Former Danity Kane Star Dawn Richard Accuses Sean “Diddy” Combs of Sexual Assault and Abuse

Dawn Richard, a former member of Danity Kane, has filed a lawsuit against music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, accusing him of sexual assault. She also claims to have witnessed him being violent toward his former partners, including Cassie and the late Kim Porter. The lawsuit, filed on September 10, adds to the growing allegations against Combs, who is now 54.

According to Rolling Stone, Richard says that while working with Combs from 2009 to 2011, he groped her without her consent. She met him in 2004 on the MTV show Making the Band, but claims things got worse later.

Diddy allegedly entered her dressing room without permission and touched her inappropriately. The lawsuit says he grabbed her butt and tried to touch her breast, all without her consent.

Richard also accuses Combs of mentally manipulating her, making her believe that she had to give in to his demands if she wanted to succeed in her music career. The lawsuit claims he used this pressure to control her, making her feel that abuse and exploitation were part of being a successful female artist.

She also remembers Diddy calling women on Making the Band hurtful names like “fat,” “ugly,” and “b-tches.”

Richard also says she saw Combs physically abuse his girlfriends. In 2005, she recalls Kim Porter leaving a studio with a bruised face. In another incident in 2009, Richard says she saw Combs, who was under the influence of drugs, violently attack Cassie at his Los Angeles home. According to the lawsuit, Combs threw Cassie against a wall, choked her, and dragged her up a flight of stairs.

After the attack, Richard and fellow Dirty Money group member Kalenna Harper tried to convince Cassie to leave Combs, but he became angry and threatened them. He allegedly shouted, “Don’t get in my relationship. Don’t tell Cassie what to do… Just make money and shut up… I can end your careers… You could go missing… Do you want to die today?”

Richard says the abuse didn’t stop there. She accuses Combs of locking her in a car for two hours and forcing her to rehearse for two days without sleep, which made her sick. When Richard told her father what was happening, Combs reportedly told him, “Think about your daughter’s career.”

While Richard’s lawsuit is gaining attention, it’s just one of several accusations against Combs. Federal investigators are looking into his actions, but Combs has not yet responded to these latest claims.

This lawsuit raises more questions about the abuse of power in the music industry and the treatment of female artists.