It goes without saying that 2024 was a tough year for Diddy. In September, he was arrested on charges related to alleged sex trafficking and racketeering. He's currently behind bars at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn awaiting his trial, which is tentatively scheduled for May. In addition to this, he's facing several lawsuits from people accusing him of sexual assault and other forms of abuse.
Recently, however, the Bad Boy founder did secure at least one legal win. AllHipHop exclusively reports that a $100 million lawsuit filed against him by a Michigan inmate has been shut down by the federal court. The inmate, Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith, previously accused Diddy of sexually assaulting him at a hotel in 1997 and trying to cover it up for the sake of his reputation. He represented himself in court, arguing that his claims should bypass the state’s statute of limitations. Cardello-Smith cited intimidation as well as retaliation as his reasons for not filing sooner.
Federal Court Shuts Down Michigan Inmate's Lawsuit Against Diddy
This did not manage to convince Judge Judith E. Levy, however. “[Smith] filed this lawsuit in 2024, long after the applicable statute of limitations expired,” she said. This latest update in the case comes just a few weeks after Diddy's legal team asked requested that it be dismissed, and called for sanctions under federal law. “This barrage of fabricated claims must come to an end,” Diddy’s attorney, David Fink, said at the time. “Plaintiff’s frequent filings clearly indicate he has no intention of stopping his meritless attacks.”
Diddy's team has vehemently denied Cardello-Smith's allegations since the lawsuit was filed. "This man [Cardello-Smith] is a convicted felon and sexual predator, who has been sentenced on 14 counts of sexual assault and kidnapping over the last 26 years," Diddy's attorney Marc Agnifilo told TMZ in September. "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."
