Diddy faces new allegations of sexual abuse in lawsuit filed by former bandmate

NEW YORK (WABC) — A former bandmate of Sean “Diddy” Combs is accusing him of terrorizing and sexually abusing her in a new lawsuit, and alleging that she witnessed him beating his ex-girlfriend Cassie.

Dawn Richard, a member of Diddy's groups Danity Kane and Dirty Money, said in her lawsuit that she witnessed Combs “brutally beat” his girlfriend on several occasions.

“His repeated abuse included choking and strangling Ms. Ventura, hitting her with his hands and objects, slapping her in the face and punching her, and throwing objects at her, including a scalding hot pan,” the lawsuit states.

“On many occasions, Ms. Richard attempted to intervene by offering Ms. Ventura support and encouraging her to leave Mr. Combs. Each time, Mr. Combs learned of her efforts to help Ms. Ventura and became angry. He threatened Ms. Richard's death with statements such as 'You want to die today,' 'I'm making n*****s disappear,' and 'I'm going to kill people.'”

Richard accused Diddy of exploiting her, withholding her income, stealing her copyrighted works and subjecting her to “inhumane working conditions for years, which included groping, assault and false imprisonment, among other violations.”

The lawsuit mentions the pair's work together on MTV's Making the Band 3 and 4 and alleges that “Mr. Combs deprived Ms. Richard and her Danity Kane bandmates of basic needs such as adequate food and sleep. When Ms. Richard or her Danity Kane bandmates requested meals or rest, Mr. Combs refused and made derogatory comments to them such as 'You bitches don't want this' or 'You're not hungry enough' and 'I pay you bitches for your work.'”