Danity Kane’s Dawn Richard Sues Diddy, Accuses Him of Brutality, Sexual Abuse and Manipulation

Danity Kane’s Dawn Richard filed a lawsuit accusing Sean “Diddy” Combs of manipulating, terrorizing and sexually abusing her.

In court documents obtained by Us Weekly on Wednesday, September 11, Richard, 41, also claimed that she saw Diddy, 54, physically abusing his ex-girlfriend Cassie. After participating in Diddy‘s 2004 MTV show Making The Band, Richard accused the producer of promising to advance her singing career if she gave in to his demands.

Diddy allegedly abused Richard by forcing her to rehearse 48 hours at a time without sleep, which led to dehydration and fatigue that caused her to develop rashes. Richard claimed Diddy previously demanded she come to his home in Miami, where he appeared only wearing underwear.

After she asked him to put his clothes on, Diddy reportedly yelled at her, “This is my f–king house!” Diddy also allegedly touched Richard inappropriately after barging into her dressing room at his recording studio. The legal paperwork went on to cite an alleged incident when Diddy locked Richard in a car for two hours as she screamed for help.

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Richard accused Diddy of harming other people in front of her, including his late girlfriend Kim Porter in 2005. Years later, Richard allegedly witnessed Diddy throwing Cassie, 38, against a wall before choking her in his Los Angeles home.

“I’ve been asking you for my s–t," Diddy allegedly told Cassie during the incident. "I can’t stand you bitch, you never do it right!” Richard claimed she and Kalenna Harper tried to convince Cassie to leave their relationship, which Diddy found out about at the time.

“Y’all bitches don’t get in my relationship. Don’t tell my bitch [Cassie] what she need to be doing," Richard claimed Diddy told them. "Just make money and shut the f–k up. I end artists, I shelve careers. You could be missing. You bitches want to die today.”

In response to the lawsuit, Diddy's attorney Erica Wolff released a statement, telling Us, "“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.”

The lawsuit comes four months after Diddy publicly apologized after video footage from 2016 showed him assaulting Cassie. The former couple dated on and off between 2007 and 2018. Nearly five years after they called it quits, Cassie sued Diddy in November 2023 for sexual assault and physical abuse over a 10-year period.

Diddy denied all allegations before settling the case one day later. In a statement to Us, Diddy's attorney noted that the settlement was not Diddy admitting guilt over Cassie’s claims.

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After Cassie’s lawsuit, several other people came forward with misconduct accusations against Diddy. He has denied every claim and filed to dismiss one anonymous complaint. (According to Detroit’s Metro Times, Diddy was ordered on Monday, September 9, to pay a $100 million default judgment from a civil lawsuit filed by a Michigan inmate who accused the music mogul of sexual assault. Diddy’s attorney has since slammed the ruling and said his client never received a lawsuit.)

Footage obtained by CNN in May showed Diddy grabbing Cassie by her neck and showing, dragging and kicking her.

“The gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behavior of Mr. Combs,” Cassie’s attorney Douglas H. Wigdor told Us at the time. “Words cannot express the courage and fortitude that Ms. Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this to light.”

Diddy apologized for his behavior in an Instagram video, saying, “It’s difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, sometimes you gotta do that. I was f–ked up. I mean, I hit rock bottom but I make no excuses. My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I’m disgusted.”

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He continued: “I went and sought out professional help. I’ve been going to therapy, going to rehab. Had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry, but I’m committed to being a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry.”

Earlier this year, Diddy’s homes in Los Angeles and Miami were raided by Homeland Security in connection to a federal sex trafficking investigation. He was not charged or arrested with a crime after the raids.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).