Vocalist Dawn Richard, currently involved in a lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs over sexual abuse allegations, provided testimony regarding the alleged mistreatment that Casandra “Cassie” Ventura experienced at the hands of the rapper during his ongoing sex-trafficking case.
“Mr. Combs was displeased whenever we communicated with Cassie, and we often faced repercussions for it,” stated Richard, a former member of Danity Kane who was part of Combs’ Bad Boy Records from 2004 to 2012, during her testimony on Monday in a Manhattan federal courtroom.
Addressing the nature of Combs’ conversations with Ventura concerning her career progress, Richard informed the jury that Combs would dictate the terms, saying, “It would happen on his schedule. He owned her. Essentially, it was, ‘You’ll proceed when I decide you should.’ She was forced to wait her turn.”
Richard also recalled different occasions in which she allegedly saw Combs get “violent or volatile” toward Ventura.
“He would drag her and kick her and punch her in the mouth,” she told the jury Monday, alleging that the singer would be attacked when she “would speak up for herself.”
In another incident, Richard claimed Combs “punched Cassie” and “she came into the bathroom crying.”
“You could see her upset. Like, she was hurt,” she alleged.
Though Richard and several other Bad Boy Records employees, including Harve Pierre, allegedly witnessed the abuse, none of them intervened at the time.
“When we drove back to LA, he slapped Cassie in the mouth and told her to ‘Shut the f–k up,’” Richard testified. “We stayed silent the rest of the ride.”
Richard — who met Combs when she was a contestant on MTV’s “Making The Band” and subsequently joined the popular girl group Danity Kane — first took the stand in Combs’ sex-trafficking trial last Friday, testifying that she saw her former boss get violent with Ventura on various occasions.
She told jurors she witnessed the music mogul attack Ventura in 2009, apparently in a rage over his breakfast.
“He came downstairs angry and was saying ‘where the f–k was his eggs,’” Richard recalled.
At the time, Danity Kane was recording in the studio of Combs’ Los Angeles mansion, when Richard allegedly witnessed him try to hit Ventura over the head with a skillet.
She claimed Ventura partially deflected the blow from the pan, but Combs continued his vicious beating. “He started to punch and kick her … body and her head,” Richard testified.
Last week, Ventura testified about her abusive history with the rapper, sharing details about their raunchy “Freak-Offs,” the medical issues she suffered as a result of the romps with escorts and more.
The “Me & U” singer — who is eight months pregnant — also had to endure a ruthless cross-examination about sexual texts she sent Combs and her rape claim was even brought into question.
Richard, for her part, first made her sexual abuse claims about the Bad Boy Records founder known in the aforementioned lawsuit she filed in September 2024.
The singer claimed in her complaint that her former boss sexually assaulted her numerous times between 2009 and 2011.
Richard had quit Danity Kane at that point and was part of a trio with Combs called Diddy-Dirty Money.
She alleged in the suit, obtained by Page Six, that he touched her near her breasts and butt while she was undressed in a changing room and allegedly said, “Although she was ‘too skinny,’ she had an ‘ass.’”
Richard also claimed she saw Combs “and several other males gang-banging” his former female assistant at a hotel pool in Glasgow, Scotland.
Combs’ attorney Erica Wolff told Page Six in response to the suit at the time, “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.”
Kalenna Harper, who was also part of the Diddy-Dirty Money trio, shut down her former band member’s allegations.
When Combs, 55, was arrested for his federal sex trafficking in September, Richard’s lawyer Lisa Bloom told Page Six in response, “Given Sean Combs’ brutal beating of his girlfriend caught on video and the eight people who have now accused him of abuse in court filings, including my brave client Dawn Richard, this arrest seems long overdue.”
She added, “It’s a big, moving day for victims, but an arrest is only the beginning. May justice be delivered to Mr. Combs. We implore other accusers to come forward in solidarity and join us in this fight.”
Combs has been charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution, but has pleaded not guilty. His trial is set to last two months and if convicted, he could face life in prison.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-330-0226.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or text START to 88788.
