Usher in 2025 (left); and Sean “Diddy” Combs in court. Credit :
Kevin Mazur/MG25/Getty; Elizabeth Williams via AP
- Dawn Richard is the fourth person to testify in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ trial
- Richard filed a lawsuit in 2024 alleging the music mogul sexually and verbally abused her
- Richard alleges she witnessed Combs assault his then-girlfriend Casandra “Cassie” Ventura with a skillet full of eggs and, on another occasion, punch her in the stomach
Dawn Richard, the Danity Kane member who has accused Sean “Diddy” Combs of sexual abuse, says she witnessed him allegedly beat and punch his ex-girlfriend Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, while other celebrities, including Usher, were present.
Richard appeared in court Friday, May 16. She took the seat again on Monday, alleging Combs assaulted Ventura at a restaurant in 2010.
The alleged incident took place in a room at the restaurant where Combs and Ventura were arguing quietly, when he punched her in the stomach.
“She immediately bent over, he [Combs] told her to leave,” Richard testified. “No one intervened.”
Among those allegedly present at the dinner were Usher, musician Ne-Yo, Jimmy Iovine and “other celebrities” that Richard could not recall on the witness stand.
PEOPLE has reached out to Usher’s team for comments.
After they left the restaurant, Richard was in the car with the couple when Ventura said she was “embarrassed” and told Combs he shouldn’t have acted in that manner in public.
“He grabbed her by the neck and popped her, slapped her in the mouth,” Richard testified, adding that Combs then said to Ventura: “Shut the f**k up.”
“He would tell her he owned her,” Richard added. “I told her he should leave. Cass looked torn. She would listen, but I could see the fear.”
Richard previously said she witnessed Combs allegedly assault Ventura with a skillet full of eggs in 2009. After she witnessed the incident, Richard testified, Combs threatened her.
“He said you could go missing, that we could die,” she told the jury. “I was shocked but also scared, I couldn’t believe this would be the beginning of a journey for us.”
Dawn Richard (left); and Sean “Diddy” Combs in court. Aaron J. Thornton/WireImage; Elizabeth Williams via AP
The trial entered its second week on Monday, following nearly a week of testimony from Ventura.
Combs is on trial for racketeering, sex trafficking by force and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
