A crucial witness in Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ ongoing trial declared that Usher was present at a celebrity-filled dinner where the disgraced rap mogul assaulted Cassie Ventura in a restaurant.
The alleged incident took place in 2010 at a dinner attended by the singer, Diddy, Cassie, as well as rapper Ne-Yo and Interscope Records co-founder Jimmy Iovine.
Testifying in court, Dawn Richards, a former member of the girl group Danity Kane, which was signed to Diddy’s Bad Boy Records label, revealed that Usher was present at the dinner during which a disturbing attack on Cassie occurred amidst an argument.
According to Richards, Diddy ‘punched Cassie in the stomach’ at the restaurant after the couple moved to a separate room.
She said she saw Cassie ‘immediately bend over’ after sustaining the blow, and said ‘no one intervened’ but did not clarify if the other celebrities in attendance saw the punch directly.
Richards said Diddy then told Cassie ‘to leave’ the restaurant, but on their way out she alleged that he grabbed her ‘by the neck and popped her, slapped her in the mouth.’
Richards worked with Diddy for years in the early 200s, and she alleged in her testimony on Monday that she regularly saw Diddy beat Cassie.
‘He would punch her, choke her, drag her, slap her in the mouth,’ she said.
Singing icon Usher (pictured May 6, 2025 on his ongoing tour) attended a dinner in 2010 where Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs assaulted his girlfriend Cassie Ventura, a court heard Monday
The alleged assault was detailed in testimony from Dawn Richards, a former member of girl group Danity Kane that was signed to Diddy’s Bad Boy Records label (seen performing with Diddy in 2010)
Richards said that after the alleged punch in the restaurant in 2010, she told Cassie that Diddy should leave, but ‘Cassie looked torn.’
‘I could see the fear,’ she added.
When asked why she didn’t intervene in the relationship or go to authorities, Richards said she ‘made a decision that it would be best for the safety of myself to not interfere.’
She added that she didn’t believe Cassie would have listened to her as she wasn’t ‘really ready to do anything.’
The singer previously took the stand on Friday, where she alleged that she also witnessed Diddy assault Cassie with a skillet of eggs in 2009.
She alleged that Diddy turned on his partner after the attack and threatened to make her disappear if she crossed him.
‘He said you could go missing, that we could die,’ she testified.
According to Richards, Diddy ‘punched Cassie in the stomach’ at the restaurant after the couple moved to a separate room in a restaurant in 2010
Richards (seen testifying Monday) worked with Diddy for years in the early 2000s, and she alleged in her testimony that she regularly saw Diddy beat Cassie. ‘He would punch her, choke her, drag her, slap her in the mouth,’ she said
Richards said Interscope Records co-founder Jimmy Iovine, pictured with Diddy at a basketball game in 2023, was also present at the dinner
Rapper Ne-Yo, seen with Diddy in 2013, was also in attendance, but Richards said the alleged assault of Cassie was in a separate room of the restaurant and she did not clarify if the other celebrities at the dinner witnessed it directly
‘I was shocked but also scared, I couldn’t believe this would be the beginning of a journey for us.’
Richards notably has filed her own civil lawsuit against Diddy last year, alleging that he was also abusive toward her and threatened to ruin her music career if she stepped out of line.
Combs has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.
Richards’ testimony came after Cassie took the stand for four grueling days of testimony where she detailed her alleged abuse at the hands of the rap mogul.
Following her testimony, prosecutors entered a trove of images into evidence that allegedly show Diddy was preparing for one final ‘freak off’ in a New York City hotel room before his arrest in September 2023.
The rapper had already agreed with his attorneys to surrender to authorities, but in his hotel room Diddy was assembling bottles of baby oil and mood lighting when teams were descending on the hotel to take him into custody.
Bombshell images shown in Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ trial allegedly reveal the disgraced rap mogul was preparing for a hotel ‘freak off’ despite knowing he was about to be arrested
Prosecutors showed images of amphetamines and other drugs found in Diddy’s room at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Midtown Manhattan when he was arrested in September 2024
Other images show a mysterious pink powder in small bags alongside pills and pill bottles
Law enforcement found a prescription for Klonopin found, written for the name ‘Frank Black’ which could be a pseudonym for Combs
The shocking images were to jurors as Diddy’s ex-girlfriend Cassie testified at his federal racketeering trial on Monday
Other images show a mysterious pink powder in small bags, pills in pill bottles, a blue light heater and stacks of cash. Prosecutors claimed some drugs found in the room were found to be ketamine and MDMA.
Cassie testified from the stand that Diddy was meticulous about how he would want a ‘freak off’ room to be set up.
This included wanting strongly scented candles to be lit at all times, which Cassie said were ‘super pungent and were mixed with oil and all of the other scents.’
She also claimed that Combs wanted her to heat up the baby oil before they would use it in the ‘freak offs.’
