Dawn Richard’s lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs accuses him of verbal, physical, and sexual abuse. In the 55-page document, she also claims to have witnessed Diddy abusing his then-girlfriend, singer Cassie.
Richard states that she and fellow Diddy-Dirty Money group member Kalenna Harper tried to intervene but were threatened by Diddy for doing so.
The lawsuit names several high-profile witnesses, including Usher, Ne-Yo, and record executive Jimmy Iovine, who allegedly chose not to act despite witnessing the abuse.
On page 15, Richard details how Diddy secured a deal with Jimmy Iovine of Interscope Records to boost Bad Boy releases, including Diddy-Dirty Money’s new album.
However, before finalizing the deal, Iovine reportedly witnessed Diddy threatening and punching Cassie during a dinner in Los Angeles, with Usher and Ne-Yo also present at the event, according to the lawsuit.
Diddy has responded to Richard’s lawsuit, although further details regarding his defense have yet to emerge.
According to Vibe the documents state:
“In front of dinner guests, Mr. Combs hissed at Ms. Ventura in a screaming whisper and forcefully punched her in the stomach causing her to double over in visible pain, crying,” the lawsuit reads. “Ms Clark escorted Ms. Ventura out of the restaurant and Mr. Combs remained and continued socializing with dinner guests. At this point, Interscope Records clearly had actual knowledge that Mr. Combs was dangerous around females and that Combs was willing to brazenly batter a female in public.”
Diddy’s attorney Erica Wolff has addressed Richard’s lawsuit, telling VIBE 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.”
It continues,
“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.”
