US rapper Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is embroiled in a lawsuit that alleges abuse and exploitation – after a former contestant from his MTV show has claimed the star ‘mistreated women’ and had been ‘physically abusive’.
Combs’ show Making the Band, which aired from 2000 to 2002, has been subject to scrutiny after singer Dawn Richard filed a complaint in the Southern District of New York against the three time Grammy winner and his associates.
The complaint alleges that Combs, formerly known to fans as ‘P Diddy’ and ‘Puff Daddy’, mistreated women. Richard, who was a member of the group Danity Kane – formed through Comb’s reality show, claims to have witnessed the music star beating his former partner Cassandra (Cassie) Ventura. According to the complaint, Richard accounts Combs strangling and choking Ventura.
The reports from Richard claim that many incidents of abuse occurred in public or in front of representatives. The incidents reportedly ‘did not affect deals with
combs’.
The BBC reported that Combs’ lawyer Erica Wolff said the rapper was “shocked and disappointed” by the lawsuit and called Richard’s claims “manufactured” and “false”.
She said her client was “confidently standing on truth and looks forward to proving that in court”.
Richard has come out and said that she encouraged Ventura to leave the relationship, but her advice was ‘met with threats and verbal abuse from combs’ according to the complaint.
In 2023 Ventura did file a federal lawsuit against Combs accusing him of physical and sexual abuse. Combs paid Ventura an undisclosed sum of money, resulting in the matter settling the matter outside of court.
Richard’s current lawsuit also accuses Combs of withholding her earnings from singing, stealing her copyrighted works and subjecting her to what she has described as “inhumane working conditions”, which allegedly included groping, assault and false imprisonment. According to the complaint, there were several instances of Combs making unwanted sexual advancements toward Richard.
Between 2009 and 2011, when rehearsing for Diddy – Dirty Money’s, Combs ordered Richard to strip down to her underwear and called her degrading names in front a group of people, according to the complaint.
The BBC has reported that the lawsuit alleges Combs manipulated Richard by saying her submission to these circumstances was necessary for career enhancement and telling her exploitation was required of female artists to succeed in the music industry.
In the complaint, Richard accuses Combs of groping her while she was changing in her dressing room.
When she refused his advancements, it alleges, he would remove her from songs, deny her parts of singing in songs, and turn off her microphone during performances in retaliation.
“Dawn had the option of filing as a Jane Doe but bravely chose to file in her true name. We will not rest until we achieve full and complete justice for Dawn in this case,” Richard’s attorney said in a statement.
The lawsuit describes an afterparty in November 2009 after the Soul Train Awards in Atlanta, where, it claims, there were illegal drugs and dozens of young women and girls – some who allegedly appeared underage – seeming lethargic or passed out.
These events had security personnel and law enforcement officers posted at the doors, according to the complaint, which made Richard feel trapped and as if she couldn’t leave without Combs being alerted.
The lawsuit also accuses Combs of not paying Richard for appearances that were required as part of a tour agreement.
In the complaint, Richard accuses Combs of groping her while she was changing in her dressing room.
When she refused his advancements, the complaint alleges, Combs would remove Richards from songs, deny her parts of singing in songs, and turn off her microphone during performances in retaliation.
The ongoing lawsuit is among a string of sexual assault allegations that have been recently made against Combs, who has collected a string of awards for his musical success.
Combs, who founded music label Bad Boy in 1993, has denied previous allegations against him, however almost 48 hours after being shown physically assaulting Ventura in 2016 in a surveillance video obtained by CNN, the rap icon issued a public apology.
Richard had publicly commended Combs ex Ventura’s bravery for coming forward about her alleged experiences.
