A new lawsuit has been filed against Sean "Diddy" Combs.
Dawn Richard, formerly of Diddy's girl group Danity Kane and his musical trio Diddy-Dirty Money, has accused Combs of verbal abuse, sexual assault, battery and the intentional infliction of emotional distress, according to court documents.
Richard claims Combs “manipulated her with mantras that submission to his depraved demands was necessary for career advancement, instilling in her the belief that such abuse and exploitation were required for female artists to succeed in the music industry.”
The lawsuit was filed on Tuesday in the Southern District of New York and also named Bad Boy Entertainment CEO Harve Pierre. Rolling Stone reports that Pierre is currently facing two sexual assault lawsuits tied to Combs.
Richard met Combs in 2004 when she took part in his competition reality show, "Making the Band," which led to her being a part of Danity Kane. In the lawsuit, she claimed that while on the reality series, Combs allegedly called contestants "fat," "ugly," "b---hes," and "h--s."
Once a part of Danity Kane, Richard claimed Combs regularly called the five women "b---hes" and "h--s." The suit also claimed the hip-hop mogul picked apart their appearances and told Richard she was "too skinny" and needed to "do something about this (her face)." She also claimed Combs deprived the women of food and sleep.
When the women would request food or rest, Combs would allegedly refuse and say "you b---hes don't want this" or "ya'll are not hungry enough" and "I'm paying you b---hes to work."
The singer claims in 2005, she saw Combs' former girlfriend and mother to his four children, Kim Porter, crying while leaving the recording studio with visible injuries to her face "including a lacerated lip."
After the band broke up in 2009, Richard said she joined Diddy-Dirty Money alongside Combs and Kalenna Harper. She claimed she did it for financial reasons.
Richard said Combs forced both her and Harper to work without food and sleep. She alleged he had her rehearse for 48 hours straight, which led to dehydration, chronic stomach cramping and fatigue.
Between 2009 to 2011 Richard recounted incidents where things got progressively worse between her and Combs. The lawsuit stated Combs stormed his way into her dressing room and would "grope" her "bare buttocks" and “attempted to touch her breasts" even with a female stylist present. Richard claimed he would do this "under the guise of showing the stylist what to do."
Documents also stated that the "Show Stopper" singer witnessed the music executive's abuse against his ex-girlfriend Casandra "Cassie" Ventura. Richard claimed she witnessed Combs throw Ventura against a wall, choke her, throw a "scalding" hot pan of eggs at her and drag up her the stairs of his Los Angeles home.
Richard claimed when she and Harper had talks with Ventura and advised her to leave, Combs found out about the conversations and told them: "Y'all b----es don't get in my relationship. ... Don't tell my b---h what she needs to be doing ... Just make money and shut the f--k up."
She alleged Diddy threatened their careers and said they "could be missing" and said, "you b---es want to die today."
Richard also claimed that other big names knew of Combs' abuse towards Ventura.
She recounted a dinner Combs hosted in West Hollywood around early 2009 or late 2010, leading up to Bad Boy's deal with Interscope. Richard says Interscope's CEO Jimmy Iovine was present along with singers NeYo, Usher as well as Richard and Harper.
Richard said Combs and Ventura argued during the dinner to which he "hissed" at her " in a screaming whisper" and punched her in the stomach, causing her to double over and cry in front of Iovine and the other guests. Richard claimed that this incident "amplified" her fears that Combs could one day hurt her as others stood by to watch him "openly assault" Ventura.
Richard then recounted more abuse from Diddy. She claimed he locked her in a car for two hours and was only freed by her father who traveled from Baltimore to New York.
"Think about your daughter and think about your daughter's career," Richard said Combs warned her father.
When Richard refused Combs' advances, she claimed he would deny her singing parts and remove her from songs altogether. She also alleged Combs would turn off her microphone during performances.
She also claims she's owed compensation from "lost wages, earnings, royalties, publishing, touring and promotional income."
Court documents also describe drug and alcohol-fueled parties hosted by Combs. Richards documented an after party he hosted in New York in November of 2009 where "dozens of young women and girls-some of whom appeared to be underage" were ushered in. Richards claimed the females were given drugs and alcohol and appeared "lethargic or passed out" while Combs and others "performed sexual acts on them."
The singer stated she believed she was invited to the party as a "test" to see if the New York native could "trust her."
She also claimed Combs would host meetings wearing only his underwear, regardless of her requests to put on clothing.
Richard's lawsuit is the eighth person to accuse Combs of sexual assault. This comes months after Homeland Security officials raided Combs' L.A. and Miami homes. The searches were tied to a sex trafficking investigation by federal authorities in New York.
In 2023 Ventura filed a bombshell lawsuit accusing Combs of years of rape and abuse. The lawsuit was settled the next day with Combs denying the allegations. In May, CNN released surveillance footage from 2016 showing Combs physically attacking Ventura at the InterContinental Hotel in Century City. Following the video, the "I'll Be Missing You" singer admitted that he beat his ex-girlfriend, saying in a video apology he was “truly sorry” and his actions were “inexcusable.”
Richards is seeking restitution, compensation, punitive damages and more. The amount will be determined at trial.