Dawn Richard Files Lawsuit Against Sean Combs Alleging Years of Abuse

Dawn Richard, who found fame as a singer in bands curated by Sean “Diddy” Combs, has filed a lawsuit against the music producer, alleging years of psychological and physical abuse, including groping. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Manhattan federal court, paints a distressing picture of an environment fraught with Combs’ explosive temper, violent threats, and sexually charged, drug-fueled surroundings. Richard claims these abuses occurred as Combs helped to launch her career.

Richard, known from her appearance on the MTV reality series “Making the Band,” seeks unspecified damages as well as millions of dollars in lost income. She argues that the damages, including punitive ones, are warranted due to the economic harm, physical injuries, pain, suffering, and significant psychological and emotional distress she endured.

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In response, Combs’ representatives released a statement expressing Combs’ shock and disappointment over the lawsuit. They dismissed Richard’s claims as fabricated in an attempt to gain financial benefit, coinciding suspiciously with her album release and press tour. They questioned why Richard would have continued working directly with Combs for nearly two decades if her experiences were as harrowing as she claims, noting her participation in the 2020 “Making the Band” reboot and her inclusion 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 statement added.

The lawsuit details Richard’s experiences, citing that she witnessed Combs abusing his girlfriend and threatening Richard to the point where she feared for her life. Richard’s career with Combs included long periods without food or sleep while working on songs, particularly as a member of the girl group Danity Kane and later the band Diddy — Dirty Money.

Richard alleges that Combs frequently erupted in rage, throwing phones, laptops, food, and studio equipment across rooms or at people. Furthermore, the lawsuit claims she witnessed Combs choking and strangling his protégé and long-term girlfriend, Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, with incidents spanning from 2004 to 2011.

In May, CNN aired a 2016 hotel security video showing Combs assaulting Cassie, an incident conspicuously similar to descriptions in a lawsuit Cassie filed in November, which was settled the following day but prompted considerable scrutiny, including a federal criminal investigation. After the video aired, Combs issued a public apology on social media, calling his actions “inexcusable.”

Richard’s lawsuit claims she now joins a growing chorus of victims sharing their traumatic experiences as part of the #MeToo movement within the music industry. She alleges Combs asked her threatening questions like, “You want to die today?” and boasted that he “ends people.” Richard accuses Combs of withholding her earnings, stealing copyrighted works, and engaging in groping and false imprisonment, including locking her in a car for hours.

Between 2009 and 2011, while Richard was recording, rehearsing, and performing, she alleges Combs persistently demanded she strip to her underwear and made degrading comments about her body, calling her “lazy, fat, ugly, and skinny,” even in the presence of friends, producers, and bodyguards. The lawsuit also alleges that Combs would enter Richard’s dressing room while she was undressed and grope her. During an October 2010 trip to Glasgow, Scotland, Combs made overt sexual advances towards her, she contends.

Richard has also named those around Combs and the supporting music companies as defendants, arguing that the abuse was carried out in public settings and in the presence of record company employees, whom she believes could be held liable.

The Associated Press does not typically identify individuals who report sexual abuse unless they come forward publicly, as Richard and Cassie have done.