Jennifer Lopez has noticeably distanced herself from allegations surrounding her ex-boyfriend Sean “Diddy” Combs as tabloids continue churning out a flurry of reports about her divorce. Her split from her husband, Ben Affleck, has presumably been nothing short of heartbreaking, but it has also bittersweetly granted her respite from the Diddy headlines.
However, a new legal development may just work its way as her silence-breaker. Prisoner Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith, suing the Bad Boy Records founder over an alleged 1997 sexual assault, has reportedly hatched plans to bring in Lopez as a witness in the case.
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According to InTouchWeekly, recent documents suggest that the Michigan Department of Corrections inmate named “Jennifer Lynn Lopez aka Jenny from the Block," calling her to testify. JLo and Diddy dated from 1999 to 2001. As a result, Derrick believes that the songbird actress may be harbouring some information about the alleged assault that could back his arguments.
Male prisoner's allegations against Diddy
Meanwhile, his own first Diddy meet-up happened back when Cardello-Smith was employed as a bartender. As far as his side of the story goes, the disgraced hip-hop mogul invited him to a sex party at a hotel, where the “Bad Boy for Life” drugged and molested him. Several Diddy accusers have similarly alleged that the 55-year-old music star laced their drinks before sexually assaulting them in an intoxicated state. When Smith finally gained consciousness he saw Combs sexually involved with another woman, to which he allegedly said, “I did this to you too!”
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, his own first Diddy meet-up happened back when Cardello-Smith was employed as a bartender. As far as his side of the story goes, the disgraced hip-hop mogul invited him to a sex party at a hotel, where the “Bad Boy for Life” drugged and molested him. Several Diddy accusers have similarly alleged that the 55-year-old music star laced their drinks before sexually assaulting them in an intoxicated state. When Smith finally gained consciousness he saw Combs sexually involved with another woman, to which he allegedly said, “I did this to you too!”
{{/usCountry}}Incarcerated in Michigan, Derrick is serving time for unrelated convictions of sexual misconduct and kidnapping. In addition to the sexual assault allegations, the prisoner believes that government officials conspired with the rapper to cover up his purported crimes. He asked for $400 million in damages.
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Tussle with Diddy's legal team
Combs’ lawyer Marc Agnifilo previously blasted Cardello-Smith’s suit, saying, “This is a frivolous lawsuit against a prominent businessman, based on obvious fabrications, filed by a convicted rapist and serial litigant with an overactive imagination and a thirst for fame.” His legal team has since also argued that the claims were filed years after the statute of limitations. In response to the incendiary counter-argument, Derrick claimed that he waited to go up against Combs because he feared retaliation. Diddy’s team slammed his argument as “not plausible.” The lawyer wrote, “ [Derrick’s] claim that he feared deadly retaliation from [Diddy], which was reasonable because ‘[Diddy] had Tupac Shakur Killed[,]’ is simply incredible. Even accepted at face value, [Derrick’s] story makes little sense.”