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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →The headline refers to a reported $100 million default judgment against Sean “Diddy” Combs—not an award of more than $100 million. The Michigan case was brought by Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith, who alleged that Combs sexually assaulted him in 1997. The allegation was not established through a contested trial in the records described here, and the later procedural history does not, by itself, show whether the original judgment was collected or set aside.
What was the $100 million judgment?
CBS Detroit reported on September 10, 2024, that a Michigan judge had entered a $100 million default judgment against Combs in Cardello-Smith’s case. The report said the judgment followed Combs’s failure to appear and quoted his lawyer as saying he would seek to have it dismissed. The underlying state-court judgment document is not available among the sources cited here, so the amount and entry of judgment are attributed to the contemporaneous news report, not independently verified from that document. CBS Detroit’s report
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A default judgment is procedurally different from a verdict reached after both sides present evidence at trial. The reported default does not establish that a contested trial found the alleged assault occurred. Cardello-Smith’s claim should therefore be described as an allegation.
Who brought the case, and what did he allege?
The plaintiff was Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith. CBS Detroit reported that he alleged Combs sexually assaulted him in 1997. The reported judgment was entered in a Michigan civil case; it should not be confused with a criminal conviction or with a judgment in a separate lawsuit.
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What happened after the judgment was reported?
The case moved from state to federal court
According to a November 15, 2024 opinion from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Cardello-Smith filed the case in Lenawee County around June 10, 2024. Combs removed it to federal court on October 7, 2024. The federal court denied motions to return the case to state court, finding that Cardello-Smith had not properly served Combs under the relevant Michigan rule. Read the November 15, 2024 federal opinion
The federal case was later dismissed
An April 28, 2025 federal opinion recounts that the case was dismissed with prejudice on January 22, 2025. That later opinion addresses subsequent filings and warnings; the material cited here does not determine the original state judgment’s precise collection status. Read the April 28, 2025 federal opinion
The Michigan Court of Appeals denied leave to appeal
On February 28, 2025, the Michigan Court of Appeals denied Cardello-Smith’s application for leave to appeal, writing: “The application for leave to appeal is DENIED.” The short order is not a decision on the merits of the alleged assault. Read the February 28, 2025 order
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A later federal filing restriction
A September 19, 2025 federal order says Cardello-Smith had been enjoined from filing new lawsuits or other documents in the Eastern District of Michigan without first obtaining leave. That restriction is separate procedural context; it does not resolve whether the original default judgment was enforced or set aside. Read the September 19, 2025 federal order
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Did Combs have to pay $100 million?
The available sources establish that CBS Detroit reported a $100 million default judgment in September 2024. They do not establish whether Combs paid it, whether it was collected, or whether a state-court order later set it aside. The later federal dismissal and the state appellate denial of leave are distinct procedural events and should not be treated as proof of either payment or vacatur.
Accordingly, it is accurate to call this a reported $100 million default judgment, but the sources cited here do not establish its complete current enforcement status.
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