Dawn Richard’s lawsuit alleging longterm abuse by Sean “Diddy” Combs was dismissed on June 15, Billboard reports and court records confirm. A New York judge ruled that the statute of limitations prevents Richard from pursuing her 18 claims against the mogul, most of which became time-barred more than a decade ago. Richard’s lawyers had argued that matters of duress, including death threats by Combs, prevented Richard from taking timely action, but they failed to convince the judge that the statute of limitations could be waived. One of the 18 claims—alleging gender-motivated violence—was dismissed without prejudice and may be refiled in state court.
Richard filed the lawsuit in 2024, alleging an eight-year campaign of emotional abuse and violence by Combs, starting with her time on his reality show Making the Band and through to her work with him in Danity Kane and Diddy – Dirty Money. She accused Diddy of “disparaging gender-based remarks,” food and sleep deprivation, the withholding of pay, and multiple instances of alleged assault and battery. She also disputed her compensation for “Deliver Me,” a song she wrote with Diddy, Busta Rhymes, and Kalenna in 2009 that was shelved until its 2023 release on Diddy’s The Love Album: Off the Grid.
To meet the standard of “duress tolling” that would waive the statute of limitations, Richard’s lawsuit would have had to allege continued unlawful abuse or pressure—not just threats of retaliation. Combs’ conduct, “while indisputably odious — ceased in 2011 or 2012,” Judge Katherine Polk Failla wrote. The fact Richard was able to negotiate with Combs over payment for “Deliver Me,” the dismissal notes, suggests the duress diminished over time.
Because Richard and Combs “are co-authors of ‘Deliver Me,’” the judge added, “she cannot allege copyright infringement against him.” Further alleged wrongdoing in the handling of “Deliver Me,” while potentially unlawful, would not qualify as copyright infringement in the form in which the claims were filed, the judge added.
Richard’s attorney Arick Fudali said in a statement to Pitchfork, “We certainly agree with the Judge that the allegations in this case are execrable,” adding that they would pursue the “primary claim filed under the gender motivated violence act in State Court in NYC, per the judge’s decision. We intend to continue to fight for Dawn until justice is achieved.”
Juda Engelmayer, representing Combs, added, “We are pleased with the results because her claims were purely fictional.”
Richard’s lawsuit was part of a wave of litigation that came in the wake of a sexual assault lawsuit filed by Combs’ former girlfriend Casandra Elizabeth “Cassie” Ventura in 2023. Though Cassie quickly settled the lawsuit, many more people came forward with allegations against Diddy, including in the federal trial—in which both Cassie and Richard testified—that resulted in his sentencing to more than four years in prison on prostitution charges last October. In that case, he was cleared of racketeering and sex trafficking, and is currently awaiting a decision on the overturning of his sentence in an appeals court.
Richard, who today put out a song with Durand Bernarr called “Baby, Can We?,” released her last full-length, the Spencer Zahn collaboration Quiet in a World Full of Noise, in 2024.
If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual assault or domestic abuse, we encourage you to reach out for support:
RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline
https://www.rainn.org
1 800 656 HOPE (4673)
Crisis Text Line
SMS: Text “HELLO” or “HOLA” to 741-741
The National Domestic Violence Hotline
https://thehotline.org
1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
