After Diddy‘s attorney filed an emergency motion last week, a judge on Wednesday (September 18) set aside a Michigan inmate’s $100 million default judgment against Sean Combs.
Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith won a 100 million dollar default judgment against Combs, 54, after Diddy failed to respond to a 1997 sexual assault lawsuit accusing him of drugging and sexually assaulting him. Diddy’s attorney filed an emergency motion on September 12 after a judge awarded Smith $100 million, claiming the plaintiff’s claims were false and overdue.
The new decision came during a hearing on Wednesday, where Diddy’s lawyer, David Fink, successfully argued that Cardello-Smith had failed to properly serve the lawsuit in accordance with Michigan law. Moreover, Judge Anna Marie Anzalone lifted the temporary restraining order that had prevented Diddy from selling assets to cover damages. As the alleged incident occurred more than two decades ago, Diddy had a strong chance of winning the case on statute of limitations grounds.
The case will now proceed through the legal system after the default judgment is overturned. A motion to dismiss the case entirely is expected to be filed by the mogul’s legal team.
Diddy’s attorney, Marc Agnifilo, told TMZ: “This man is a convicted felon and sexual predator who has been sentenced on 14 counts of sexual assault and kidnapping over the past 26 years. His latest offense is committing fraud 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.”
The new ruling follows the mogul’s arrest and taken into federal custody on Monday. The mogul has been charged with sex trafficking and racketeering. The prosecutors argued Combs was a flight risk and a danger to others, which resulted in him being denied bond twice.
As he awaits trial, Diddy is being held in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center.
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