The legal action was filed by Dawn Richard, a former member of the Bad Boy Records group Danity Kane, accusing Combs of 21 counts of sexual assault, battery, sex trafficking, gender discrimination, and copyright infringement. Richard first met Combs as a participant on the third season of Making the Band, an early 2000s reality show where artists worked under Combs' mentorship. According to the lawsuit, Richard claims she witnessed Combs bringing young women, including what appeared to be underage girls, to parties at his homes in New York and Miami. Some of these girls, the suit alleges, "appeared lethargic or passed out" when Combs and his guests "performed sexual acts on them." The lawsuit further claims that during these "drug-fueled" gatherings, attendees were required to surrender their phones, security personnel locked the doors, and Combs hired police officers to attend the events, “sending a clear message that his influence extended to law enforcement.” This latest lawsuit comes one day after Combs was ordered to pay $100 million in a separate sexual assault case. That lawsuit, filed by a Michigan inmate, alleged that Combs drugged and sexually assaulted him at a party nearly 30 years ago. Richard also alleges that she became a victim of Combs' abuse, describing incidents where he forced her to rehearse for 48 hours without sleep. She claims that the extended rehearsals caused her to lose weight, suffer from dehydration and fatigue, and develop rashes. The lawsuit also includes accusations that Combs physically abused his former partners, Kim Porter and Cassie Ventura, on multiple occasions. “Realizing that Mr. Combs was capable of committing acts of violence against women caused Ms. Richard to feel deep apprehension and fear that Mr. Combs could one day physically harm her," the lawsuit states. Richard described several instances where Combs, “high on drugs,” allegedly slammed Ventura against a wall, choked her, and dragged her up the stairs at his Los Angeles home. The following day, Richard claims she and singer Kalenna Harper were locked in a room while Combs threatened them, warning them not to speak about the incident. Richard said she "wanted to intervene and help Ms. Ventura, but Ms. Harper adamantly refused to interfere in Mr. Combs' relationship and physically led Ms. Richard out of the residence," according to the lawsuit.Music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs has been named in an eighth lawsuit alleging sexual misconduct and abuse.
