her behavior. Adams testified those messages were sent “not by choice” and that she was trying to stay in Diggs’ good graces to ensure she was paid. The defense introduced deleted messages from Adams that included the phrase “ruining that bitch life” alongside a fairy emoji, arguing that the underlying conflict was personal rather than about wages or an assault.
The Verdict and What Followed
The jury began deliberating at about 3:05 p.m. on May 5, 2026, and returned a not guilty verdict on both charges around 4:30 p.m.
Outside the courthouse, Schuster said the case “never should have been brought” and called it “a waste of resources.” He said Diggs’ “fame and financial success shouldn’t strip someone of their presumption of innocence, but too often, it does exactly that.”
The NFL had said during the case that the matter remained under review of its personal conduct policy. On June 12, 2026, the league notified Diggs it had found “insufficient evidence to support a finding of a personal conduct policy violation” and that he would face no league discipline.14NFL.com. Stefon Diggs Free Agent WR No Discipline in NFL Assault Case Adams posted an Instagram video on May 11, 2026, addressing Cardi B directly and claiming Diggs had abused them both, an allegation Cardi B had publicly rejected in January 2026 when she wrote that Adams had never told her she was touched.15Billboard. Cardi B Defends Stefon Diggs Amid Chef Allegations