Richard filed her lawsuit one day after a Michigan judge ordered Combs to pay over $100 million to inmate Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith, who sued the rapper for allegedly drugging and sexually assaulting him in 1997, according to court records viewed by E! News. The default judgment was reached after Combs failed to appear for a virtual hearing in the case.
Cardello-Smith, 51, is currently serving time in prison on 12 sentences related to criminal sexual conduct and two sentences related to kidnapping that stem from unrelated cases, court records show.
Combs’ lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, disputed the judgement, telling E! News in a statement, “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.”
The attorney continued, “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. Mr. Combs looks forward to having this judgment swiftly dismissed.”
E! News has reached out to lawyers for Cardello-Smith for comment, but has not heard back.
