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Dawn Richard, a former member of the Bad Boy girl group Danity Kane, has reportedly accused Diddy of sexual abuse in a new lawsuit.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to include an apparent reaction to Richard’s lawsuit from fellow Danity Kane member Aubrey O’Day. Additionally, the article also reflected a statement from Erica Wolff, an attorney for Diddy, in response to the lawsuit.
According to TMZ, the outlet exclusively obtained the lawsuit filed by Richard. In the suit, Richard explained that she appeared on Diddy’s 2004 musical competition reality series, ‘Making The Band.’
During her time on the show, Diddy allegedly manipulated her by “promising to advance her singing career if she relented to his alleged twisted demands.”
Additionally, Richard accused the music mogul of verbally abusing female contestants on the show by referring to them as “fat,” “ugly,” “b*****s” and “h**s.”
As for herself, Richard alleges that the music mogul allegedly forced her to rehearse for 48 hours on occasion without sleep. Additionally, Richard alleged that on one occasion, the music mogul “demanded she come to his Miami home.”
When she arrived, he allegedly was not wearing underwear.
“This is my f**king house!” he allegedly shouted at her when she asked for him to put on clothes.
Furthermore, Richard details an instance when she was allegedly naked in her dressing room, and the music mogul “barged” in. He allegedly “touched her breasts and butt.” According to Page Six, the incident reoccurred on numerous occasions between 2009 and 2011.
However, Richard’s allegations do not end there. The singer also asserted that Diddy even locked her in a car for two hours.
Furthermore, the lawsuit asserts that on one occasion in 2005, Richard witnessed Diddy’s then-girlfriend, Kim Porter, leaving “a music studio with her face all banged up.”
The following year, Richard allegedly met Diddy’s new girlfriend and fellow Bad Boy artist, Casandra “Cassie” Ventura. Richard allegedly observed Diddy being “transfixed on her in a predatory fashion.” In 2009, Richard alleges that she even witnessed the music mogul “throw Cassie against a wall.”
During the incident, Diddy allegedly choked Cassie and dragged her up a flight of stairs in his Los Angeles home.
“Ive been asking you for my s**t; I cant stand you b***h, you never do it right!” Diddy allegedly told Cassie after hurling a pan of eggs at her during the same incident.
On additional occasions, Richards allegedly witnessed the music mogul wrap his hands around Cassie’s throat and attempt to strangle her.
When Richard and another Bad Boy artist, Kalenna Harper, allegedly attempted to intervene, the music mogul allegedly threatened the pair.
“Yall b*****s dont get in my relationship,” he allegedly said. “Dont tell my b***h what she need to be doing… Just make money and shut the f**k up… I end artists… I shelve career … You could be missing… You b*****s want to die today.”
After reports of Richard’s lawsuit went viral, fellow Danity Kane member, Aubrey O’Day seemingly shared her reaction. On Wednesday, September 11, O’Day took to her Instagram Story to repost a message that reads, “Sometimes u gotta learn to be quiet even when u got a lot to say…”
Furthermore, O’Day even reposted the message on X, formerly known as Twitter.
On Wednesday, September 11, Diddy’s attorney, Erica Wolff, released a statement in reaction to Richard’s lawsuit.
“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,” the statement reads. “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. Its 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.”
Diddy has been listed as a defendant in numerous lawsuits after Ventura accused him of sexual assault, abuse, and trafficking in November 2023, per The Shade Room. The pair settled the lawsuit privately the following day.
In the following weeks, the music mogul would be accused of group sexual assault of a minor and sexual harassment of a former employee, among additional accusations, which he and his legal team have since denied.
However, in May, Diddy and Cassie’s romance would soon find its way back into the headlines. At the time, surveillance footage surfaced of the music mogul chasing Cassie in a hotel and becoming physical with her.
Later that month, the music mogul issued an apology for his actions, per The Shade Room.
