On Monday, May 19, Dawn Richard, a prominent member of the musical group Danity Kane, took to the witness stand for the second time. She was testifying in the ongoing trial of her former employer and music mogul, Sean “Diddy” Combs. Richard, 41, fielded queries regarding Diddy’s past relationship with his ex-partner Cassie, who herself had previously testified for a duration of four days just last week.
The questions Richard faced, posed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mitzi Steiner, pertained specifically to the period between 2009 and 2011. During this time, Richard was actively involved in the musical trio Dirty Money, consisting of Diddy, herself, and another artist, Kalenna Harper. Within this period, Richard recounted the troubling behaviors she had allegedly observed between Diddy, who is now 55, and Cassie, who is currently 38.
Richard made several allegations of violence during her testimony. She said she has often seen Diddy exhibiting aggressive behaviors towards Cassie, including physical altercations that escalated to punches, chokes and slaps. She further stated that she ‘saw him kick her’ and once observed him ‘punch her in the stomach’.
Diddy came under law enforcement radar in September 2024, following which he was taken into custody. He was charged with several grave offenses, including sex trafficking, engaging in a racketeering conspiracy, and transportation for the purpose of prostitution. Despite the mounting charges, Diddy has vehemently proclaimed his innocence, pleading not guilty to every accusation.
In her giving her testimonial, Richard reported many distinct occurrences of violent acts allegedly carried out by Diddy. She vividly recounted an incident at a concert in Central Park where she claimed to have seen Diddy assault Cassie, hitting her face with a clenched fist. ‘Her eye started to swell right after’, Richard alleged, recalling how she and companions from Diddy’s group wore shades in a show of unity with Cassie.
One notable episode allegedly took place in 2010 when Diddy purportedly punched Cassie in the stomach at a popular restaurant in West Hollywood. It was an eventful night where other notable attendees included fellow celebrities and staff from Bad Boy, the record label owned by Diddy. As per Richard’s recollection, she had urged Cassie to consider ending her relationship with Diddy during that period. But Cassie, she said, seemed to veer between break up and reconciliation.
According to Richard, when Diddy discovered her private discussions with Cassie encouraging her to reconsider the relationship, he rebuked Richard. He sternly cautioned her to not meddle with his personal life. Richard, as she conveyed in court, subsequently stopped making attempts to interfere in the pair’s relationship, primarily because she sensed that Cassie was not genuinely prepared for a separation.
Throughout her testimony, Richard gave insight into the varying triggers for Diddy’s alleged violent outbursts towards Cassie. According to her claims, it could’ve stemmed from trivial arguments, resistance from Cassie or merely her expressing her thoughts and opinions. Despite the apparent unpredictability, the occurrences were regular, she alleged.
When cross-examined, Richard was questioned regarding discrepancies in her prior and current testimonies. To this, she responded by stating, ‘Every day it gets easier to remember certain things’. She strived to recall every detail accurately, she told the court. Richard also confirmed without hesitation that she witnessed Diddy dragging Cassie upstairs following an episode now colloquially referred to in court as ‘the egg incident’.
Addressing her past comment about a potential Dirty Money reunion, Richard claimed that she had raised the suggestion exclusively for her bandmate Harper’s sake. In her view, Harper seemed to be going through an emotionally challenging phase, and she thought a reunion could perhaps boost her spirits.
In a prior testimony that extended into late Friday, Richard claimed to have witnessed a particularly violent incident involving Diddy, Cassie, and a hot frying pan used for frying eggs. ‘He marched downstairs, visibly annoyed, challenging where his breakfast was’, she recounted. Richard then alleged that Diddy had attempted to hit Cassie with the pan, knocking her to the ground as a result.
Despite strong objections, Judge Subramanian tentatively approved Richard’s distressing account, her so-called ‘Friday testimony’. He is yet to listen to further arguments from both parties before delivering a final ruling on the matter.
Richard shot to fame as part of Diddy’s MTV reality show ‘Making the Band 3’, which aired from 2005 to 2006. She subsequently formed the all-girl band, Danity Kane, with fellow artists Aubrey O’Day, D. Woods, Shannon Bex, and Aundrea Fimbres.
Just days prior to Diddy’s arrest last year, Richard lodged a lawsuit against him. She accused the music mogul of not only manipulating and sexually exploiting her but also of physically abusing Cassie regularly. Furthermore, she claimed that Diddy forced her to rehearse continuously for 48 hours without any break. This grueling schedule, she said, led to severe dehydration, fatigue, and, eventually, visible rashes. Richard even alleged that Diddy had given her a career advancement promise tied with his unreasonable demands.
The post Danity Kane’s Dawn Richard Testifies Against Diddy in Court for Second Time appeared first on Real News Now.
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