Sean “Diddy” Combs has faced a significant legal setback after being ordered to pay $100 million to Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith, a Michigan inmate who accused the music mogul of drugging and sexually assaulting him at a party in 1997. The judgment, issued on September 9, 2024, comes after Combs failed to appear for a virtual court hearing. This default judgment marks one of the largest ever awarded to an incarcerated individual.
The lawsuit stems from allegations made by Cardello-Smith, who claimed that Diddy assaulted him at an afterparty in Detroit when he was working as security. Cardello-Smith, currently serving time in Michigan’s correctional system, filed the lawsuit in 2024 and later obtained a restraining order to prevent Diddy from liquidating assets that could be used to pay the damages. According to court documents, Combs did not respond to the lawsuit or appear in court, leading the judge to issue the default judgment(Black Enterprise)(HipHopDX).
Diddy’s legal team has expressed outrage over the ruling, calling it fraudulent and arguing that Combs had never been served with the lawsuit. His attorney, Marc Agnifilo, described Cardello-Smith as a convicted felon with a history of sexual assault and kidnapping, accusing him of manipulating the legal system from prison. Agnifilo further stated that they plan to fight the judgment and have it dismissed, though no additional information about appeals has been shared at this time(HipHopDX).
Cardello-Smith, who has been incarcerated for over two decades, alleged that Diddy offered him $2.3 million to settle the case privately, but he rejected the offer. This adds an additional layer of controversy to the case, as the ruling could have major financial and reputational implications for Diddy, who is currently involved in other business ventures, including the sale of his Beverly Hills mansion(Black Enterprise).
This case is a major development in a year filled with legal challenges for Combs, and with such a large judgment on the table, it could potentially set a precedent for other cases involving celebrities and incarcerated individuals. Whether Diddy will succeed in overturning the judgment remains to be seen, but for now, the $100 million ruling stands as one of the most significant losses in his legal battles.
