Ex-Danity Kane member Dawn Richard sues Sean 'Diddy' Combs
Sean 'Diddy' Combs has been accused of sexual abuse by former Danity Kane member Dawn Richard, who is suing him for unspecified damages.
Sean 'Diddy' Combs has been accused of sexual abuse by former Danity Kane member Dawn Richard.
The 54-year-old rap mogul - who is facing a string of sexual assault and trafficking cases - is being sued by the 41-year-old singer, who alleged the Bad Boy Records founder groped her on a number of occasions, threatened her life and trapped her inside a locked car for two hours, as well as claiming he was physically violent towards other women.
In a lawsuit filed in New York on Tuesday (10.09.24) and obtained by Rolling Stone, Dawn claimed that from the time she met Diddy while auditioning for 'Making the Band' in 2004 until her career with him ended abruptly in 2012, the 'I'll Be Missing You' hitmaker “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.”
She detailed dozens of encounters she claimed to have witnessed, including drug-fuelled parties with young women who appeared "lethargic or passed out" while “Combs and his friends performed sexual acts on them", and also stated she saw Diddy choke and strangle his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura - who previously reached a settlement with her former lover, a day after filing her own sex trafficking and abuse lawsuit - and once observed the late Kim Porter emerge from the recording studio in tears with visible facial injuries.
Dawn alleged her former Diddy-Dirty Money bandmate would barge into her changing room and “grope” her “bare buttocks” and “attempted to touch her breasts” between 2009 and 2011, and in 2010 offered to buy her “[fake] t****** for Christmas” in 2010.
Though she resisted Diddy's advances, Dawn claimed the more she did, the more he retaliated against her by denying her singing parts on songs or turning off her microphone during performances.
Dawn - who claimed she was subjected to degrading comments about her appearance from Diddy for years - alleged the 'Finna Get Loose' hitmaker once threw a punch at her when she told him not to call her a "b****".
Her lawsuit added: “Before Mr. Combs could strike her, Mr. Combs’ bodyguard grabbed her, escorted her out of the studio and forced her into the Bad Boy Records Bentley that was parked outside."
Dawn claimed she was locked in the freezing vehicle for two hours and was only freed after she called her father, who rushed to the studio.
She stated Diddy later told her: “You don’t call your dad unless you’re in the hospital.”
Dawn is seeking restitution, as well as compensatory and punitive damages, the amount to be determined at trial. She is also suing former Bad Boy Entertainment CEO Harve Pierre.
Diddy has accused Dawn of trying to "rewrite history" and denied the allegations via his lawyer.
Attorney Erica Wolff said in a statement: “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 pay day — conveniently timed to coincide with her album release and press tour.
“If Ms. Richard had such a negative experience with 'Making the Band' and Danity Kane, she would not have chosen to continue working directly with Mr. Combs for Dirty Money, nor would she have returned for the 'Making the Band' reboot in 2020 or agreed to be featured on 'The Love Album' last year.
“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.”
