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Try as he might to escape his legal predicament, Sean Combs' spiraling legal issues -- many of which center on sexual misconduct -- are only growing, and the walls could be closing in on the 54-year-old hip-hop mogul.
Combs -- better known simply as Diddy -- is facing numerous serious allegations over harassment and assault that was sexual in nature, in addition to very troubling sex trafficking claims. With at least eight lawsuits pending, Diddy's legal team is being stretched thin -- and the rapper's choice to ignore a Michigan inmate's sexual assault suit has come with a hefty price tag.
Michigan inmate wins millions in judgment against Diddy
On Monday, Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith won a $100 million default judgment against Combs, who failed to appear at a virtual hearing in civil court. Cardello-Smith had alleged that Diddy drugged and assaulted him sexually in 1997 -- when the producer was arguably at the peak of his powers. Now, as it stands, Cardello-Smith is slated to receive $10 million per month beginning Oct. 1, per a payment schedule stipulated by Lenawee County Circuit Court Judge Anna Marie Anzalone.
Cardello-Smith, who is serving time at Earnest C. Brooks Correctional Facility in Musekgon, saw a request for a restraining order against Combs granted in August -- more than 25 years after the 51-year-old claimed that Diddy assaulted him at a party in Detroit. Combs' legal team reportedly offered to settle out of court -- a request that was denied by Cardello-Smith.
"I disagree with how you get down," Cardello-Smith claimed to have told Diddy's legal team when they approached him with a $2.3 million settlement.
In the end, Cardello-Smith bet on himself and won in a damaging judgment that reveals just how vulnerable Diddy has become. The three-time Grammy Award winner lost significant goodwill and the benefit of the doubt following resurfaced video that shows him beating ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in 2016 -- and his reported $1 billion net worth could be trimmed substantially in the coming weeks and months if the Cardello-Smith judgment is an indication.