How Did A Michigan Inmate Win $100M Against Diddy?

Update - 9/11/24 12:29 PM

Diddy’s attorney recently spoke with People Magazine and issued a statement about the $100 million default judgment awarded to Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith after Diddy did not formally respond to the lawsuit.

In the statement, Diddy’s attorney, Marc Agnifilo, said, “This man is a convicted felon and sexual predator, having been sentenced on 14 counts of sexual assault and kidnapping over the past 26 years.” He continued, “His record now includes committing fraud on the court from prison, as Mr. Combs has never heard of him, nor has he been served with any lawsuit. Mr. Combs anticipates that this judgment will be promptly overturned.”

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Known for challenging the system, a Michigan inmate has officially won a $100 million case against one of the biggest moguls in the industry.

How did this happen?

A Michigan Inmate Wins $100M Against Diddy

The inmate in question, 51-year-old Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith just received the biggest financial come-up due to Sean 'Diddy' Combs failing to contest the civil allegations.

Cardello-Smith met Combs while working as a Detroit-area restaurant and hospitality employee.

Cardello-Smith alleged that, while at a party in Detroit, he was drugged and sexually assaulted by Combs in 1997, according to Detroit Metro Times.

As you may know, this is not the first time Combs has been accused of sexual abuse and other misconduct over the years.

Because of this particular allegation, Cardello-Smith sued over the alleged attack with a visitation log that showed Combs coming to the prison.

During a preliminary court hearing on August 7th, Cardello-Smith testified that Combs offered him $2.3 million to drop his lawsuit.

While testifying Cardello-Smith shared that Combs stated that he would not acknowledge his claims in court, saying, "You know how we get down."

After rejecting the settlement offer, Cardello-Smith said he told Combs, "Well, I disagree with how you get down."

Since a default judgment is issued to a plaintiff if the defendant fails to respond to the proceedings formally, with Conbs not appearing for the September 9th virtual hearing, the default was granted.

This could make Cardello-Smith's judgment the largest one given to a non-attorney and to a currently incarcerated person in history.