September 10, 2024: Former Danity Kane member Dawn Richard sues Combs for sexual assault.
Johnny Nunez / WireImage
A day later, Combs was hit with another lawsuit.
Dawn Richard, a former member of the R&B girl group Danity Kane, which was formed by Combs in 2005, accused the rapper of assault, sexual assault and harassment, sexual battery, and false imprisonment.
In her lawsuit, filed in New York’s Southern District court, Richard alleged multiple instances in which the rapper groped her and verbally abused her while Danity Kane was signed to Combs’ label, Bad Boy Records.
Richard said the harassment continued when she joined Diddy in Dirty Money, a musical trio formed in 2009 featuring Richard, Combs, and singer Kalenna Harper.
Richard also claimed she saw Combs choke and punch Ventura, whom Combs was dating at the time, on multiple occasions.
On Monday, People reported that Harper responded to the lawsuit on her Instagram Story on September 13.
In one of the Story posts, Harper wrote: “It’s important to understand that while I was present in some of the same professional settings mentioned, many of the allegations and incidents described in this suit are not representative of my experiences, and some do not align with my own truth.”
Harper denied that she and Tony Vick, her husband, were involved in or aware of any abusive or unlawful behavior. In the lawsuit, Richard claimed Harper witnessed Combs abusing Ventura and was also yelled at by Combs. Richard also said Harper once confided in her that Vick was abusive to her.
In an emailed statement to Business Insider on September 17, Combs’ attorney Wolff denied the allegations.
“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.”
Wolff added: “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.”
