Michigan Inmate Wins $100M Diddy Judgment—Then It's Vacated
A sexual assault case filed from prison raises questions about proper legal service and due process in civil court
On September 9, 2024, Lenawee County Circuit Court Judge Anna Marie Anzalone issued a striking $100 million default judgment against Sean "Diddy" Combs in a civil lawsuit filed by Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith, a 51-year-old inmate at Earnest C. Brooks Correctional Facility in Muskegon Heights, Michigan.
Cardello-Smith, who is serving time for 14 counts of sexual assault and kidnapping spanning 26 years, alleged that Combs drugged and sexually assaulted him at an afterparty in June 1997 following an event at a Detroit-area restaurant or Holiday Inn. According to Cardello-Smith's account, he was working as a bartender, was invited to the party, encouraged to drink alcohol provided by Combs, and later woke to find Combs admitting to the assault. The lawsuit was filed in June 2024 from prison.
The default judgment required Combs to pay $10 million monthly starting in October 2024, and included a temporary restraining order. The rapid verdict came after Combs failed to appear at the civil hearing.
Combs' legal team quickly pushed back. Attorney Marc Agnifilo issued a stark statement: Combs "has never heard of him let alone been served." The defense characterized the judgment as "fraud on the court" and denied the allegations outright, calling Cardello-Smith's claims "pure fiction" and "made up."
On September 13, 2024, just four days after the initial judgment, Combs' attorneys filed a comprehensive 83-page motion to vacate. The filing alleged that Combs had not been properly served with the lawsuit under Michigan law and that he only learned of the case through media reports rather than official court notification. This procedural challenge struck at the heart of the judgment's validity: a defendant must be properly notified of a lawsuit to have a meaningful opportunity to respond.
Judge Anzalone agreed with the defense arguments. By September 18, 2024, she set aside the $100 million default judgment and the temporary restraining order. A follow-up hearing was scheduled for October 2024 to allow the case to proceed with proper legal procedures in place.
