A new lawsuit has been filed against Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Dawn Richard, formerly of Diddy’s girl group Danity Kane and his musical trio Diddy-Dirty Money, has accused Combs of verbal abuse, sexual assault, battery and the intentional infliction of emotional distress, according to Variety.
Richard claims Combs “manipulated her with mantras that submission to his depraved demands was necessary for career advancement, instilling in her the belief that such abuse and exploitation were required for female artists to succeed in the music industry.”
The lawsuit was filed on Tuesday in the Southern District of New York and also named Bad Boy Entertainment CEO Harve Pierre. Rolling Stone reports that Pierre is currently facing two sexual assault lawsuits tied to Combs.
Richard met Combs in 2004 when she took part in his competition reality show, “Making the Band,” which led to her being a part of Danity Kane. In the lawsuit, she claimed that while on the reality series, Combs allegedly called contestants “fat,” “ugly,” “b—hes,” and “h–s,” Complex reported.
The singer claims in 2005, she saw Combs’ former girlfriend and mother to his four children, Kim Porter, crying while leaving the recording studio with visible injuries to her face.
After the band broke up in 2009, Richard said she joined Diddy-Dirty Money alongside Combs and Kalenna Harper. She claimed she did it for financial reasons.
Richard said Combs forced both her and Harper to work without food and sleep. She alleged he had her rehearse for 48 hours straight, which led to dehydration, chronic stomach cramping and fatigue.
Between 2009 to 2011 Richard recounted incidents where things got progressively worse between her and Combs. The lawsuit stated Combs stormed his way into her dressing room and would “grope” her “bare buttocks” and “attempted to touch her breasts.”
Documents also stated that the “Show Stopper” singer witnessed the music executive’s abuse against his ex-girlfriend Casandra “Cassie” Ventura. Richard claimed she witnessed Combs throw Ventura against a wall, choke her, throw a hot pan of eggs at her and drag up her the stairs of his Los Angeles home.
Cassie Ventura and Sean Combs arrive at the Los Angeles Premiere Of “Can’t Stop Won’t Stop” at Writers Guild of America, West on June 21, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)
Richard claimed when she and Harper had talks with Ventura and advised her to leave, Combs found out about the conversations and told them: “Y’all b—-es don’t get in my relationship. … Don’t tell my b—h what she needs to be doing … Just make money and shut the f–k up.”
She alleged Diddy threatened their careers and said they “could be missing” and said, “you b—es want to die today.”
Richard then recounted more abuse from Diddy. She claimed he locked her in a car for two hours and was only freed by her father who traveled from Baltimore to New York.
“Think about your daughter and think about your daughter’s career,” Richard said Combs told her father, per Complex.
Richard’s lawsuit is the eighth person to accuse Combs of sexual assault. This comes months after Homeland Security officials raided Combs’ L.A. and Miami homes. The searches were tied to a sex trafficking investigation by federal authorities in New York.
In 2023 Ventura filed a bombshell lawsuit accusing Combs of years of rape and abuse. The lawsuit was settled the next day with Combs denying the allegations. In May, CNN released surveillance footage from 2016 showing Combs physically attacking Ventura at the InterContinental Hotel in Century City. Following the video, the “I’ll Be Missing You” singer admitted that he beat his ex-girlfriend, saying in a video apology he was “truly sorry” and his actions were “inexcusable.”
A new lawsuit has been filed against Sean “Diddy” Combs. Dawn Richard, formerly of Diddy’s girl group Danity Kane and his musical trio Diddy-Dirty Money, has accused Combs of verbal abuse, sexual assault, battery and the intentional infliction of emotional distress, according to Variety. Richard claims Combs “manipulated her with mantras that submission to his […]
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