Yet another lawsuit has been filed accusing Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs of sexual harassment and assault. The latest lawsuit has been instigated by Dawn Richard, who performed with Combs as part of Diddy-Dirty Money and, before that, was a member of Danity Kane, the group put together on the Combs-fronted MTV show ‘Making The Band’.
In her lawsuit, Richard says that Combs “manipulated” her into believing that female artists were required to tolerate “abuse and exploitation” in order to succeed in the music industry.
She claims he routinely mistreated members of Danity Kane after they were formed on ‘Making The Band’ in 2005 and then signed to his Bad Boy label, and that his behaviour only worsened following the launch of Diddy-Dirty Money in 2009. She also claims to have witnessed the abuse of other women by Combs, including his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura.
Numerous lawsuits have been filed against Combs over the last year accusing him of sexual abuse. Richard’s lawsuit explains how, “as more women courageously came forward” to speak about their experiences with Combs, she felt “empowered by this collective strength”, allowing her to “add her voice to the growing chorus of victims bravely sharing their harrowing stories”.
“Together”, the lawsuit continues, Combs’ accusers “seek justice and stand in solidarity, as the latest victims of the #Me Too movement in the music industry”.
Combs has denied all the allegations made against him in the various lawsuits, although when a video of him assaulting Ventura emerged in May he was forced to admit, “my behaviour on that video is inexcusable - I take full responsibility for my actions in that video”. Nevertheless, his lawyers continue to portray his various accusers as opportunists.
Responding to the latest lawsuit, attorney Erica Wolff told reporters, “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 Richard’s claims are true, Wolff added, why did she continue to work with Combs for so many years. “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”, the lawyer argued.
“It’s unfortunate”, Wolff concluded, “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”.
Describing her experience as a member of Danity Kane in the lawsuit, Richard claims that Combs often deprived band members “of basic needs such as adequate food and sleep”. When Richard or her bandmates requested meals or rest, “Mr Combs refused and chastised them with derogatory comments”.
In terms of specific incidents of abuse in the years Richard worked with Combs, the lawsuit describes how the rapper once entered a dressing room at his recording studio when she was fully undressed and placed his hands on her breasts and buttocks. Another time, he locked her in a car for two hours and she ultimately had to call her father to come and rescue her.
Elsewhere in the legal filing, Richard describes witnessing the abuse of Ventura, who filed her own lawsuit last year, that being the one Combs quickly settled. “His persistent abuse included choking and strangling Ms Ventura, striking her with his hands and with objects, slapping her, punching her, and throwing items at her, including a scalding hot pan”, Richard’s lawsuit claims.
“On many occasions, Ms Richard tried to intervene”, it adds, “offering Ms Ventura support and encouragement to leave Mr Combs. Each time, Mr Combs learned of her efforts to help Ms Ventura and became enraged, threatening Ms Richard’s life with statements such as ‘you want to die today’ and ‘I end people’”.
Richard accuses Combs of assault, sexual battery, false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress, and of violating New York City’s Victims Of Gender-Motivated Violence Act and California’s Sexual Abuse And Cover Up Accountability Act. There are also additional claims of copyright infringement in relation to their creative collaborations.