Dawn Richard sues Sean “Diddy” Combs for sexual assault and assault

Former Danity Kane member Dawn Richard has filed a lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs, accusing him of verbal abuse, assault, sexual abuse and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

The lawsuit, filed yesterday in the Southern District of New York, describes a pattern of abuse and intimidation toward Richard since she joined Danity Kane on MTV's “Making the Band.” In addition to detailing her own experiences with Combs, the lawsuit provides harrowing accounts of his abuse toward his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, which sparked a chain of lawsuits against Combs in November 2023.

The lawsuit portrays Combs as a hot-tempered abuser who regularly used physical violence. Richard claims that Combs manipulated her for 10 years by suggesting that she could only advance her career if she complied with his demands. The lawsuit says that it was not until Ventura went public that Richard realized that her own suffering had become normal and was related to Combs' abuse.

Representatives for Combs did not immediately respond to diversityPlease leave a comment.

Richard begins her complaint by describing her time on Making the Band and how Combs demeaned female contestants by calling them “fat” and “ugly.” After being selected for Danity Kane, she and her bandmates were regularly deprived of food and sleep, and when they complained, Combs told them, “You bitches don't want this” and “You're not hungry enough.” She states that she lost weight due to anxiety and overwork, and once became so dehydrated that she vomited.

After the group disbanded in 2009, she was financially destitute and saw no other choice but to continue working in Diddy's studio without pay and with the promise of royalties and licensing fees that never materialized. She soon joined Combs' new group Diddy – Dirty Money with Combs and Kalenna Harper. On the first day of recording, the women arrived at Combs' house, where Ventura was frying eggs for Combs. Apparently high, he approached Ventura and yelled: “I asked you for my stuff. I can't stand you, bitch. You never do it right!” Shortly afterwards, he allegedly choked her and threw the hot pan of eggs at her. The next day, Combs told Richard and Harper, “if you say anything, there will be consequences” and “people will end up missing.”

During her time with Diddy – Dirty Money, Richard says she regularly witnessed Combs and guests abusing incapacitated young women at parties. While in New York for a festival, she saw Combs grab Ventura by the throat in a car, drag her to the grass and choke her while screaming, “You're getting fucked today.” In early 2010, Combs punched Ventura in the face at a party in Los Angeles, and shortly thereafter, Richard and Harper attempted to intervene to help Ventura escape the relationship. When Combs found out about the conversation, she allegedly screamed at the women, “You bitches don't interfere in my relationship,” “You could be missed,” and “You bitches want to die today.” His abuse of Ventura continued when he punched her in the stomach during a dinner attended by then-CEO of Interscope Jimmy Iovine, Ne-Yo, and Usher.

Richard states that Combs held Harper and Richard hostage in the studio, depriving them of food and sleep. This led to dehydration and chronic stomach cramps, which Combs dismissed as laziness. Richard was hospitalized in 2010 and diagnosed with arthralgia, anemia, and low white blood cell counts. When she presented her medical records to Combs, he ordered her to come to the studio the next day.

In addition to his demanding work ethic, Combs also held meetings in only his underwear. On several occasions between 2009 and 2011, he entered Richards' dressing room and groped her. When she rejected his advances, he retaliated by denying her parts in songs, removing her from songs, and turning off her microphone during performances. She describes one incident in which Combs raised his arm to hit her, but was saved by Combs' bodyguard before the blow could land.

Richard claims she was not paid for Danity Kane's first album, which sold over four million copies, and that her salary is estimated at $1 million. She also claims she was not paid for the group's second album, “Welcome to the Dollhouse,” and is owed $500,000. For her work on Diddy – Dirty Money's “Last Train to Paris,” she claims she is owed $1.2 million and estimates she should be paid $350,000 for tour dates.

In 2021, Combs and Bad Boy transferred the rights to Richard's songs to Sony Songs, with Richard receiving royalties for her work. However, she was never compensated as part of the deal and claims that Combs later infringed her copyright by using a song she co-wrote for his 2023 release, “The Love Album: Off the Grid.”

Richard is suing on 21 counts, seeking damages, emotional distress, restitution and more. This is just the latest in a series of lawsuits filed against Combs by former colleagues and women with similar claims. Earlier this week, Combs was ordered to pay $100 million in a sexual assault verdict after he failed to appear for a virtual hearing.