Diddy ordered to pay $100M default judgment in sexual assault lawsuit
FILE-Sean "Diddy" Combs performs at Howard University's Yardfest on October 20, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Thaddaeus McAdams/WireImage/Getty Images)
Sean "Diddy" Combs has been ordered to pay a $100 million default judgment in a sexual assault lawsuit.
Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith, an inmate at a Michigan prison, filed the civil suit against the entertainer in June and was granted the award by a judge at a hearing on Monday.
USA Today noted that a default judgment happens when either party in a case fails to act, either by not responding to a summons or failure to appear in court. Citing court documents, the news outlet reports that neither appearances nor answers have been filed on behalf of Diddy in the case.
RELATED: Diddy's accusers could testify before federal grand jury in NYC: Who are they?
Cardello-Smith alleges that he met Diddy at an after party at a Detroit hotel in June 1997. Court documents obtained by USA Today note that Cardello-Smith drank with Diddy and female guests. He later joined the music mogul and two women in a private hotel room.
According to TMZ, Cardello-Smith claimed he had had sex with a woman when he felt Diddy touch his butt. Moments later, the rapper and producer offered Cardello-Smith a drink, which was allegedly spiked, and he passed out. The man claims that he awakened hours later and saw Diddy having sex with a woman.
RELATED: Sean 'Diddy' Combs has had history of legal troubles
Cardello-Smith testified at an Aug. 7 motion hearing that Diddy visited him in jail once and separately sent a financial advisor to meet with him on the entertainer’s behalf. Cardello-Smith said Diddy offered him $2.3 million to drop his lawsuit, which he turned down, USA Today noted.
TMZ reported that the judge set a payment schedule for the $100 million judgment in installment payments of $10 million each month, beginning October 1.
Combs, who is facing multiple lawsuits in the past year claiming sexual misconduct, has denied the allegations against him.
In 2023, Diddy's ex-girlfriend, Cassie, sued the musician over allegations of rape and abuse, Fox News Digital confirmed. Cassie, legally known as Casandra Ventura, alleged she endured "over a decade" of Diddy's "violent behavior and disturbed demands" in a lawsuit filed in New York federal court.
Earlier this year, he apologized to Cassie after a video surfaced of him attacking the singer in a hotel lobby.