September 13, (THEWILL) – Former Danity Kane member, Dawn Richard, has sued Sean Combs, aka Diddy, alleging that the embattled music mogul groped her on numerous occasions, was physically violent with women, trapped her inside a locked car for two hours as a form of punishment and threatened her life.
Richard, who was also in the group Diddy-Dirty Money, alongside Diddy and singer, Kalenna Harper, is also suing former Bad Boy Entertainment CEO, Harve Pierre, who is facing two sexual assault lawsuits stemming from his time working for Combs.
From the time Richard met Diddy while auditioning for his hit MTV series, Making the Band, in 2004, until her music career with Diddy abruptly ended in 2012, she claims in her lawsuit that he 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.
Her filing details dozens of disturbing encounters that she observed while in Diddy’s orbit, including drug-fuelled parties with young women who seemed lethargic or passed out while Diddy and his friends performed sexual acts on them.
Richard claims that she believes Diddy invited her to these parties as a test before he began to barge into her changing room, grope her bare buttocks and attempt to touch her breasts between 2009 and 2011. In one uncomfortable moment, Diddy allegedly cupped Richard’s breasts to guess her bra size and offered to give her ‘fake titties for Christmas’ in 2010. However, the more Richard resisted his sexual advances, the more he retaliated against her. Diddy, according to her, would allegedly deny her singing parts on songs and turn off her microphone during performances.
Richard’s lawsuit also supports allegations that Diddy’s ex-girlfriend, Casandra Ventura, aka Cassie, levelled against him in her sex trafficking and abuse lawsuit, which was filed in November.
He reached a private settlement with Cassie one day after it was filed. Richard claims she observed Diddy choke and strangle Cassie and once saw him throw a scalding hot pan of eggs at Cassie before dragging her up the stairs of his Los Angeles home.
When Richard says she tried to intervene and encourage Cassie to leave the relationship, Diddy would threaten that he makes “niggas go missing” and “I end people,” her lawsuit alleges.
In response to Richard’s lawsuit, Diddy’s attorney, Erica Wolff, said that Diddy was shocked and disappointed by Richard’s manufactured claims.
“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. Unfortunately, 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.”
Lisa Bloom, Richard’s attorney, said that like many women, Richard needed to extricate herself from the business relationship.
“She needed to think about what had happened to her. She needed to process it.” And once Richard came to terms with her experience. Bloom says Richard “had to speak out, she had to stand up, she had to seek justice.”
Bloom also fired back at Diddy attempting to shame Richard for their previous working relationship saying, “It is not up to women to give up career opportunities to dodge powerful men who behave badly. It is up to men to conduct themselves honourably or at a minimum, legally, in every workplace. No woman should have to choose between her dignity and her career.”
While recording their album, Last Train to Paris, Richard claims that she and Harper were present when Diddy began yelling at Cassie while “high on drugs” for apparently not cooking eggs the way he liked.
“I’ve been asking you for my shit; I can’t stand you bitch, you never do it right”, Diddy allegedly screamed, before pushing Cassie up against a wall and choking her. Diddy then threw the hot pan at Ventura, who fell to the ground in a fetal position, the lawsuit claims.
The next day, Diddy allegedly gave Richard and Cassie flowers and tried to explain himself for 20 minutes, before threatening them.
“This is normal, this was just a lover’s argument where no one was hurt”, Combs told them, the lawsuit alleges.
“I’m giving you an opportunity, if you want to make it you’ll shut your mouth … if you say anything, there will be consequences.”
There were several other times, Richard claims that Diddy would physically assault Cassie, strangling and punching the young singer.
During a dinner with Ne-Yo, Usher and then-CEO of Interscope Records, Jimmy Lovine, Combs punched Cassie in the stomach, causing her to cry and double over in visible pain, the lawsuit alleges.
She was later escorted out of the restaurant while Diddy socialised. Diddy would later warn Richard to shut up and not meddle in his relationship after she encouraged Cassie to leave him.
Diddy also allegedly attempted to use physical violence against Richard, the mogul once threw a punch at her when she told him not to call her a bitch.
“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”, the lawsuit claims.
Richard alleges she was locked alone in the freezing car for two hours, unable to exit because there were no interior door handles. She was only allowed out after she called her father, who raced to the studio and demanded for Diddy to let her out. Later, Diddy allegedly told Richard, “You don’t call your dad unless you’re in the hospital.”
Other women were also allegedly abused in Richard’s presence.
Around 2005, Richard claims that she observed Kim Porter, the mother of Diddy’s children, emerge crying from his recording studio with visible facial injuries, including a lacerated lip. Diddy would routinely host parties where illegal drugs were supplied and young women — some who appeared underage — would be passed out as men performed sexual acts on them, the lawsuit alleges.
“This is a buffet, enjoy yourselves”, Diddy allegedly told his guests.
“This is what we do, this is how we party.”
Richard is seeking restitution, as well as compensatory and punitive damages, the amount to be determined at trial.
