New lawsuit against Sean Combs alleges abuse and exploitation

During the filming of the show Making the Band, Richard felt threatened and intimidated by Combs when he displayed aggressive behaviour toward her and her bandmates, according to the complaint.

She accuses Combs of denying her and her bandmates basic needs like adequate food and sleep, and for demanding rehearsal schedules that went on for 36 – 48 hours straight without breaks.

The lawsuit describes an afterparty in November 2009 after the Soul Train Awards in Atlanta, where, it claims, there were illegal drugs and dozens of young women and girls – some who allegedly appeared underage – seeming lethargic or passed out.

These events had security personnel and law enforcement officers posted at the doors, according to the complaint, which made Richard feel trapped and as if she couldn’t leave without Combs being alerted.

The lawsuit also accuses Combs of not paying Richard for appearances that were required as part of a tour agreement.

According to the complaint, there were several instances of Combs making unwanted sexual advancements toward Richard.

Between 2009 and 2011, when rehearsing for Diddy – Dirty Money’s, Combs ordered Richard to strip down to her underwear and called her degrading names in front of others, according to the complaint.

In the complaint, Richard accuses Combs of groping her while she was changing in her dressing room.

When she refused his advancements, it alleges, he would remove her from songs, deny her parts of singing in songs, and turn off her microphone during performances in retaliation.

The lawsuit is among a string of sexual assault allegations that have been recently made against Combs, one of the most successful moguls in the history of rap music.

Richard credits Ventura’s bravery for coming forward.

“Dawn had the option of filing as a Jane Doe but bravely chose to file in her true name. We will not rest until we achieve full and complete justice for Dawn in this case,” Richard’s attorney said in a statement.

BBC has reached out to Combs’s lawyers for comment.