Diddy Ordered to Pay $100 Million to an Incarcerated Man in Michigan — Details Explained
"Well, I disagree with how you get down."
Published Sept. 10 2024, 3:52 p.m. ET
In May 2024, Vulture took a depressingly deep dive into the numerous lawsuits brought against Sean "Diddy" Combs regarding allegations of sex trafficking, sexual assault, and harassment. This is of course separate from the FBI raid on Combs's homes in Miami and Los Angeles, in March 2024. It's really hard to keep up with the many legal issues Combs is involved in.
The outlet highlights eight lawsuits, the oldest of which was filed in November 2023. Of those eight, only one has been settled. The remaining seven were listed as "ongoing." In September 2024, Diddy was ordered to pay $100 million to a man named Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith. Shockingly, his lawsuit was not included in Vulture's exhaustive list. So, what happened to Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith? Here's what we know.
What happened to Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith? Diddy was ordered to pay him $100 million.
According to court records obtained by the Detroit Metro Times, Cardello-Smith claims he was drugged and assaulted by Combs at a party in 1997. At the time, the then 25-year-old was working at a restaurant in Detroit which is how he and Diddy apparently met. Cardello-Smith is currently incarcerated at Earnest C. Brooks Correctional Facility in Muskegon, Mich., and was able to provide log records of Combs's communication with him while he's been in prison.
Through his lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, Combs has said he does not know Cardello-Smith, reported The Guardian. However in an August 2024 hearing conducted virtually, Cardello-Smith furnished visitation logs with Combs's name on them. At this hearing, Combs attempted to settle the lawsuit for $2.3 million so that he could complete the sale of one of his properties. "You know how we get down," said Combs to Cardello-Smith. "Well, I disagree with how you get down," he replied.
When Combs did not appear for a subsequent virtual hearing on September 9, Lenawee county circuit court judge Anna Marie Anzalone awarded Cardello-Smith a defualt judgement of $100 million. In a statement to the Detroit Metro Times, Agnifilo said, "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." He then added that Cardello-Smith has now committed a "fraud on the court from prison."