Recent court filings have disclosed that Sean “Diddy”Combs allegedly reached out to Kalenna Harper 128 times and made over 50 phone calls within just four days after Dawn Richard filed a lawsuit against him for sexual and verbal abuse on September 10, 2024. Combs, Harper, and Richard were former members of the musical group Diddy-Dirty Money, renowned for their studio album, two mixtapes, and numerous singles.
Richard’s lawsuit was submitted just days before the Bad Boy Records founder was apprehended on charges of “racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, and transportation to engage in prostitution”on September 16.
During a New York court arraignment hearing, prosecutors opposed granting the rapper bail. They highlighted the 128 contacts Diddy allegedly initiated with Harper following Richard’s legal action.
The prosecution asserted that Diddy posed a flight risk, arguing that allowing him bail would enable him to reach out to his purported victims and witnesses to “propagate false narratives, influence witnesses,”and manipulate them.
As a result, Judge Robyn Tarnofsky denied the request for bail. Combs is currently detained at the Metropolitan Detention Centre, while his attorney, Marc Agnifilo, intends to appeal the ruling on Wednesday.
An Overview of Dawn Richard’s Lawsuit Against Diddy
On September 10, 2024, Dawn Richard filed a lawsuit in a New York federal court against her ex-bandmate Diddy. This lawsuit marks the eighth of its kind against the rapper, alleging that he subjected her to sexual and verbal abuse over a span of 10 years.
Richard was part of Combs’ girl group, Danity Kane, which she joined during the third season of MTV’s reality series Making the Band. In her lawsuit, she accused Diddy of displaying aggressive and hostile behavior toward her throughout the show’s production, often making “derogatory gender-based remarks”about her and the other members.
Furthermore, Richard claimed that Combs deprived the group of adequate food and rest, frequently compelling them to “record and rehearse for periods extending from 36 to 48 hours without breaks.”
“Forced to choose between eating and sleeping, Ms. Richard lost a significant amount of weight, weighing approximately 100 pounds at a height of 5’4”. Ms. Richard began to normalize these extreme conditions and perceive them as standard requirements of her participation in Danity Kane,”the court documents stated.
After Danity Kane disbanded, Richard collaborated with Combs and Kalenna Harper to establish Diddy-Dirty Money in 2009. According to court documents, Richard alleged that she and Harper witnessed Combs physically abusing and assaulting his then-partner, Cassie Ventura. Furthermore, Richard claimed that Combs coerced her and Harper to maintain silence about these incidents.
Kalenna Harper’s Response to Richard’s Lawsuit
Kalenna Harper, a fellow member of Diddy-Dirty Money, was referenced 33 times in Dawn Richard’s lawsuit. On September 13, 2024, Harper took to Instagram Stories to acknowledge the lawsuit while asserting that the narrative presented did not match her own experiences.
“I acknowledge the recent lawsuit filed by Dawn Richard in which my name has been mentioned 33 times. While I fully respect Dawn’s right to recount her experiences, I want to emphasize that her account reflects her personal perspective and should not be interpreted as a universal truth applicable to everyone involved,”Kalenna Harper expressed.
Harper stated that many allegations and incidents cited in the lawsuit did not accurately represent her experiences and did not align with her understanding of events. She expressed her desire to refrain from discussing other details of the lawsuit, as it is an ongoing legal matter, and expressed hope that justice would prevail in the legal system.
Meanwhile, Erica Wolff, an attorney for Combs, provided a statement to People Magazine. She conveyed that the rapper was “shocked and disappointed”by Richard’s lawsuit, asserting:
“Mr. Combs is shocked and disappointed by this lawsuit. In an attempt to rewrite history, Dawn Richard has now manufactured a series of false claims all in the hopes of trying to get a pay day — conveniently timed to coincide with her album release and press tour.”
Wolff suggested that Richard disregarded her 20-year friendship with Combs in pursuit of financial gain, emphasizing that the rapper looks forward to defending his side in a court of law.
Dawn Richard’s lawsuit marks the eighth abuse-related lawsuit filed against Diddy, following accusations made by Cassie Ventura in November 2023. Ventura alleged rape and a pattern of abuse spanning a decade, although their case was resolved out of court.
Sean Combs has consistently denied all allegations against him. However, in May 2024, a video surfaced depicting the rapper physically assaulting Ventura, reportedly recorded in 2016 at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles. Diddy’s arrest took place four months after the footage was released, and the rapper’s sex trafficking case remains ongoing as of the publication of this article.
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