Dawn Richard‘s bombshell lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs continues to shake the industry as she claims Usher, Ne-Yo, and Jimmy Iovine witnessed him allegedly punch Cassie. King Combs, who faces his own serious allegations, once again chimed in to defend his dad with alleged text message receipts.
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The former MTV star’s description of her time behind the scenes of Bad Boy is as dense as it is disturbing. In the 55-page filing, Richard asserts that she not only experienced sexual assault by Diddy but also witnessed it happening to his ex and former artist Cassie Ventura.
This isn’t a surprise after a surveillance video surfaced showing the mogul chasing, beating, slamming and kicking Cassie. The real shock is that Richard claims she wasn’t the only industry insider to witness the alleged abuse. According to theJasmineBRAND, she claims Usher, Ne-Yo, and former music exec Jimmy Iovine also saw an alleged abusive outburst at a business dinner in 2009.
“In the weeks and months leading up to the Bad Boy-Interscope deal, Mr. Combs had frequent meetings with producer and then-CEO of Interscope Records Jimmy Iovine. On one such occasion, Combs hosted a dinner at a West Hollywood, California restaurant, which Ms. Richard and Ms. [Kalenna] Harper were required to attend,” the lawsuit stated.
“Among the guests at the dinner were celebrities like Ne-Yo and Usher, as well as Mr. Iovine. At the dinner, Mr. Combs and Ms. Ventura had an argument. In front of the dinner guests, Mr. Combs hissed at Ms. Ventura in a screaming whisper and forcefully punched her in the stomach, causing her to double over in visible pain, crying. Ms. Clark escorted Ms. Ventura out of the restaurant, and Mr. Combs remained and continued socializing with the dinner guests,” the filing continued.
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This alleged violent outburst didn’t stop the merger from proceeding. At this time, Richard and Harper also continued working with Diddy as the new group, Dirty Money. However, as BOSSIP previously reported, Richard claimed Diddy threatened their careers and their lives when they objected to to alleged misconduct and abuse they witnessed.
“Y’all b****es don’t get in my relationship. Just make money and shut the f**k up,” and “You b****es want to die today?” Diddy reportedly said in response to the singers attempting to help Cassie leave the relationship.
Despite the federal sex trafficking investigation moving forward with a grand jury subpoena naming Diddy and a $100 million judgment against him in the past week, he’s not going down without a fight. And neither is the mogul’s mini-me.
See Diddy’s response to this new lawsuit and King Combs clapping back with receipts after the jump.
Diddy Denies Dawn Richard’s Allegations As “Trying To Get A Pay Day” And “Re-Write History”
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Like all of the allegations against Diddy, except for apologizing about the 2016 surveillance footage with Cassie, he maintains his innocence. On Wednesday, Diddy’s attorney responded to the shocking lawsuit of his former artist Dawn Richard.
“Mr. Combs is shocked and disappointed by this lawsuit. 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,” Erica Wolff responded, according to TMZ.
In addition to questioning the lawsuit’s timing, Wolff criticizes Richard’s continued collaboration with Diddy after the incidents she alleges.
“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. 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,” the statement concluded.
King Combs Doubles Down On Denying Dawn Richard’s Allegations Against Diddy
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TMZ reports King Combs appeared to come to his dad’s defense by calling cap on the new lawsuit with reported receipts. On Thursday, he clapped back with a post of screenshots of text messages Richard allegedly sent about wanting to work with Diddy.
The Bad Boy nepo baby took to Instagram Stories with a repost of a TikTok with supposed screenshots of text exchanges between Richard and Diddy. The messages paint the picture of a good professional relationship that Richard seemingly wanted to continue.
Before Richard appeared on Diddy’s latest album, the TikTok noted that she spoke about their good working relationship in 2017. In an interview with Hot 97’s Nessa Nitty, Richard denied any “bad blood” between them. She also discussed a Danity Kane reunion.
With Richard naming names, she faces the same questions as alleged witnesses like Usher, Ne-Yo, and Jimmy Iovine about their relationships with Diddy.
