Fairly Legal

Diddy's got a small reason to smile despite being behind bars in federal custody ... a judge just set aside the $100 million default judgment in his Michigan sexual assault lawsuit.

The embattled rapper scored the legal win during a motion hearing Wednesday ... where one of his attorneys, David Fink, convinced the judge to set aside the massive judgment because inmate Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith -- who claims Diddy drugged and sexually assaulted him at a 1997 Detroit party -- failed to prove he effectively served the lawsuit in accordance with Michigan law.

Judge Anna Marie Anzalone also scrapped the temporary restraining order stopping Diddy from selling off any assets to cover damages ... noting Diddy has a likelihood of winning the case on statute of limitations grounds because Cardello-Smith's claims date back to an alleged incident in 1997.

David Letterman is proud to do his civic duty ... saying he's "excited" about it as he made his way to court after being summoned for jury duty in New York.

We caught up with the late-night legend just as he walked into the courthouse, where he called jury duty "a great process to be a part of" ... clearly taking the summons in stride, where most people would be complaining.

However, Letterman stayed tight-lipped about whether he had already been selected as a juror ... noting he'd have to continue reporting "until Labor Day."

Prior to his arrest Monday night, Diddy hit the NYC streets and interacted with fans ... days before ending up in federal custody.

Check it out ... Diddy smokes alongside a fan, named Chris Dayes (Christian Daigle), while listening to a song off a cellphone. Diddy, dressed in sunglasses, a baseball cap, and a Prince sweatshirt, looks totally at peace ... even though a grand jury indictment loomed over his head at the time.

The tipster tells TMZ ... the fan encounter occurred on the evening of September 9, when Chris approached the music mogul to pitch himself as a potential new artist.

12:16 PM PT -- Federal prosecutors have fired back, responding in court documents that claim Diddy is just too dangerous to be out walking the streets -- no matter what the rap mogul's lawyers say or do.

As the prosecutors point out ... Diddy repeatedly obstructed justice during the investigation -- not to mention, is still an alleged flight risk. They claim Diddy is capable of coercing witnesses to comply with his demands.

They also voiced concerns that Diddy could consume drugs or throw his so-called "freak parties" if out on bail ... despite the rapper's promise he wouldn't have any female visitors.

Diddy is taking another swing at getting out on bail, and he's upping his offer to the court -- declaring he will forgo contact with almost all women while he's out.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Diddy's legal team says if he's released on bail, the security company that keeps a log of all visitors to his Miami Beach home, will hand over those logs to the government nightly in order to be fully transparent about who Diddy is contacting. They also say Diddy will limit all visitors to family, property caretakers and friends who are not co-conspirators in the federal indictment.

Specifically, they say Diddy will restrict female visitors ... with the only exceptions being family members or mothers of his children.

Diddy's sons are in New York watching their father go through an indictment and court proceedings ... but his teenage twin daughters are hanging back in California with a family friend.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ … Diddy's teen, twin girls 17-year-old D'Lila and 17-year-old Jessie are currently in Los Angeles under the care of their late mother Kim Porter’s best friend, Lala.

We're told Lala has acted as a caregiver for the girls for several years, though she is NOT a legal guardian.

2:51 PM PT -- Diddy's lawyer is determined to see the rap mogul out from behind bars. We caught up with Marc Agnifilo outside the courthouse in NYC Tuesday, where he vowed to "keep fighting" until Combs is a free man.

Though Diddy was denied bail in court Tuesday, his attorney is feeling confident heading into the bail appeal ... noting it will be a different judge for that hearing.

Watch the video ... Agnifilo reacted to Diddy's case being compared to other high profile sex crime cases, including R. Kelly's and Jeffrey Epstein's.

1:28 PM PT -- The judge just denied bail for Diddy, who will remain in custody.

Diddy's lawyer Marc Agnifilo spoke outside the courthouse after Diddy was denied bail. Agnifilo said they will continue to fight to get Diddy out of jail.  

Judge Robyn F. Tarnofsky told the court ... "I thank your family members for coming, but I cannot release him." Diddy's sons Christian and Justin were inside the courtroom at the time.

12:47 PM PT -- Diddy's attorney is taking on the narrative that the rap mogul isn't a brute and a bully ... seemingly hinting there's more to the story regarding the 2016 hotel hallway incident involving Combs and his then-girlfriend, Cassie.

Diddy's camp argued "victim one" was looking through his phone and discovered he had more than one girlfriend ... hitting the rapper in the head with a cell phone and taking off with his clothing -- which explains why he was in the hallway in a towel in the footage that surfaced back in May.

His lawyer claims Diddy and the unnamed victim, assumed to be Cassie, were very much in love ... until the woman in question cheated "for years" with the trainer the A-lister provided for her. We've reached out to Cassie's reps for comment.

Cassie notably married physical trainer Alex Fine in 2019. They share 2 children together.

Diddy's lawyer claims his client is "not a perfect person" ... though found himself in "toxic relationships," but claims they were mutual.

However, earlier in court, it was suggested that Diddy wrote a large check to an ex for 10 years ... it's unclear who received the payment and for what reason.

3:14 PM PT -- Cardi B is speaking out against the lawsuit, saying she's going to fight it in court.

Cardi just broke her silence on social media, saying in part ... "IRON YOUR BEST SUIT BITCH I'll see you in court!!!!"

Cardi B is denying she and Offset didn't pay to use the mansion, and she says she has receipts. She says she paid the homeowner $10,000 for 24-hour use of the home, and paid a realtor more when they went over time.

Cardi adds ... "And this is not the realtors fault…they been trying for months to settle this. Its them greedy owners wit their ugly ass house."

Cardi B and Offset might need to cough up some "Money" ... we've learned the estranged spouses have been sued for nonpayment for the mansion used in one of their music video projects.

In new court documents obtained by TMZ ... the owner of the property featured heavily in Cardi's "Like What" music video -- which Offset directed -- is alleging the twosome lied about their filming plans ... leading the homeowner to give them free use of the manse.

As the plaintiff put it in the docs ... Cardi, Offset and their team knew they'd have to shell out a chunk of change to film at the prestigious Beverly Hills residence for a music video ... so, instead, reps for the couple told the owner an unnamed client hoped to film a TikTok video at the home.

A popular IVF clinic frequented by the likes of former patients including Kim Kardashian, Chrissy Teigen and Paris Hilton threw a couple's precious embryos in the trash, and now they may not be able to have kids ... at least according to a new lawsuit.

Reproductive Partners Medical Group, a Los Angeles-based fertility clinic, is being sued by Marissa Calhoun and Stephen Castaneda ... a couple of everyday people who say the clinic sabotaged their dream of having children.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, the couple claims Marissa had her eggs retrieved, frozen and stored by RPMG in 2021 and 2022 ... but says tragedy struck in October 2023 when the IVF clinic made a huge error.

Sean "Diddy" Combs wants out of federal lockup really badly ... he's proposed a $50 million package to secure his release on bail until his trial begins.

Diddy's team filed the offer with the federal court, and it's an impressive offer in terms of the assets he's willing to lay on the line. According to the docs, Diddy says his mansion on Miami's Star Island would be offered up as collateral ... that's worth $48 million, and his mother's Miami home would cover the remaining $2 mil.

He's also willing to have his travel limited to Florida, NY and New Jersey. Presumably, he would live in Miami and travel to the NY area to face trial. Diddy says he's willing to wear a GPS monitor, so the feds can track his whereabouts.

8:50 AM PT -- The feds do not want Diddy to be allowed out on bail. U.S Attorney Damian Williams says his office believes he is a flight risk, and is also a danger to society ... as he's allegedly resorted to violence against multiple victims.

Prosecutors point to the fact Diddy, if convicted, is facing a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years, and a statutory maximum sentence of life in prison ... as motive enough for him to potentially flee.

Williams broke down the indictment during Tuesday's news conference ... sharing photos of the AR-15s the feds say were seized during the raids at Diddy's homes in Beverly Hills and Miami. He says the guns were found in Diddy's bedroom closet in Miami.

Diddy's the only defendant charged in the indictment, but Williams says the investigation is ongoing and they are looking into all the people in Diddy's orbit for possible criminal charges.

Williams says Diddy did not act alone and needed a lot of help to set up the "Freak Off" parties. The feds say Diddy recorded the Freak Offs and they seized the footage in the raids.

The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York will hold a news conference at 11:30 AM ET to provide more details on the massive indictment of Sean "Diddy" Combs ... and TMZ will live stream the presser.

Damian Williams will speak about the indictment, which includes allegations of racketeering, sex trafficking, kidnapping, prostitution, narcotics offenses, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice.

Williams is also expected to address the "Freak Off" parties that are mentioned prominently in the indictment.

Chicago drill rapper Lil Reese is being accused of punching and strangling a woman said to be a former girlfriend inside a Texas nightclub last week -- and authorities are on the hunt for his whereabouts!!!

According to docs from the Houston Police Department, Lil Reese and the woman interacted inside The Pinkhouse fka Barbie Nightclub ... she was on her way out around 6:30 AM as he was on his way into the building.

The woman claims she and Reese ended their relationship a month ago ... after dating over a period of 2 months, and says she rejected him several times as he attempted to kiss her flirtatiously.

Sean "Diddy" Combs is now a criminal defendant in a sex trafficking, racketeering and kidnapping case after a grand jury indicted him ... this according to official documents.

Diddy has been charged with 3 counts -- racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution.

According to the indictment, from 2008 to the present, members of the Combs enterprise allegedly engaged in sex trafficking, forced labor, interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution, coercion and enticement to engage in prostitution, narcotics offenses, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice.

According to the indictment, the purpose of the Combs enterprise was to operate a global business in the media, entertainment, and lifestyle industries. The purpose also includes preserving Diddy's power and fulfilling his personal desires, especially in relation to his sexual gratification, including through the exploitation of women and the use of commercial sex workers.

The indictment mentions the now-famous "Freak off" parties ... calling them "elaborate and produced sex performances that Combs arranged, directed, masturbated during, and often electronically recorded."

The indictment alleges Combs lured women into his orbit under the pretense of a romantic relationship and then used force, threats of force, and coercion, to cause victims to engage in extended sex acts with male commercial sex workers.

After the freak offs, Combs and the victims typically received IV fluids to recover from the physical exertion and drug use.

The indictment does not include details on the kidnapping allegations, other than they occurred in California, as did arson and bribery.

As for the drug charges, they allegedly involve the intent to distribute narcotics, including cocaine, oxycodone, Xanax, GHB -- the "date rape" drug -- MDMA and ketamine.

The indictment references what was seized during the raids at Diddy's homes in Beverly Hills and Miami -- various freak off supplies, including narcotics and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant. They also seized firearms, including 3 AR-15s with defaced serial numbers and a drum magazine.

The indictment also includes allegations of violence against women. He's alleged to have assaulted women by striking, punching, dragging, throwing objects at and kicking them. It references a March 2016 incident at an L.A. hotel captured on video, and this is clearly referencing the Cassie incident.

There's more ... prosecutors say in late 2023, following public allegations of the crimes, Combs and his associates would pressure victims and witnesses, including through attempted bribery, to say silent.

Tuesday morning, Diddy's son's King and Justin were in lower Manhattan, outside Federal court, awaiting their father's appearance before a judge.

If convicted on all counts, Diddy faces decades in prison.

His lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said going into the courthouse, he will "fight like hell" to get his client released on bail. Agnifilo said his client is not only not guilty, but outright innocent.

Diddy will appear before a judge Tuesday morning where the charges will be read.

TMZ broke the story ... Diddy was arrested Monday night at the Park Hyatt hotel in midtown Manhattan, where he had been staying. Law enforcement sources told TMZ ... the arrest was supposed to go down Tuesday but something happened to accelerate it.

Aubrey O'Day, who had a contentious relationship with Diddy during filming of "Making the Band," tells TMZ, "I never thought I would see this day. We all buried this inside of us in order to be able to keep going. And not just me, but victims you don't even know yet. We are all processing what that type of vindication can actually feel like now. Every conversation I've had with victims last night has been beyond moving on all levels."

Diddy never seemed happier than on the streets of his hometown of New York Monday night -- a scene that offered no hint the music mogul would soon end up in federal custody facing a criminal indictment.

TMZ obtained new video of Diddy interacting with several excited fans on a darkened street in Midtown Manhattan approximately 30 minutes before federal agents arrested him at the Park Hyatt hotel nearby.

Check out the footage ... Diddy was having a very friendly chat with four dudes -- and everyone was wearing bright smiles on their faces. Diddy was so energized he gave a handshake to one of the guys who bowed and started laughing.

The Secret Service is once again facing heat after the agency's acting director Ronald Rowe Jr. admitted the West Palm Beach golf course wasn't searched prior to the 2nd assassination attempt on Donald Trump's life.

Rowe -- who stepped into the role after Kimberly Cheatle resigned following the July shooting at Trump's Pennsylvania rally -- spoke with reporters Monday, and confessed an extensive search of the grounds was not conducted during 45's visit to the Trump International Golf Club in Florida Sunday ... defending the visit was "not on [Trump's] official schedule."

He added ... "The president wasn’t even really supposed to go there ... and so we put together a security plan -- and that security plan worked."

Aubrey O'Day is weighing in on Sean "Diddy" Combs' arrest in NYC ... posting a cryptic message online about "justice" to her followers, and sharing her reaction with TMZ.

The Danity Kane singer took to Instagram Monday amid the news of Diddy's booking in the Big Apple, where she shared a message about the "purpose of justice."

She wrote ... "The purpose of justice is to provide an ending and allow us the space to create a new chapter. Women never get this. I feel validated. Today is a win for women all over the world, not just for me."

8:05 PM PT -- Just a couple hours before Diddy got busted, he was confidently strolling around NYC with his son Christian "King" Combs. He even stopped to greet some fans and take selfies.

7:13 PM PT -- A law enforcement source tells TMZ ... Diddy's arrest was scheduled for Tuesday. But something happened that caused the feds to move in a day earlier.

However, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams says federal agents took him in based on a sealed indictment filed by the Southern District of New York.

Diddy was just arrested and taken into federal custody in New York Monday night ... TMZ has learned.

Sources tell TMZ ... Homeland Security swooped into a midtown hotel late Monday where Diddy was staying and they arrested him. We have unconfirmed reports the feds are searching his hotel room.

We're told Diddy was taken to the federal building in lower Manhattan.

It appears the action was taken in connection with the ongoing criminal investigation into alleged sex trafficking and other offenses that led to search warrants being issued and executed at Diddy's homes in Beverly Hills and Miami. As we reported, a grand jury has been hearing testimony from various accusers over the last few months.