Sean “Diddy” Combs is facing yet another abuse lawsuit, this time filed by a contestant on MTV's Making the band and longtime band member who says he harassed and assaulted her during “years of inhumane working conditions.”
In a complaint filed Tuesday in Manhattan federal court, Dawn Richard says the embattled hip-hop mogul “manipulated” her into believing that “it took abuse and exploitation for female artists to succeed in the music industry.”
Richard claims she saw Combs abuse his ex-girlfriend Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura on multiple occasions – and that recent lawsuits by Ventura and others prompted her to speak out.
“As more women bravely come forward, the plaintiff has been empowered by this collective power and now adds her voice to the growing chorus of victims bravely sharing their harrowing stories,” Richard's lawyers wrote. “Together, they seek justice and stand in solidarity as the latest victims of the #MeToo movement in the music industry.”
Once one of the music industry's most powerful men, Diddy has been hit with at least eight civil sexual assault lawsuits over the past year, including claims by Ventura that later followed a video showing him assaulting her. The hip-hop mogul also faces an apparent federal criminal investigation after authorities raided his homes in March.
Although the rapper denied the legal charges against him, he apologized in May for his behavior captured in the video of the attack on Ventura: “My behavior in this video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in this video.”
In her new lawsuit, Richard says she first met Combs after she was cast in Season 3 Making The Banda popular MTV reality show in the early 2000s featuring aspiring artists working under Combs' tutelage.
She was eventually chosen as the winner of that season and joined Diddy's girl group Danity Kanewhich released two albums in the late 2000s. When the band broke up in 2009, Richard says she joined another band called Diddy – Dirty Money.
During each stop in Diddy's universe, Richard says she was subjected to harmful behavior. During the filming of the TV show, Combs says, he “deprived Ms. Richard and her Danity Kane bandmates of basic necessities, such as adequate food and sleep.” As a member of Dirty Money, she says the mogul repeatedly harassed and assaulted her, including fondling her during sessions.
Richard also claims she has witnessed illegal behavior toward others, including a 2009 party in Atlanta after the Soul Train Awards, at which she says it was Combs who “arranged to transport dozens of young women and girls — some of whom appeared to be minors in party.”
“Many of them appeared lethargic or passed out while Mr. Combs and his guests performed sexual acts on them,” Richard's lawyers wrote. “Ms. Richard was shocked and horrified at the sight of Mr Combs and his guests raping helpless young women.'
She also claims to have witnessed specific acts of abuse towards Combs' former partners. In one, he says he saw his ex-wife, Kim Porterleaving his studio “in tears with visible facial injuries, including a split lip”. On “several” other occasions, Richard says she saw Combs' abuse “brutalize” Ventura.
“His persistent abuse included choking and strangling Ms. Ventura, hitting her with hands and objects, slapping her, punching her and throwing objects at her, including a scalding frying pan,” Richards' attorneys wrote.
Ventura sued Combs over similar allegations in November, but the pair reached an agreement to end the lawsuit a few days later.
In technical terms, Richard accuses Combs of a number of specific forms of wrongdoing, including violating New York's Gender-Based Violence Victims Act and California's Sexual Abuse and Cover-Up Act, as well as various state and federal workplace safeguards against sexual conduct; harassment, discrimination and retaliation. She also charges him with assault, sexual assault, false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The lawsuit also includes copyright claims, including that Diddy infringed on copyrights in her music.
A representative for Combs did not immediately return a request for comment.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/pro/diddy-new-abuse-lawsuit-dawn-richard-making-band-contestant/
