Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Hit With Another Assault Lawsuit—This Time From Danity Kane's Dawn Richard
Key Facts
Richard, whose musical group was signed to Combs’ Bad Boy Records, claims in the complaint, filed in the Southern District of New York Tuesday, that she was subjected to violent acts, death threats, financial abuse, false imprisonment, sexual harassment and sexual assault from Combs over the course of their working relationship, and says she witnessed "brutally beat his girlfriend.”
The suit comes one day after Combs was ordered to pay a $100 million default judgment to a man who claims he was sexually assaulted by the star in the late 1990s.
Richard’s complaint also reiterates claims made in a February lawsuit from music producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones that Combs would regularly throw house parties where young women and girls were drugged and "appeared lethargic or passed out while Mr. Combs and his guests performed sexual acts on them,” Richard’s claim reads.
The new lawsuit also claims that Richard was never paid for her work on Danity Kane’s first two albums, her work on "Last Train to Paris," an album by Combs, Richard and Kaleena Harper, or Combs' use of a song she helped write for his 2023 release “The Love Album: Off the Grid.”
Richard is asking for an unspecified amount of damages, including compensation for mental pain and anguish and lost wages, earning, royalties, publishing, touring and promotional income.
Neither Combs nor his team have commented on the lawsuit brought by Richard, but have repeatedly denied similar allegations against him.
Crucial Quote
“For nearly a decade, Mr. Combs manipulated Ms. Richard 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,” Richard’s complaint reads.
Tangent
Richard met Combs on the set of the MTV reality series he produced called “Making The Band” in 2004 and became a member of the R&B group Danity Kane. The band was signed to Combs’ Bad Boy Records after its members appeared on the show. Other acts featured on the series were O-Town, Da Band, Day26 and Donnie Klang.
Key Background
Ventura in November sued Combs for $30 million and claimed she was beaten, raped and trafficked over the course of their decade-long relationship. The suit was settled one day after it was filed for an undisclosed amount, and Combs’ attorney at the time accused Ventura of "seeking a payday." Months later, CNN released a hotel surveillance video showing Combs chasing Ventura through a hotel, grabbing her by the hair and throwing her to the ground before trying to drag her back to a room. After the video was released, Combs posted a short video to Instagram on Sunday morning saying he was “truly sorry” for his behavior. Since Ventura filed her lawsuit, several other women have come forward with their own rape and sexual assault claims against Combs, and Jones filed his bombshell lawsuit earlier this year. A documentary about the allegations against Combs is in the works from Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson's production company, which sold the project to Netflix in May.
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