Sean “Diddy” Combs was sued in federal court Tuesday by a former member of Danity Kane — the girl group he assembled on the MTV reality competition “Making the Band” — who is alleging he groped, assaulted and imprisoned her, and threatened her life when she tried to intervene in defense of his then-girlfriend.
Dawn Richard, who was handpicked by Combs to be a member of the urban pop band, also alleges in the lawsuit that she is owed several million dollars in unpaid wages from her time with Danity Kane and another group founded by Combs. She is requesting a jury trial. Her attorney, Lisa Bloom, said in a statement Wednesday: “We will not rest until we achieve full and complete justice for Dawn in this case.”
The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, joins a string of others that have accused Combs of various forms of sexual assault and misconduct. The lawsuits are filed under the Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law, which allows people to file lawsuits over allegations of sexual abuse even after the statute of limitations had passed. Combs, who is also the subject of a federal inquiry, has denied the allegations.
In a statement Wednesday, his attorney said Combs “is shocked and disappointed” by Richard’s 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,” Erica Wolff said, while pointing to Richard’s long history working with Combs. “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.”
Richard’s lawsuit says she was “empowered” to come forward by the other lawsuits, including the one brought by Combs’ ex-girlfriend Casandra Ventura, who is best known by her stage name Cassie. Ventura, who was once signed to Combs’ Bad Boy record label, accused him of rape and repeated physical abuse over the course of their yearslong relationship, in an explosive lawsuit filed in November. She and Combs settled the suit a day later. They did not disclose the terms of the settlement.
“Mr. Combs’ decision to settle the lawsuit does not in any way undermine his flat-out denial of the claims,” his attorney Ben Brafman said at the time. “He is happy they got to a mutual settlement and wishes Ms. Ventura the best.”
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Hours after she filed her suit, Richard and two other former members of Danity Kane expressed public support for Ventura. But the three women did not share personal knowledge about the specific accusations against Combs at that time.
Richard’s lawsuit, however, said she witnessed Combs brutally beat Ventura on numerous occasions. That abuse included striking Ventura with his hands and with objects, slapping her, punching her and throwing items at her, the lawsuit alleges. Whenever Ventura attempted to stand up to Combs, according to the suit, he would strike her or wrap his hands around her throat and choke her.
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On one occasion, the lawsuit alleges, Richard witnessed Combs throw a scalding pan of eggs at Ventura before dragging her up a flight of stairs while he cursed and screamed. Richard said Combs told her after the alleged assault that, “If you say anything, there will be consequences” and that people “end up missing,” which the suit says left Richard feeling terrified.
On another occasion, in or around early 2010, the suit alleges Richard witnessed Combs punch Ventura in the face in the bathroom of a party in Los Angeles. Some of the times Combs allegedly abused Ventura, other celebrities were present, the suit alleges.
According to the suit, Richard tried multiple times to intervene, offered Ventura support and encouraged her to leave Combs. Each time Combs learned of her efforts to help Ventura, the suit alleges, he became enraged and threatened Richard’s life, telling her that he had the ability to make people disappear and could “end people.”
In May, Combs admitted that he beat Ventura in a hotel hallway in 2016 after CNN released video of the attack, saying in a video apology posted to Instagram that he was “truly sorry” and his actions were “inexcusable.” The video was later removed from his page.
Richard, who lives in California, was employed by Combs from 2005 to 2012, first as a member of Danity Kane and then the group Diddy — Dirty Money, the lawsuit says. It describes a hostile work environment, in which Diddy would allegedly berate and threaten his employees, attend meetings in his underwear, make unwanted advances and withhold earnings.
In her suit, which also names Harve Pierre, a former longtime president of his record label, and various record labels as defendants, Richard alleges that she is owed $3.3 million in unpaid wages, salaries and royalties from her time with Danity Kane and $1.55 million in unpaid compensation from Diddy — Dirty Money. Pierre did not respond to a request for comment.
Like other lawsuits, including Ventura’s, Richard’s suit depicts Combs as violent and controlling. Richard’s suit says that during auditions for “Making the Band,” Combs “spoke to the female contestants in a hostile, condescending manner” and made disparaging remarks, calling them “fat,” “ugly,” “b------” and “hoes.” His hostility and aggression continued after the band was formed, the lawsuit says, and Combs regularly used derogatory terms to refer to the five women and denigrated their physical appearances, including by telling Richard she was too skinny and that she needed to “do something” about her face.
Throughout the productions of the “Making the Band” series, the suit alleges, she and the members of Danity Kane were deprived of basic needs such as adequate food and sleep.
According to the suit, his excessive demands included rehearsing for 36 to 48 hours without breaks, near-constant filming and intense workouts, which led Richard to experience extreme weight loss.
To further assert his power, the suit says, Combs insisted on holding meetings while dressed only in his underwear, and during a meeting in 2008 in the living room of his Miami residence, when Richard asked him to put clothes on, he refused, stating “This is my f------house.” That meeting lasted an hour, the suit says, “causing Ms. Richard to feel violated and embarrassed, and amplifying her feelings of powerlessness.”
While Richard was a member of Diddy — Dirty Money from 2009 to 2011, the suit alleges, Combs repeatedly forced her to strip down to her underwear and frequently made demeaning remarks about her body. On numerous occasions, under the guise of helping a stylist prepare Richard for performances, Combs would also barge into her changing room unannounced and grope parts of her body without her consent, the lawsuit also alleges.
In or around December 2010, Richard alleges she and her Diddy — Dirty Money bandmate were locked in one of Combs’ vehicles that did not have interior door handles for more than two hours after Diddy lashed out at them for being late. Though the bandmate was eventually freed, Richard alleges she had to use her bandmate’s phone to call her father to travel from Baltimore to New York to help free her. When later confronted by Richard’s father, who said he intended to call police, Combs warned him to “think about your family” and “think about your daughter’s career,” according to the lawsuit. The following evening, Combs told Richard not to call her father unless she was hospitalized, the suit says.
Frank Richard could not immediately be reached at numbers listed for him.
The suit also alleges Richard attended parties at Combs’ houses, where she witnessed what she believed were inebriated underage girls being sexually violated by Combs and his guests. At his “drug-fueled parties,” guests were required to surrender their phones, doors were locked and guarded by security, and Combs hired police officers to attend, “sending a clear message to guests that his influence extended to law enforcement officers, and creating a climate of fear and a tacit warning that reporting him to authorities would be both unacceptable and futile,” the suit says.
Richard’s lawsuit alleges that, for decades, following his rise to fame, “Combs’ star-studded, larger-than life persona overshadowed his vicious temper and pervasive acts of violence directed toward those in his inner circle — specifically, women.”
Richard is seeking compensatory and punitive damages for lost wages and other compensation, as well as emotional pain and suffering.
NBC News' Chloe Melas contributed.
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