Judge dismisses ex-Danity Kane member’s lawsuit against Sean Combs

A federal judge dismissed singer Dawn Richard’s lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs, saying in a ruling Friday that her claims of assault, groping and imprisonment were filed after the statute of limitations had run out. “Mr. Combs’s conduct for which Plaintiff sues — while indisputably odious — ceased in 2011 or 2012,”wrote Judge Katherine Polk Failla with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. “Plaintiff does not allege that Mr. Combs committed any tortious conduct against her again in the 12 or 13 years before she filed suit.” The ruling said most of the counts “would appear to be time-barred.” A majority of the suit was tossed out with prejudice. One count, which alleged Combs violated the New York Gender-Motivated Violence Act, was dismissed without prejudice, opening the door for it to be refiled. Her legal team said in a statement that it plans “to continue to fight for Dawn until justice is achieved.” “We certainly agree with the Judge that the allegations in this case are execrable,” attorney Arick Fudali said. “We are encouraged and look forward to pursuing our primary claim filed under the gender motivated violence act in State Court in NYC, per the judge’s decision.” The Gender-Motivated Violence Act was created in New York City to empower survivors to sue perpetrators and institutions responsible for abuse including sexual violence, domestic violence and workplace sexual violence, among other things. In 2022, the New York City Council opened a two-year lookback window that allowed people to file lawsuits even if the statute of limitations had run out. Richard was a former member of Danity Kane, the girl group Combs assembled on the MTV competition show “Making the Band.” She was also a part of another group he founded called Diddy — Dirty Money. In her September 2024 lawsuit, Richard alleged that Combs created a hostile work environment and would berate his employees, attend meetings in his underwear, make unwanted advances and withhold earnings. In one incident, according to the suit, Combs barged into her changing room unannounced while Richard was with her stylist and allegedly groped her without her consent. The suit described another time in 2010 when Richard alleged that she and a Diddy — Dirty Money bandmate were locked in one of Combs’ vehicles for more than two hours. Richard said the car did not have interior door handles, and she had to call her father for help. Richard also said in her lawsuit that she witnessed Combs beat his then-girlfriend, Casandra Ventura, on numerous occasions. Ventura, also known by her stage name Cassie, filed an explosive lawsuit in November 2023, accusing Combs of rape and repeated physical abuse over the course of their yearslong relationship. The suit was settled a day after it was filed. Richard said that after one alleged Ventura assault, Combs told her, “If you say anything, there will be consequences,” and that people “end up missing.” Richard said in her suit that she tried multiple times to intervene and help Ventura, but whenever Combs would find out, he would allegedly become enraged and threaten her life. Combs’ publicist, Juda Engelmayer, said Monday that he was “pleased” that Richard’s lawsuit was dismissed and accused the singer of manufacturing “a series of false claims all in the hopes of trying to get a payday.” “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’ in 2023,” he said, “Nor would she have waited a decade to conveniently make lawsuit allegations.” Combs is serving 50 months at the low-security Federal Correctional Institution Fort Dix in New Jersey after he was convicted last year on federal charges that he transported a girlfriend and another woman across state lines for prostitution. He was cleared of more serious charges of racketeering conspiracy and two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion.