Sean Diddy ordered to pay $100M in sexual assault lawsuit
What's the story
American rapper Sean 'Diddy' Combs has lost a noteworthy $100M lawsuit over allegations of sexual assault. The 54-year-old rapper failed to contest the allegations in a civil courthouse in Michigan, US, leading to the judgment. The accuser, Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith (51), had accused Diddy of drugging and sexually assaulting him at a party in Detroit back in 1997. Here are more details.
Lawyer's statement
Diddy's lawyer says he doesn't know Cardello-Smith
Diddy's attorney, Marc Agnifilo, denied that the rapper knew Cardello-Smith. "Mr. Combs has never heard of him let alone been served with any lawsuit," the statement said. Agnifilo said that Cardello-Smith had committed "fraud on the court" and that Diddy "looks forward to having this judgment swiftly dismissed." Per The Guardian, Cardello-Smith had filed a lawsuit detailing his encounter with Diddy while working in the restaurant and hospitality industry near Detroit.
Details
Diddy offered me $2.3M to drop lawsuit: Cardello-Smith
Cardello-Smith, who is currently incarcerated, had also provided a prison visitation log with Diddy's name on it. At a virtual court hearing on August 7, he testified that Diddy had offered him $2.3M to drop the lawsuit so that the rapper could complete a property sale. However, Cardello-Smith rejected the offer and said that Diddy told him he would not acknowledge his claims in court.
Judgment
Judge awards $100M default judgment to Cardello-Smith
After Diddy failed to appear at a virtual hearing in Cardello-Smith's lawsuit on Monday, Lenawee County Circuit Court Judge Anna Marie Anzalone awarded the latter a default judgment of $100M. Earlier, Anzalone had issued an order restraining Diddy from selling off assets that could help him cover any damages possibly awarded to Cardello-Smith. Reportedly, Cardello-Smith is incarcerated at the Earnest C Brooks correctional facility after multiple previous convictions of criminal sexual misconduct as well as one of kidnapping.
Other lawsuits
Diddy has faced several other lawsuits
Diddy has faced several other lawsuits accusing him of rapes, sexual assaults, other instances of physical violence and distribution of "revenge porn." In May, CNN obtained a video showing Diddy battering his ex-girlfriend, singer Cassie Ventura in 2016. Ventura had sued Diddy for damages several months earlier, accusing him of rape and severe physical abuse during the course of a relationship that by then had ended.