Diddy Sued By Danity Kane’s Dawn Richard Over Sexual Abuse, ‘Inhumane Working Conditions’
Former Danity Kane member Dawn Richard sued Diddy for sexual abuse in a bombshell lawsuit that claims she witnessed him attacking his girlfriend at the time, Cassie Ventura, In Touch can report.
According to court documents obtained by In Touch, Dawn, 41, sued Diddy, Bad Boy Records, and various other defendants for alleged abuse, forced labor, violation of New York services for victims of human trafficking and sex trafficking.
Dawn became a household name after appearing on MTV’s Making The Band 3, which aired from 2005 to 2006. The show focused on Diddy holding auditions for a girl group, which ended up being Danity Kane.
In addition to working with Diddy, 54, on Danity Kane, Dawn also worked with him in a band called Dirty Money, which Diddy was also a member.
Dawn said she witnessed Diddy abusing then-girlfriend Cassie, 38, who he later settled a federal lawsuit with over abuse allegations that he denied. Dawn's lawsuit read, “On many occasions, [Dawn] tried to intervene, offering [Cassie] support and encouragement to leave Mr. Combs. Each time, Mr. Combs learned of her efforts to help [Cassie] and became enraged, threatening [Dawn’s] life with statements such as ’you want to die today,’ “’I make n------ go missing’ and ‘I end people.’”
Dawn claimed that, “Compounding Mr. Combs’ violent acts and death threats, he flagrantly exploited Ms. Richard’s musical talent as a singer and writer while withholding her rightful earnings, stealing her copyrighted works, and subjecting her to years of inhumane working conditions which included groping, assault, and false imprisonment, among other violations.”
Her lawsuit said, “For nearly a decade, [Diddy] manipulated [Dawn] 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. It was not until [Cassie’s] bravery in coming forward that [Dawn] realized her own personal suffering was tied to the many years of abuse by Mr. Combs that had become normalized for her.”
Dawn said she first witnessed Diddy’s behavior during auditions for Making The Band. “During auditions, Mr. Combs spoke to the female contestants in a hostile, condescending manner, making disparaging gender-based remarks such as calling them ‘fat,’ ‘ugly,’ ‘bitches,’ and ‘hoes.’ Ms. Richard felt threatened and intimidated by Mr. Combs’ blatant disdain for the young women, like herself, who were excited for the opportunity to be on his show,” she said.
While in Danity Kane, Dawn’s lawsuit said, “Throughout the productions of Making the Band 3 and 4, Mr. Combs deprived Ms. Richard and her Danity Kane bandmates of basic needs such as adequate food and sleep. When Ms. Richard or her Danity Kane bandmates requested meals or rest, Mr. Combs refused and chastised them with derogatory comments.”
The suit added, “Mr. Combs would regularly be awake for prolonged periods of time because he was high on drugs. During these periods, Mr. Combs demanded continuous access to Ms. Richard and her Danity Kane bandmates, often forcing them to record and rehearse for stretches of 36 to 48 hours without breaks.”
On one occasion, Dawn said she went to Diddy’s home to find him in his underwear.
She claimed he scolded her after she asked him to put on clothes. Dawn said she continued to work with Diddy to her suffering financial hardship. She said she was sleep deprived during the Dirty Money projects. She said Diddy told her she was “too skinny” but demanded she only drink peanut butter shakes.
Her lawsuit claimed, “In or around the summer of 2010, Ms. Richard experienced abdominal pain, swollen glands and a fever. She was hospitalized and diagnosed with arthralgia (joint pain due to overuse, sprains, tendonitis and infection), anemia, and a low white blood cell count. Ms. Richard presented Mr. Combs with her medical records specifying that she needed to emphasize eating well, being adequately hydrated, and getting adequate rest, but Mr. Combs ordered her to report to the studio the next day for another multi-day recording session.”
She said Diddy would often come into her dressing room while she was changing.
"Even though a female stylist was present and assisting Ms. Richard with her wardrobe, Mr. Combs would grope Ms. Richard’s body, including her bare buttocks and her chest area near her breasts. With no legitimate purpose, and without Ms. Richard’s consent, Mr. Combs caressed her buttocks to show the stylist where he wanted her high-waisted panties positioned, and attempted to touch her breasts, claiming to show the stylist where he wanted her bra straps to go,” her suit read.
On top of that, she said Diddy and Bad Boy have failed to pay her money owed for her work. The lawsuit demanded unspecified damages.
Diddy's lawyer, Erica Wolff, tells In Touch, “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. 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.”