A Michigan inmate has won a $100 million default judgment against Sean “Diddy” Combs in a sexual assault lawsuit, an eye-popping figure handed down after the rapper did not show up in court or file any formal response to the case.

The huge judgment, confirmed by Billboard from court records, was issued by a Michigan state judge in Lenawee County to Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith – one of numerous people to accuse the embattled rapper of sexual abuse over the past year.

The ruling is a so-called default judgment, a kind of legal award granted when an accused party doesn’t respond to a legal action. At a hearing last month, a judge said that Combs had been properly served with the lawsuit, and court records indicate that he never answered the claims.

In a statement to Billboard, Combs’ attorney Marc Agnifilo strongly denied that his client had ever been served with the lawsuit and said the rapper “looks forward to having this judgment swiftly dismissed.”

“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,” Agnifilo said. “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.”

If lawyers for the rapper now respond to the lawsuit, they could seek to overturn the default judgment and proceed to normal litigation, where Cardello-Smith would need to prove his allegations to a jury before securing a judgment.

Once one of the most powerful men in the music industry, Diddy has been hit with at least seven civil lawsuits alleging sexual abuse over the past year, including claims by ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura that were later followed by a video showing him assaulting her. The hip-hop mogul is also facing an apparent federal criminal investigation after authorities raided his homes in March.

Though the rapper has denied the legal allegations against him, he issued an apology in May over his conduct captured on the video of the Ventura attack: “My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video.”

According to Michigan inmate records, Cardello-Smith, 51, is serving multiple, decades-long sentences for a variety of crimes, including first-degree criminal sexual conduct and two counts of kidnapping. The earliest he can be released from prison is 2036.

Cardello-Smith sued Combs in June, claiming the rapper had spiked his drink and sexually assaulted him at a party in 1997. At a court hearing last month, he told a judge that the rapper had personally visited him in prison after he filed the lawsuit and offered him $2.3 million to drop his case.

At that same hearing, the inmate alleged that Combs had told him that he would not appear in court or respond to the lawsuit, saying “You know how we get down.” Cardello-Smith told the judge that he responded by telling Combs “I disagree with how you get down” and rejecting the settlement offer.

The lawsuit against Combs is not the first civil action Cardello-Smith has filed from behind bars. Last year, he sued a Detroit-area Catholic archdiocese, alleging he had been sexually abused by a priest and others between 1979 and 1993. The case was dismissed last month by state appeals court, which ruled that Cardello-Smith’s allegations were barred by the statute of limitations.

As Chappell Roan dealt with backlash to her comments on toxic fan behavior over the last month, the singer says a huge number of fellow female artists have offered her their support.

In a new cover story for Rolling Stone, Roan said that a number of her fellow pop girls reached out to her and offered their words of encouragement. The list of singers included Charli XCX, Billie Eilish, Hayley Williams, Katy Perry, Lorde, Muna, Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Lucy Dacus, Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Mitski. “I’m not trying to name-drop,” she explained. “I’m trying to tell you there are girls who are good people, who are helping other girls out. I’m name-dropping them because people just need to know that people are good people.”

Roan specifically thanked Sabrina Carpenter during the conversation, saying that the pair had a long heart-to-heart about their similarly huge years and the implications that has on their mental health. “We’re both going through something so f–king hard … she just feels like everything is flying, and she’s just barely hanging on,” Roan said. “It was just good to know someone else feels that way.”

The “Pink Pony Club” singer did point out that she’s noticed a worrying trend among the artists reaching out to her. “Not a lot of boys have been like, ‘Let me know if you ever want to talk about it,’” she said, before revealing that a few — including Orville Peck, Troye Sivan and Noah Kahan — have offered her their support.

One living legend who has supported Roan throughout her career also reached out — Sir Elton John. The “Rocket Man” singer told Rolling Stone that he felt “protective” over Roan. “She is kind, innocent and wonderful. She is not ‘Chappell Roan’ off stage – a bit like me,” he said. “She is one of those people who I felt like I have known for a long time.”

Roan added that as much as audiences like to pin the toxic fan discussion on her, she is far from the only artist feeling this way. “I don’t want to be agoraphobic. That’s [how] most of my peers [feel]. Every f–king artist is on this page,” she said. “Everyone is uncomfortable with fans. Some people just have more patience. I f–king don’t.”

Elsewhere in her interview, Roan revealed a number of specific instances of fans being inappropriate with her, including a fan kissing her without consent and a stalker showing up to her parents’ home in Missouri. “[Fans] need to see me as a random b—h on the street,” she said. “You can’t yell at a random b—h who’s on the sidewalk that you don’t know. It’s considered catcalling or harassment.”

She Is The Music Day took to New York City for its third installment and welcomed 100 local college women for an opportunity to connect, grow and empower each other. 

Held at Soho’s lush Casa Gessi event space, the afternoon affair sponsored by Häagen-Dazs Ice Cream saw a number of women gather for conversation, networking opportunities, free swag, photo opps and tunes provided by DJ Adi Oasis. Industry expertise ranged from women in Publicity, Brand Partnerships, Production/Engineering, International Marketing and Touring. 

Four key speakers who have worked with the likes of SZA, H.E.R., Maeta and more came together for the main speaker conversation to spotlight their experience and support for their industry peers. Among the panelists included Shari Bryant (Founder & CEO of Knip Agency & PINKESTLUV), Sam Selolwane (Head of Promo for Hip-Hop & R&B for RCA Records), Jeanine McLean (President of MBK Entertainment and CEO of Castlight Media) and Shardé Simpson (co-founder of Simpson & Reed, PLLC).

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by She Is The Music (@sheisthemusic)

Additional breakout workshop speakers included Kathy Iandoli (journalist and author), Alexis Johnson (Interscope), Gloria Kaba (producer/engineer), Danielle Geiger (Atlantic Records) and Marissa Loil (UTA).

For more on the She Is The Music organization and their mission to provide equality, inclusivity and opportunity for women in music, head over to their official website. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by She Is The Music (@sheisthemusic)

Chappell Roan caused a stir earlier this year when she rejected the White House’s invitation for her to perform at a Pride event in June. Now, the singer is saying that had she attended, she would have done much more than just perform.

For the latest cover of Rolling Stone, Roan told the publication that she originally intended to accept the White House’s invitation to the event — but she planned to protest the Biden administration’s involvement in Israel’s attacks on Gaza instead of performing one of her songs.

“I had picked out some poems from Palestinian women. I was trying to do it as tastefully as I could because all I wanted to do was yell,” she said. “I had to find something that’s tasteful and to the point and meaningful, and not make it about me and how I feel. I don’t know if I’ll ever get that close in direct sight of the president ever in my life. This is my shot.”

While Roan said that her publicist ultimately talked her out of her protest (saying, “You f–k with the president and the government, your security is not the same, and neither is your family’s”), she firmly stands by her decision not to attend the event. “I’m not going to go to the White House because I am not going to be a monkey for Pride,” she explained, before criticizing the administration’s walked-back statement about gender-affirming surgery for minors. “Thank God I didn’t go because they just made a huge statement about trans kids.”

When performing at Gov Ball, Roan took a moment during her show to tell her audience that she refused the White House’s invitation to perform, dedicating her song “My Kink Is Karma” to the administration. “We want liberty, freedom and justice for all,” she said. “When you do that, that’s when I’ll come.”

The “Good Luck, Babe!” singer also dispelled a rumor that her distaste for the Biden administration’s treatment of Palestinians and trans youth meant that she was a supporter of former president Donald Trump. “I saw a couple of TikToks where they were like, ‘So she’s pro Trump?’ It is not so black and white that you hate one and you like the other. No matter how you say it, people are still going to be pissed for f–king some reason,” she said.

The singer later told the publication that she was supporting Kamala Harris’ bid for the White House this November. “Right now, it’s more important than ever to use your vote, and I will do whatever it takes to protect people’s civil rights, especially the LGBTQ+ community,” she said. “My ethics and values will always align with that, and that hasn’t changed with a different nominee. I feel lucky to be alive during an incredibly historical time period when a woman of color is a presidential nominee.”

Singer-songwriter Joshua Ray Walker, known for songs including “Thank You for Listening,” gave fans an update on his cancer battle, revealing on Tuesday (Sept. 10) that his cancer has spread.

“Once again, I’ve got some good and bad news to deliver. The good news is that I’ve finished chemo treatment!” began the country artist, who first told fans he was receiving treatment for colon cancer in 2023. “The bad news is that upon the completion of tests to check on the status of my cancer post treatment, multiple nodes of varying sizes were found in both my lungs.

“Before I started chemo, I was told I had a 90% chance of having clear tests post treatment. So to find completely new growth in a new organ was something for which I was not prepared,” he continued. “This unfortunately means my cancer will likely be restaged to stage 4.”

He informed fans of the road ahead for his treatment, explaining, “I will get a lung biopsy and start radiation soon. I wish I had more information to share but I’m still waiting to meet with a radiology oncologist following my biopsy surgery.”

Walker promised that he’d “continue to fight my hardest” despite the bad news. “I’ve always lived life to the fullest and I will continue to do so. When times are hard my instinct is to figure out how to survive financially,” he shared. “I work harder to ensure that me and my loved ones will have basic necessities. This trait has been very useful in life, but it makes it hard to rest when life’s difficulties aren’t solely monetary. I have a hard time asking for help, even when I believe it will be given happily.”

The singer added that he had launched a GoFundMe campaign to help him “focus exclusively on my health and relationships during this precious time, and ended his message with a note of gratitude for fans who have supported him during his health battle.

Walker is known for albums including 2019’s Wish You Were Here, 2020’s Glad You Made It and 2021’s See You Next Time. Last year, he released the album What Is It Even?, where he paid homage to several women artists, covering songs from artists including Whitney Houston (“I Wanna Dance With Somebody”), LeAnn Rimes (“Blue”), Cher (“Believe”) and Sia (“Cheap Thrills”).

See Walker’s post below:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Joshua Ray Walker (@joshuaraywalker)