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It’s been three months since the music mogul and rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs, 55, was arrested and charged with human trafficking and racketeering. Now, Diddy’s ex-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez, 55, has found herself being dragged into his scandal. Indeed, one of his accusers is preparing to call her as a witness.

Diddy Accuser Sounds Off

Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith claims that he was sexually assaulted by Diddy at a Holiday Inn in Detroit back in 1997. He alleges that he was working as a bartender when Diddy invited him to an adult-themed party. Once he got there, he claims that Diddy gave him a drink. Diddy allegedly then told him that he had added “a little something” to it.

The next thing that Cardello-Smith remembers is waking up to Diddy having sex with another woman. He alleges that Diddy looked at him and said, “I did this to you too!” 

Cardello-Smith, who is currently incarcerated at the Michigan Department of Corrections, told In Touch Weekly that he plans to call “Jennifer Lynn Lopez aka Jenny from the Block” to testify about the facts of his case. He believes that Lopez has information about his alleged assault because she went on to date Diddy from 1999 until 2001.

Cardello-Smith is suing Diddy for  $400 million in damages. He also claims that government officials covered up his alleged assault.

Related: Jennifer Lopez Reportedly Worried She’ll Be Subpoenaed Over Links To Diddy

Diddy’s Lawyers Fire Back

Diddy’s lawyers have fired back by saying that Cardello-Smith’s claims are “baseless.”

“Because the assault allegedly occurred in June 1997, any claim [Derrick] might have had expired in June 2000—more than two decades before [Derrick] commenced this litigation,” Diddy’s lawyer argued.

In a recent motion, Diddy’s attorney wrote, “On June 10, 2024, [Derrick] filed a 15-paragraph complaint alleging that he was assaulted by [Diddy] on June 14, 1997 — nearly twenty-seven years before filing the complaint.”

“Since [Derrick] first filed, his claims, (which were facially implausible to begin with), have ballooned into a massive conspiracy against him, involving multiple high-ranking Wayne County officials,” the lawyer continiued. “Now realizing that his untimely claims are subject to dismissal, [Derrick] presents the court with a fresh helping of conspiratorial nonsense.”

“If [Derrick] had spent the last two decades living in fear that he or his family members would be killed if he filed the claim at issue, he would have included such allegations in his complaint,” Diddy’s lawyer stated. “But [Derrick] did not do so, presumably because he had not yet seen the need to invent those facts.”

Related: Watch: Jennifer Lopez Immediately Bolts From Interview When Asked About Her Ties To Diddy

Diddy’s Lawyers Double Down

Cardello-Smith has alleged that he only waited to come forward due to fears of retaliation from Diddy. The music mogul’s lawyers, however, aren’t having any of that.

“[Derrick’s] argument that he was intimidated into waiting over two decades to file this claim is not plausible,” Diddy’s attorney argued. “[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.”

Diddy was arrested on September 16 and charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. The music mogul has pled not guilty to all of the charges against him.

Diddy was recently denied bail for a third time, and he remains at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. His trial is set to begin in May of 2025. If convicted, Diddy is facing fifteen years to life in prison. As for Lopez, she has yet to comment on Diddy’s arrest.