Danity Kane’s Dawn Richard Accuses Diddy of Sexual Assault

Former Danity Kane singer Dawn Richard filed a federal lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs on Tuesday, accusing the embattled music mogul of sexual battery, harassment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and unlawful imprisonment. She is the ninth person to come forward with allegations of sexual violence against Combs since his former partner, the singer Cassie (whose real name is Casandra Ventura), filed a shocking federal lawsuit in November 2023 accusing him of rape and physical abuse. Lawyers for Combs have denied Richard’s and other accusers’ claims, and the rapper and Ventura reached a settlement last year.

In Richard’s suit, which was filed in the Southern District of New York, the singer accuses Combs of manipulating her for nearly a decade and making her believe that “abuse and exploitation were required for female artists to succeed in the music industry.” Richard began to realize the extent of Combs’s alleged abuse toward her when Ventura came forward last year, the suit says. Richard also claims that Combs has withheld compensation for her work.

In a statement to Variety, Combs’s lawyer Erica Wolff denied the allegations and accused Richard of manufacturing “a series of false claims all in the hopes of trying to get a pay day.” “It’s unfortunate that Ms. Richard has cast their 20-year friendship aside to try and get money from him,” she continued, “but Mr. Combs is confidently standing on truth and looks forward to proving that in court.”

In the lawsuit, Richard alleges that from the moment she joined the audition process on the MTV show Making the Band, Combs displayed verbally abusive behavior toward female contestants, disparaging them by calling them “fat,” “ugly,” and “hos.” She also alleges that Danity Kane members were regularly deprived of food and sleep and that she lost weight owing to her anxiety and being overworked. According to the lawsuit, Combs responded to the artists’ complaints by saying, “You bitches don’t want this.” During this period, Richard accuses Combs of conducting professional meetings in his underwear and refusing to put on clothes after she asked him to, making her feel powerless.

Richard says in the lawsuit that she continued working for Diddy after Danity Kane broke up in 2009 because she was financially destitute. Shortly after joining his new group Diddy–Dirty Money, Richard alleges she witnessed Combs choking Ventura and throwing a hot pan at her after he felt she failed to cook fried eggs properly. He then dragged Ventura up the stairs, the lawsuit alleges, where Richard could hear glass shattering and banging noises. Richard claims that, the next day, Combs warned her and fellow bandmate Kalenna Harper, who also witnessed the alleged incident, that “if you say anything, there will be consequences,” adding that “people end up missing.”

The lawsuit goes into detail about a party Combs threw in or around November 2009, at which Richard alleges she witnessed young women — some of whom appeared to be underage — being given copious amounts of alcohol and drugs. “Many of them appeared lethargic or passed out while Mr. Combs and his guests performed sexual acts on them,” the lawsuit alleges. “Ms. Richard believed that her presence at the party was a test to see whether Mr. Combs could trust her. Mr. Combs repeatedly said things like ‘This is a buffet, enjoy yourselves; this is what we do, this is how we party.’”

Richard alleges she and Harper witnessed Combs abusing Ventura on other occasions, including at a dinner where the guests included Interscope then-CEO Jimmy Iovine, Ne-Yo, and Usher. When Combs found out the women tried to encourage Ventura to end the relationship, Richard alleges he became incensed and threatened them.

The suit also accuses Combs of groping Richard on multiple occasions during her time in Diddy–Dirty Money as well as entering her dressing room without her consent while she was undressed. She alleges that after she resisted his advances, he retaliated against her by removing her from songs, denying her participation in several performances, and turning the mic off while she was performing.

Richard says in the lawsuit that she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and panic attacks because of Combs’s allegedly abusive behavior. She is seeking an undisclosed amount in compensatory and punitive damages.