Diddy’s Lawyer Responds After Michigan Inmate Wins $100 Million Default Judgment: “Mr. Combs Has Never Heard of Him”

Sean “Diddy” Combs’ legal team is responding to a $100 million default judgment awarded to a Michigan inmate, Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith, in a civil lawsuit accusing the disgraced mogul of a 1997 sexual assault.

In a statement, Diddy’s attorney, Marc Agnifilo, strongly denied the claims, saying, “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,” the statement reads. “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 documents obtained by USA TODAY Tuesday, Cardello-Smith filed the lawsuit in June, and the default judgment was granted by a Lenawee County Circuit Court in Michigan after Combs did not respond or appear in court. Diddy’s legal team asserts that he was never notified of the lawsuit and plans to take action to overturn the judgment.

Cardello-Smith, who is currently serving up to 75 years at Earnest C. Brooks Correctional Facility for several counts of criminal sexual conduct and kidnapping, claims he met Diddy at a Detroit Holiday Inn after-party in June 1997. According to court documents, he alleges that he had drinks with Diddy and others before going to a private hotel room, where he later passed out and woke up in pain, claiming he was sexually assaulted by Diddy.

While in prison, Cardello-Smith taught himself criminal and civil law, developing what The Metro Times described as “a long history of challenging the judicial system” with lawsuits. Besides Combs, Cardello-Smith has also targeted other high-profile defendants in his legal actions, including the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit. In that lawsuit, he alleges that two priests and a lay employee of the organization sexually abused him between 1979, when he was about seven years old, and 1993.

In the case against Diddy, Cardello-Smith claims to have evidence in the form of a 1997 “agreement of silence and confidentiality” that he alleges was signed by Diddy and other Michigan officials. However, the authenticity of this document is questionable and has not been verified by any authorities. During a court hearing in August, Cardello-Smith testified that Diddy visited him in prison and offered $2.3 million to drop the lawsuit—a claim that Diddy’s legal team strongly denies.

They maintain that no such meeting or offer occurred and are committed to getting the judgment dismissed.

Diddy is currently dealing with several other legal cases involving allegations of sexual misconduct, with claims from producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones Jr., former model Crystal McKinney, and Joi Dickerson-Neal. While Diddy has denied these accusations, he did recently apologize to ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura following the release of a 2016 video showing a physical altercation.