Judge Overturns $100 Million Prisoner Default Judgment Against Diddy

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs seems to be having a tumultuous week. We’re three days into the FBI arresting him, charged with extortion and sex trafficking, and return to custodyNow, on the same day a judge denied his bail appeal, a separate legal victory came. Diddy won an appeal of a $100 million default judgment in a sexual assault lawsuit filed by a Michigan inmate. Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith.

RELATED: New York judge rules on Diddy’s bail appeal (UPDATE)

Michigan Prisoner’s Default Sentence Against Diddy Overturned For THIS REASON

EQUAL previously reportedOn September 9, Judge Anna Marie Anzalone ruled in favor of Derrick in a civil lawsuit alleging sexual assault in 1997. Smith claimed that he met Diddy at a Detroit restaurant and that the music mogul touched his left buttock while he was having sex with a woman. Additionally, Smith claimed that Combs implied that he had sex with him while Derrick was unconscious.

Judge Anzalone awarded the inmate $100 million after Sean Combs reportedly failed to appear for a virtual hearing on September 9 and failed to file a response to the lawsuit. At the time, reports said Combs was ordered to begin paying Derrick in monthly installments of $10 million starting October 1.

However, as of September 18, that payment schedule no longer applies. Diddy’s attorney, David Fink, told TMZ that a Michigan judge had thrown out the $100 million payment. During the motion hearing, Fink argued that Smith had failed to effectively prove that he had served Diddy with a civil lawsuit under Michigan law. Furthermore, the restraining order against Diddy was also dismissed.

As previously reported, Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith officially told the court that he served Diddy with the lawsuit on July 6, 2024. Combs’ other attorney, Marc Agnifilo, denied the claim in a statement to The Shade Room. Agnifilo pointed to Derrick’s record as a “convicted felon and sexual predator” and stated that “Mr. Combs has never heard of [Derrick]not to mention being sued.”

RELATED: Diddy seeks to overturn $100 million verdict in sexual assault lawsuit against Michigan inmate

Here’s what happens next

Well, based on Wednesday’s ruling, it appears a judge agreed with Diddy’s legal team. His bid to overturn the default judgment was successful.

According to TMZ, the next step is for Diddy’s legal team to file a motion to dismiss the lawsuit. It’s unclear whether that has happened.

As suggested, Sean Combs has been busy this week as he fights his federal charges from behind bars. As of Tuesday, September 18, the music mogul is in pretrial detention at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York.

RELATED: Explained: Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs and the Unresolved Sexual Assault Lawsuit Against Him