Sean “Diddy” Combs responded to the lawsuit filed by a male prisoner who alleges that the entrepreneur sexually assaulted him in 1997, as exclusively reported by In Touch.
Diddy, 54, requested that all claims brought by Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith be dismissed, as indicated by court documents obtained by In Touch Weekly.
Diddy, who has been incarcerated in a New York prison since being denied bond, claimed that he had not been adequately served with Derrick's complaint and that the allegations were "implausible on their face."
In June, Derrick initiated a stunning lawsuit against Diddy. He stated that he encountered the tycoon on June 14, 1997, while employed as a bartender in Detroit, as per Variety.
The entertainer's team referred to Derrick as a "convicted felon" and noted that he was presently serving time in prison. Derrick claimed that Diddy extended an invitation to him to attend a sex party at a Holiday Inn.
Derrick asserted that Diddy sexually assaulted him at the gathering. He claimed that they were at a gathering with other women when Diddy approached and stoked his "butt check."
Derrick stated that he was frozen in terror at the time. He alleged that Diddy invited him to consume a beverage and informed him that he had "added a little something to it for you."
The individual claimed that he awoke hours later to the sound of Diddy engaging in sexual intercourse with a woman. Derrick asserted that Diddy observed him and said, "I did this to you too!"
He asserted that he attempted to submit a police report but was denied access. In September, a judge awarded Derrick a $100 million default judgment after Diddy failed to respond to the case despite Derrick's declaration that he had served the tycoon.
Diddy's legal team promptly entered the courthouse to contest the default judgment. The team alleged that Derrick did not serve Diddy appropriately and requested that the decision be overturned. The default judgment was vacated, and the judge granted the request.
In a recently submitted motion, Diddy's attorney accused Derrick of fabricating a “fantastical set of allegations that numerous high-ranking [government] officials engaged in a vast cover-up with [Diddy].”
Additionally, the attorney stated, “incredibly, in two different complaints filed in two different courts, [Derrick] alleges that this purported assault occurred in two different counties on the same day.”
Derrick initially claimed the alleged assault to have occurred at a Holiday Inn in Adrian, Michigan, according to Diddy. In a separate lawsuit, Diddy stated that Derrick alleged the incident took place at a hotel in Monroe, Michigan.
Furthermore, Diddy contended that the statute of limitations procedurally precluded the claims. However, the statute of limitations precludes the plaintiff's claim.
“[Derrick] baselessly asserts that the [Diddy] sexually assaulted him on June 14, 1997, somewhere in Michigan,” the motion read.
“Because the assault allegedly occurred in June 1997, any claim [Derrick] might have had expired in June 2000—more than two decades before [Derrick] commenced this litigation. For this reason alone, the court should dismiss the complaint in its entirety with prejudice,” the filing contended.
Marc Agnifilo, Diddy's attorney, previously addressed the issue to TMZ, “This man is a convicted felon and sexual predator who has been sentenced on 14 counts of sexual assault and kidnapping over the last 26 years. 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.”
