Judge tosses out Dawn Richard's lawsuit against Sean 'Diddy' Combs
[June 16, 2026]
By MICHAEL R. SISAK and LARRY NEUMEISTER
NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge has tossed out singer Dawn Richard's
lawsuit against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, saying most of her claims of
emotional and physical abuse, including groping, were not filed in the
required year after the described events.
Judge Katherine Polk Failla in a ruling dated Friday and released
publicly on Monday said Richard can refile her claims in state court on
one allegation against the hip-hop impresario but cannot refile claims
that have missed the deadline by which a lawsuit must be filed under New
York law by over a decade.
The judge flexed her vocabulary in writing that the court ruling “exists
independently of its disapprobation of the factual allegations, which,
if true, are execrable.” In lay terms, that means the court's ruling is
not based on whether the judge approves or disapproves of what Comb's is
accused of.
Arick Fudali, a lawyer for Richard, said the singer will refile her
primary claim in state court under the gender-motivated violence act.
“We certainly agree with the Judge that the allegations in this case are
execrable,” Fudali said in a statement sent by email, repeating
“execrable,” which means extremely bad. “We intend to continue to fight
for Dawn until justice is achieved.”
Lawyers for Combs did not immediately return requests for comment. When
the lawsuit was filed in September 2024, his representatives said Combs
was “shocked and disappointed” by the lawsuit and questioned why Richard
would work with him so long if he were so bad.
Richard, a singer in the Bad Boy Records groups Danity Kane and Diddy —
Dirty Money from 2004 to 2012, testified at last year’s New York trial
where Combs was convicted on prostitution-related charges but was
acquitted of more serious sex trafficking charges.
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Dawn Richard arrives at the 66th annual Grammy Awards, Feb. 4, 2024,
in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
 She told the jury in Manhattan
federal court that she saw Combs beat his girlfriend in 2009 and
that Combs later threatened her to remain silent about what she
witnessed.
In her lawsuit, Richard alleged that during her eight-year
association with Combs, she suffered abuse, manipulation and
violence and was subjected to Combs routinely using disparaging
language to describe women.
According to the lawsuit, Combs regularly deprived Richard and her
bandmates of food and sleep and made her feel embarrassed and
powerless when he angrily responded to her request that he clothe
himself when he held meetings in his underwear.
The lawsuit also alleged that Richard was regularly subjected to
drug-fueled parties where Combs and his friends would perform sexual
acts on incapacitated young women.
She claimed Combs regularly exploded in rage, hurling cellular
phones, laptops, food and studio equipment. At other times, the
lawsuit said, Richard witnessed him choking and strangling his
protege and longtime girlfriend, Casandra “Cassie” Ventura.
Ventura testified for several days at the trial that resulted in a
four-year, two-month prison sentence for Combs.
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