Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has been ordered to pay $100 million (£76 million) to a man over an alleged sexual assault.
In a lawsuit filed in June, Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith accused the hip-hop mogul of drugging and sexually assaulting him at a party in Detroit, Michigan back in 1997. Lawyers representing Combs have denied the allegations.
But on Monday, Cardello-Smith – a convicted criminal currently serving a prison sentence – was awarded $100 million by default by a judge from the Lenawee County Circuit Court in a virtual hearing because Combs didn’t show up.
In response, attorney Marc Agnifilo insisted he plans to get the judgment dismissed.
“(Cardello-Smith) is a convicted felon and sexual predator, who has been sentenced on 14 counts of sexual assault and kidnapping over the last 26 years,” he said in a statement. “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.”
According to Reuters, Cardello-Smith has been sentenced to prison for 75 years on sexual misconduct and kidnapping charges. He has not yet commented on the judgment.
Meanwhile, editors at The Detroit Metro Times report that Cardello-Smith has taught himself criminal and civil law while in prison and has developed “a long history of challenging the judicial system” by filing multiple lawsuits.
Bad Boy Records founder Combs has been the subject of a number of sexual misconduct allegations in recent months, with several legal complaints against him still pending.
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