JUST CALL HIM "COURT DADDY"

Wearing a denim jacket and sunglasses inside the courtroom, Puffy arrived late to court on Thursday (9/28), Allstarnews.com reports. He did apologize for being late and said it wouldn't happen again.

Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Charles H. Solomon set Jan. 2 as the start date for Comb's trial for criminal possession of a firearm and set Nov. 2 for a pre-trial hearing.

The charges against Combs stem from a December 1999 shooting at a New York nightclub. Police allegedly found a 9mm handgun on the floor of Puffy's SUV, in which the rapper was fleeing with his girlfriend Jennifer Lopez and his bodyguard, Anthony "Wolf" Jones. Combs and Jones were charged with criminal possession. Puffy protege Jamal "Shyne" Barrow is accused of the actual shooting, and faces charges of attempted murder, assault and reckless endangerment—all of which should help the sales of his new album, which drops in October.

All three pled not guilty. If convicted, Combs and Jones could face 15 years in prison, while Barrow could spend up to 25 years behind bars. Lopez has already been convicted of fashion crimes by such glamour experts as Joan Rivers.