Diddy shut down a $100 million lawsuit from a Michigan inmate alleging a decades-old assault, as the court declared the case time-barred.
Diddy obliterated a $100 million lawsuit filed by a Michigan inmate, who claimed the music mogul sexually assaulted him nearly three decades ago.
The federal court shut down the case, labeling it untimely and without legal merit, delivering another courtroom win for Diddy amid a whirlwind of legal challenges.
The plaintiff, Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith, alleged that Diddy raped him at a Detroit hotel in 1997 and orchestrated a cover-up to protect his reputation.
Representing himself in court, Cardello-Smith insisted his claims should bypass Michigan’s statute of limitations, citing intimidation and retaliation as reasons for his delayed filing.
However, Judge Judith E. Levy was unpersuaded.
“[Smith] filed this lawsuit in 2024, long after the applicable statute of limitations expired,” Judge Levy said.
Attempts to stretch legal doctrines to fit his narrative were also dismissed as irrelevant or unsupported by Michigan law.
The battle $100 million battle for Diddy started in Michigan state court, where Cardello-Smith initially secured a temporary restraining order and a default judgment, which immediately drew headlines around the world.
However, the rulings were overturned when the court determined the music mogul had not been properly served.
Once the case transitioned to federal court, Diddy’s legal team dismantled the allegations, describing them as implausible and contradictory.
Cardello-Smith’s litigation history only added to the court’s skepticism because the inmate has been repeatedly flagged by courts for abusive legal tactics.
Judge Levy pointed out his pattern of duplicative filings and noted the undue burden such actions place on the judicial system.
Although Diddy’s attorneys sought sanctions, the court issued a warning instead, cautioning Cardello-Smith against further misuse of the courts.
While this victory clears one legal hurdle for Diddy, he remains incarcerated at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, awaiting trial on separate charges involving RICO and sex trafficking.
Diddy has been on the offensive for the past week. He sued one of his accusers and his attorney for $50 million and blasted Dawn Richard for filing a baseless, “headline-grabbing lawsuit.”
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