Sean “Diddy” Combs is facing a new lawsuit from Danity Kane singer Dawn Richard, who has accused the music mogul of abusive and manipulative behavior, including belittling, terrorizing, and sexually abusing her. According to TMZ, the lawsuit also claims that Richard witnessed Diddy physically abuse his ex-girlfriend, Cassie, on multiple occasions. This latest accusation adds to a growing list of claims against Diddy, who has been in the spotlight for his alleged mistreatment of women in his life.
Dawn Richard rose to fame as a member of Danity Kane, the girl group formed on Diddy’s 2004 MTV show Making The Band. In her lawsuit, Richard alleges that during the making of the show and in the years following, Diddy routinely insulted and demeaned female contestants, calling them “fat,” “ugly,” and using derogatory terms like “b*tches” and “hoes.”
The suit also describes a troubling incident in 2005, where Richard claims she saw Kim Porter, one of Diddy’s former girlfriends, leaving a recording studio in tears with a bruised face. This marked the first of several disturbing episodes Richard alleges to have witnessed during her time working with Diddy.
One of the most alarming accusations in the lawsuit is a 2009 incident at Diddy’s Los Angeles home, where Richard claims she personally saw him physically assault Cassie. According to the lawsuit, Diddy, who was allegedly under the influence of drugs, violently threw Cassie against a wall, choked her, and dragged her up a flight of stairs. Richard recalls Diddy throwing a hot pan of eggs at Cassie while screaming, “I’ve been asking you for my s—t; I can’t stand you, b*tch, you never do it right!”
Richard alleges that Diddy frequently abused Cassie during their relationship, including hitting her in the face and attempting to strangle her. Concerned for Cassie’s well-being, Richard and her Diddy-Dirty Money bandmate Kalenna Harper reportedly tried to intervene and advise Cassie to leave Diddy. However, this did not sit well with the music producer. Richard claims that Diddy found out about their attempts to help Cassie and reacted with fury. “Y’all b*tches don’t get in my relationship,” he allegedly said. “Don’t tell my b*tch [Cassie] what she need to be doing… Just make money and shut the f—k up… I end artists… I shelve careers… You could be missing… You b*tches want to die today.”
In addition to witnessing Diddy’s abuse of Cassie, Richard claims she, too, endured mistreatment from the music mogul. She describes being forced to endure grueling rehearsals that lasted up to 48 hours without sleep, leading to severe dehydration, fatigue, and skin rashes. Richard also alleges that Diddy made inappropriate sexual advances towards her on multiple occasions. One such incident occurred at his Miami home, where she claims Diddy summoned her while wearing nothing but underwear. When she asked him to put on clothes, Diddy allegedly screamed, “This is my f—king house!”
The lawsuit also details an encounter between 2009 and 2011 in which Diddy barged into Richard’s dressing room while she was naked, inappropriately touching her breasts and butt. Another distressing event occurred when Diddy reportedly locked Richard in a car with heavily tinted windows for two hours as she screamed for help. In desperation, she called her father, who traveled from Baltimore to New York to rescue her and confront Diddy. According to the lawsuit, Diddy told her father, “Think about your daughter” and “think about your daughter’s career,” implying that reporting him to the police could negatively impact Richard’s future in the industry.
In response to these serious allegations, Sean Combs’ attorney, Erica Wolff, has strongly denied the claims. Wolff stated, “Mr. Combs is shocked and disappointed by this lawsuit. In an attempt to rewrite history, Dawn Richard has now manufactured a series of false claims all in the hopes of trying to get a payday — conveniently timed to coincide with her album release and press tour.” Wolff went on to point out that Richard chose to continue working with Diddy after her time on Making The Band, joining Diddy-Dirty Money and returning for the Making The Band reboot in 2020. She also noted that Richard was featured on Diddy’s The Love Album as recently as last year. Wolff added, “It’s unfortunate that Ms. Richard has cast their 20-year friendship aside to try and get money from him, but Mr. Combs is confidently standing on truth and looks forward to proving that in court.”
