Sean “Diddy” Combs was taken legal action against in government court Tuesday by a previous participant of Danity Kane– the lady team he put together on the MTV truth competitors “Making the Band”– that is declaring he searched, attacked and imprisoned her, and intimidated her life when she attempted to interfere in protection of his then-girlfriend.
Dawn Richard, that was handpicked by Combs to be a participant of the city pop band, additionally affirms in the claim that she is owed a number of million bucks in overdue salaries from her time with Danity Kane and an additional team established by Combs. She is asking for a court test. Her lawyer, Lisa Flower, stated in a declaration Wednesday: “We will certainly not relax up until we attain complete and total justice for Dawn in this instance.”
The fit, submitted in the united state Area Court for the Southern Area of New york city, signs up with a string of others that have actually implicated Combs ofvarious forms of sexual assault and misconduct The suits are submitted under the Sufferers of Gender-Motivated Physical Violence Security Regulation, which enables individuals to submit suits over accusations of sexual assault also after the law of restrictions had actually passed. Combs, that is additionally the subject of a federal inquiry, has actually rejected the accusations.
In a declaration Wednesday, his lawyer stated Combs “is surprised and dissatisfied” by Richard’s claim.
” In an effort to reword background, Dawn Richard has actually currently produced a collection of incorrect insurance claims done in the hopes of attempting to obtain a pay day– comfortably timed to accompany her cd launch and press scenic tour,” Erica Wolff stated, while indicating Richard’s lengthy background collaborating with Combs. “It’s regrettable that Ms. Richard has actually cast their 20-year relationship apart to attempt and obtain cash from him, however Mr. Combs is with confidence basing on reality and expects confirming that in court.”
Richard’s claim claims she was “encouraged” to find ahead by the various other suits, consisting of the one brought by Combs’ ex-girlfriend Casandra Ventura, that is best recognized by her name Cassie. Ventura, that was as soon as authorized to Combs’ Poor Child document tag, implicated him of rape and duplicated physical misuse throughout their yearslong connection, in an explosive lawsuit submitted in November. She and Combssettled the suit a day later They did not reveal the regards to the negotiation.
” Mr. Combs’ choice to resolve the claim does never threaten his flat-out rejection of the insurance claims,” his lawyer Ben Brafman stated at the time. “He enjoys they reached a common negotiation and wants Ms. Ventura the most effective.”
Hours after she submitted her fit, Richard and two other former members of Danity Kane expressed public support for Ventura. However the 3 females did not share individual understanding concerning the details allegations versus Combs back then.
Richard’s claim, nonetheless, stated she saw Combs completely defeated Ventura on various celebrations. That misuse consisted of striking Ventura with his hands and with items, slapping her, punching her and tossing products at her, the claim affirms. Whenever Ventura tried to take on Combs, according to the fit, he would certainly strike her or cover his hands around her throat and choke her.
Once, the claim affirms, Richard saw Combs toss a hot frying pan of eggs at Ventura prior to dragging her up a trip of staircases while he cursed and shrieked. Richard stated Combs informed her after the affirmed attack that, “If you claim anything, there will certainly be effects” which individuals “wind up missing out on,” which the fit claims left Richard sensation frightened.
On an additional event, in or around very early 2010, the fit affirms Richard saw Combs punch Ventura in the face in the washroom of an event in Los Angeles. A few of the moments Combs presumably abused Ventura, various other stars existed, the fit affirms.
According to the fit, Richard attempted numerous times to step in, supplied Ventura assistance and motivated her to leave Combs. Each time Combs found out of her initiatives to aid Ventura, the fit affirms, he came to be infuriated and intimidated Richard’s life, informing her that he had the capacity to make individuals go away and might “finish individuals.”
In Might, Combs admitted that he beat Ventura in a hotel hallway in 2016 after CNN launched video clip of the strike, stating in a video clip apology uploaded to Instagram that he was “really sorry” and his activities were “untenable.” The video clip was later on eliminated from his web page.
Richard, that resides in The golden state, was utilized by Combs from 2005 to 2012, initially as a participant of Danity Kane and after that the team Diddy– Dirty Cash, the claim claims. It explains an aggressive workplace, in which Diddy would presumably scold and endanger his staff members, participate in conferences in his undergarments, make undesirable advancements and hold back revenues.
In her fit, which additionally names Harve Pierre, a previous long time head of state of his document tag, and different document tags as accuseds, Richard affirms that she is owed $3.3 million in overdue salaries, wages and aristocracies from her time with Danity Kane and $1.55 million in overdue settlement from Diddy– Dirty Cash. Pierre did not react to an ask for remark.
Like various other suits, consisting of Ventura’s, Richard’s fit illustrates Combs as fierce and managing. Richard’s fit claims that throughout tryouts for “Making the Band,” Combs “talked to the women participants in a hostile, condescending fashion” and made slandering statements, calling them “fat,” “awful,” “b ——” and “hoes.” His hostility and aggressiveness proceeded after the band was created, the claim claims, and Combs consistently made use of negative terms to describe the 5 females and denigrated their physical looks, consisting of by informing Richard she was also slim which she required to “do something” concerning her face.
Throughout the manufacturings of the “Making the Band” collection, the fit affirms, she and the participants of Danity Kane were denied of fundamental requirements such as appropriate food and rest.
According to the fit, his extreme needs consisted of practicing for 36 to 2 days without breaks, near-constant recording and extreme exercises, which led Richard to experience severe fat burning.
To additionally insist his power, the fit claims, Combs demanded convening while clothed just in his undergarments, and throughout a conference in 2008 in the living-room of his Miami home, when Richard asked him to place clothing on, he rejected, specifying “This is my f —— home.” That conference lasted an hour, the fit claims, “creating Ms. Richard to really feel breached and humiliated, and enhancing her sensations of powerlessness.”
While Richard belonged to Diddy– Dirty Cash from 2009 to 2011, the fit affirms, Combs continuously compelled her to disrobe to her undergarments and regularly made undermining statements concerning her body. On various celebrations, under the semblance helpful a stylist prepare Richard for efficiencies, Combs would certainly additionally barge right into her altering space unannounced and search components of her body without her approval, the claim additionally affirms.
In or around December 2010, Richard affirms she and her Diddy– Dirty Cash bandmate were secured among Combs’ automobiles that did not have indoor door deals with for greater than 2 hours after Diddy blasted them for being late. Though the bandmate was ultimately released, Richard affirms she needed to utilize her bandmate’s phone to call her dad to take a trip from Baltimore to New york city to aid release her. When later on challenged by Richard’s dad, that stated he planned to call authorities, Combs alerted him to “think of your household” and “think of your little girl’s occupation,” according to the claim. The complying with night, Combs informed Richard not to call her dad unless she was hospitalized, the fit claims.
Frank Richard might not promptly be gotten to at numbers provided for him.
The fit additionally affirms Richard went to celebrations at Combs’ homes, where she saw what she thought were inebriated minor women being sexually breached by Combs and his visitors. At his “drug-fueled celebrations,” visitors were needed to surrender their phones, doors were secured and secured by protection, and Combs worked with policemans to participate in, “sending out a clear message to visitors that his impact encompassed police police officers, and developing an environment of concern and an indirect caution that reporting him to authorities would certainly be both undesirable and useless,” the fit claims.
Richard’s claim affirms that, for years, following his increase to popularity, “Combs’ star-studded, larger-than life personality eclipsed his savage mood and prevalent acts of physical violence guided towards those in his internal circle– particularly, females.”
Richard is looking for countervailing and compensatory damages for shed salaries and various other settlement, in addition to psychological discomfort and suffering.
This post was initially released on TODAY.com