Singer Dawn Richard is accusing Diddy of sexual, physical and verbal abuse in a new lawsuit. She also claims she saw him beat Cassie several times.
Dawn Richard Files Suit Against Diddy for Abuse
On Wednesday (Sep. 11), TMZ reported that Dawn Richard filed suit against Diddy on Sept. 10 in the United States District Court Southern District of New York. XXL has obtained the court documents. She accused him of sexual, physical and verbal abuse. Richard claimed that during her time signed to Bad Boy Records from 2004 to 2011, she was subjected to relentless violence and abuse. Richard first met Puff during her time as a contestant on his MTV reality show Making The Band in 2004, and claimed even during the audition process that Puff was vicious towards female contestants.
The singer said that Puff often called her fellow contestants “fat,” “ugly,” “bi**hes” and “h*es,” and that he particularly hated Richard because of her eagerness to work with the Bad Boy founder.
Richard claims that she was subjected to brutal 48-hour rehearsal stretches with no sleep, which caused her to lose a lot of weight and suffer from dehydration. She also claims that Puff once came into her dressing room while she was naked and fondled her breasts and butt. Additionally, Richard said she once went to Puff’s Miami mansion and that he greeted her at the door wearing only underwear. When she asked him to put clothes on he allegedly replied, “This is my f**king house!”
Aside from her own alleged abuse, Richard also claimed that she witnessed Diddy assault Cassie and his late girlfriend Kim Porter. The singer said in 2005 she witnessed Porter crying as she left a music studio with her face bruised and beaten. In 2009, Richard then met Cassie, and claims she saw Diddy on drugs as he threw her against a wall, choked her and dragged her up a flight of stairs in his Los Angeles home. Diddy also once reportedly threw a pan of eggs at Cassie before scolding her.
“I’ve been asking you for my sh*t,” he allegedly yelled at her. “I can’t stand you, b**ch. You never do it right!”
Richard claims that she and her fellow Diddy-Dirty Money bandmate Kaleena Harper met with Cassie and told her to leave Puff. The mogul found out and confronted the two women for getting involved in his relationship.
“Y’all bi**hes don’t get in my relationship,” he allegedly said, adding, “Don’t tell my b**ch what she need to be doing … Just make money and shut the f**k up … I end artists … I shelve careers … You could be missing … You b**hes want to die today?”
When reached for comment, Diddy’s attorney Erica Wolff sent along the below statement to XXL.
“Mr. Combs is shocked and disappointed by this lawsuit,” Wolff said. “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 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. 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.”
Dawn Richard is suing Diddy for sexual assault, sexual harassment, gender discrimination, hostile work environment, forced labor, human trafficking, sex trafficking under 18, battery/sexual battery, false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress, among other claims. While the singer has not revealed a monetary amount that she’s seeking in the lawsuit, Richard’s lawyer states she’s suffered loss of income, wages, benefits, royalties, promotional fees, touring fees and other compensation.
In addition, Richard has also experienced post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorder, emotional pain and loss of enjoyment of life as a result of what she alleges she endured during her time as an employee of Diddy. For this, she is seeking an award for compensatory and punitive damages, attorney’s fees and costs, injunctive and declaratory relief and other remedies that the court deems appropriate.
Read More: Diddy Is Officially Selling His Los Angeles Mansion That Was Raided for $61 Million
Diddy’s Legal Woes Continue
Dawn Richard’s allegations come as Diddy’s legal woes continue to worsen. The mogul most recently filed to have Rodney Jones’ lawsuit dismissed, who also accused Puff of assault and mistreatment. Puff’s lawyers claimed Jones is attempting to pressure their client into a big settlement. Jones told Rolling Stone in an interview in August he feels he’s being “punished” for “standing up for justice.”
Additionally, Diddy is already losing some of his legal battles. On Tuesday (Sept. 10), local news outlet Detroit Metro Times reported that Diddy was ordered to pay $100 million to a Michigan inmate named Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith. The man accuses Puff of drugging and raping him at a 1997 party in Detroit. Puff never showed up for a hearing, so the judgment was handed down in default. Diddy’s team denies Cardello-Smith’s claims and will appeal the ruling.
Read More: An Ongoing Complete List of All the Allegations Against Diddy
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