Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ legal troubles took a dramatic turn recently when Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith, who accused Combs of sexual assault, won a default judgment against him. According to the lawsuit, the producer-entrepreneur has been asked to pay $100 million as default after he reportedly failed to appear at the hearing on Monday. The judgment was delivered by Anna Marie Anzalone in the Lenawee County Circuit on September 9.
Cardello-Smith has accused Combs of drugging him and assaulting him at a party back in 1997, while Combs’ attorneys continue to deny the allegations.
In response to the default judgment, Combs has filed an emergency motion, challenging the ruling in the case. According to a report in People magazine, the motion seeks to vacate the court’s judgment, arguing that both Combs and his lawyers were not aware of the lawsuit and not properly served, which makes the default judgment invalid under Michigan Court Rule 2.105(A). Mentioning that any delays in responding were unintentional, they shared that the motion was quickly filed thereafter.
In their request, Combs’ lawyers also explained that Cardello-Smith is a “convicted felon who is serving time in prison for kidnapping and sexual assault,” further adding that he had frequently filed “frivolous” claims in the past.
They insisted on his allegations being “objectively unbelievable” and are full of “inconsistencies and fantastical claims,” including the claim of investing $150,000 for Combs’ 49 per cent net worth.
In addition to the emergency motion, Combs has also filed a motion to dissolve the temporary restraining order on him, reiterating that Cardello-Smith is not owed injunctive relief and that his own constitutional rights were violated.
Earlier in June, Cardello-Smith, who is currently serving a sentence for an unrelated matter, filed a complaint against Combs, claiming that he was drugged and assaulted by the rapper at a party in 1997. Following this, he was granted a temporary restraining order, blocking Combs from selling assets that could be used to “compensate” him in the case.
Later in a hearing, Cardello-Smith even claimed that Combs visited him in prison and offered $2.3 million to dismiss the lawsuit, states a Guardian report. It is pertinent to note that the lawsuit comes among a string of other sexual assault allegations against Combs.
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