Skip to main content

Jennifer Lopez and Sean “Diddy” Combs have a long history. The pop star and the hip-hop mogul dated from 1999 to 2001 and retained a friendship after their romance. Lopez hasn’t publicly commented on Combs’ arrest. However, a male prisoner might drag her into a court case as a witness in his lawsuit. Here’s what’s going on.

Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith mentioned Jennifer Lopez in his lawsuit against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs

Prisoner Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith is suing Sean “Diddy” Combs for assault. According to Cardello-Smith, Combs assaulted him at a Holiday Inn in Detroit in 1997. The prisoner says he plans to call “Jennifer Lynn Lopez aka Jenny from the Block” to testify.

According to In Touch Weekly, Cardello-Smith alleged Combs invited him to a sex party at the hotel. He initially met Combs as a bartender. Combs allegedly gave Cardello-Smith a drink with “a little something” in it. According to the lawsuit, Cardello-Smith woke up to Combs having sex with a woman. Combs allegedly looked at Cardello-Smith and said, “I did this to you too!”

Combs denied the allegations, with his legal team calling the claims “baseless.” As for why Cardello-Smith wants Lopez involved, he believes she knows something about what happened due to her dating Combs around this time.

However, Cardello-Smith might run into issues because of the statute of limitations. “Because the assault allegedly occurred in June 1997, any claim [Cardello-Smith] might have had expired in June 2000 — more than two decades before [Cardello-Smith] commenced this litigation,” Combs’ lawyer stated.

Cardello-Smith stated that he waited to file the lawsuit for fear of Combs retaliating against him. Combs’ lawyer argued this excuse was “not plausible” and “makes little sense.”

A lawyer said J.Lo could potentially serve as a witness for the hip-hop mogul

Jennifer Lopez and Sean 'Diddy' Combs walking together and holding hands as they enter the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards
Jennifer Lopez and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs during the 1999 MTV Music Awards Arrivals | Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc
Related

Photos Show Jennifer Lopez With Diddy on the Same Night as Jay-Z Assault Accusations in 2000

Officials could potentially discuss aspects of Jennifer Lopez and Sean “Diddy” Combs’ past relationship in light of Combs’ crimes. In 1999, Lopez was present at the New York nightclub shooting that left three people injured. Lopez and Combs took off in a vehicle that police pursued. Police found a stolen gun in the car. Officials initially charged Lopez and Combs but later dropped the charges.

New York lawyer Pete Gleason told In Touch Weekly that Lopez might have to answer questions as a “witness with firsthand knowledge” of the events that unfolded in 1999.

“Jennifer Lopez’s presence the night of the shooting incident and then departing in the same vehicle as Combs makes her a witness with firsthand knowledge and could subject her to being subpoenaed to testify under oath,” the lawyer said. “If there are any criminal charges or civil claims not outside the statute of limitations, this would likely prove problematic for Lopez.”

Jennifer Lopez’s ex-staff member posted that J.Lo should not be ‘conflated’ with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ crimes

Jennifer Lopez hasn’t spoken publicly regarding Sean “Diddy” Combs’ arrest. However, an ex-staffer posted in support of Lopez on Threads. Thea de Sousa, a staff member who worked on the 2002 film Maid In Manhattan, wrote that Lopez “does not deserve to be conflated” with Combs’ crimes.

“If you knew Jennifer Lopez, if you ever worked with her like I did, or if you were close with people who are like family to her like I am, you would know she did not have any idea about Diddy,” Sousa said, according to DailyMail.com. “She barely drinks, she is not a partier, she isn’t a good time girl, she is a workaholic who uplifts a woman and who was charmed by him for a brief time in her life.”

For more on the entertainment world and exclusive interviews, follow Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s Instagram.