Michigan inmate wins $100m default judgement against Diddy for alleged 1997 sexual assault
Michigan man claims Diddy visited in prison to try and quash lawsuit
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A Michigan man won a $100m default judgment on Monday against Sean “Diddy” Combs, after the music mogul failed to appear in court to contest a civil suit accusing him of a 1997 sexual assault.
Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith, 51, an inmate at the Earnest C. Brooks Correctional Facility, accused Diddy in June of sexually assaulting him during a party in 1997 in the Detroit area.
According to court documents obtained by USA Today, Cardello-Smith felt Combs touch his buttocks while Cardello-Smith was having sex with a woman who was with them.
Combs allegedly saw Cardello-Smith recoil, then later gave him a spiked drink.
"I stayed sitting there and began getting drowsy and started to pass out," Cardello-Smith, who represented himself, wrote in the complaint. "Then Sean Combs said to me ‘I added a little something to it for you. I will get that from you anyway, one way or another.’"
During a hearing in August, Cardello-Smith claimed Combs visited him in prison and offered him $2.3m to end the lawsuit, telling the 51-year-old, “You know how we get down.”
“Well, I disagree with how you get down,” Cardello-Smith, who is reportedly serving out criminal sexual conduct and kidnapping charges, told the court he said in response.
Under the judgment, the mogul must pay Cardello-Smith, $10m per month beginning in October, according to Variety.
A lawyer for Diddy pushed back against Monday’s decision in the Lenawee County Circuit Court.
“This man is a convicted felon and sexual predator, who has been sentenced on 14 counts of sexual assault and kidnapping over the last 26 years,” Marc Agnifilo told the Detroit Metro Times. “His resume now includes committing a fraud on the court from prison, as Mr. Combs has never heard of him let alone been served with any lawsuit. Mr. Combs looks forward to having this judgment swiftly dismissed.”
The Michigan case is the latest in a series of escalating allegations against the music star.
In March, federal law enforcement raided Combs’s homes in Los Angeles and Miami in connection to a federal sex trafficking investigation.
Two months later, video footage from 2016 emerged showing Combs violently attacking his former girlfriend, the singer Cassie, in a hotel hallway, corroborating several allegations Cassie made against Combs last year in a 2023 suit that was later settled.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments