Diddy Accused of Rape, to Pay $100 Million to Inmate – Report
Diddy has been ordered to pay $100 million to a Michigan inmate who claims the mogul drugged and raped him at a party in 1997.
Diddy Ordered to Pay $100 Million to Michigan Inmate
On Tuesday (Sep. 10), local news outlet Detroit Metro Times reported that Diddy was ordered to pay $100 million to a Michigan inmate named Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith. The man accuses Puff of drugging and raping him at a 1997 party in Detroit.
The default judgment was handed down by Lenawee County Circuit Court Judge Anna Marie Anzalone. The judge made the decision that the lawsuit had been properly served to Diddy and that he never answered the claims.
The 51-year-old inmate, claimed at a hearing on Aug. 7 that Combs offered him $2.3 million to drop the lawsuit in order to complete a property sale. Video of the hearing can be seen below. Cardello-Smith allegedly met Combs while working at a restaurant in the Detroit area. At that same hearing, Cardello-Smith claimed Combs personally informed him he wouldn’t respond to the lawsuit, telling Cardello-Smith, “You know how we get down.” The inmate told the judge he told Puff, “I disagree with how you get down” and rejected the offer.
The Cardello-Smith told the judge the assault happened after Diddy saw him performing oral sex on a woman at one of his parties. The inmate said at the time he felt a male hand graze his left buttock, and that it was Diddy, who proceeded to offer him a drink. Cardello-Smith passed out after drinking the beverage and said when he awoke he saw Diddy having sex with a woman. Diddy allegedly said to Cardello-Smith “I did this to you,” implying that he raped him.
The judge laid out a payment schedule, ordering Puff to dole out payments of $10 million per month starting on Oct. 1.
Read More: Diddy Is Officially Selling His Los Angeles Mansion That Was Raided for $61 Million
Diddy’s Team Responds to Judgment
Diddy’s attorney Marc Agnifilo has released the following statement to XXL in response to the judgment.
“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. 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.”
It’s worth noting that Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith has filed several lawsuits since being incarcerated against multiple public figures and the Department of Corrections.
This lawsuit is just the latest legal setback for Diddy, who faces numerous lawsuits accusing him of sexual abuse. The mogul most recently filed to have Rodney Jones’ lawsuit dismissed, who also accused Puff of assault. Puff’s lawyers claimed Jones is merely trying to pressure their client into a big settlement. Jones told Rolling Stone in an interview in August he feels he’s being “punished” for “standing up for justice.”
See Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith in court in connection to his Diddy lawsuit below.