Dawn Richard testified that Sean “Diddy” Combs struck Cassie with a skillet during a 2009 incident over eggs at his Los Angeles home.
Dawn Richard told a federal courtroom Friday (May 16) that she witnessed Diddy strike Cassie Ventura in the head with a skillet during a 2009 altercation inside his Los Angeles home because his breakfast wasn’t ready.
The former Danity Kane singer and Dirty Money collaborator took the stand on Day 5 of Diddy’s ongoing federal trial, offering a brief but jarring account of alleged violence she said she saw firsthand while working under the Hip-Hop mogul from 2004 to 2011.
“He came downstairs screaming, belligerent, asking where his food was and proceeded to hit her over the head in front of us,” Richard testified, referring to Cassie, who she said was cooking eggs at the time.
Richard described the scene, which she said unfolded during a recording session at Diddy’s mansion. When asked what happened the following day,
Richard said Diddy warned her: “That it would be better if we didn’t talk. Where he comes from, people go missing if they talk.”
Judge Arun Subramanian dismissed the jury shortly after Richard’s testimony began. She is expected to return to the stand Monday (May 19) to continue her account.
Diddy has pleaded not guilty to a slate of federal charges, including sex trafficking, racketeering and transporting individuals for prostitution. The Department of Justice alleges Diddy used his music empire as a front for a criminal enterprise that exploited women and employees.
Richard’s testimony adds to a growing list of accusations against Diddy. She also has a $3 million civil lawsuit pending against him, alleging years of sexual and physical abuse.
In that suit, Richard claims he groped her, slapped her, and held meetings in his underwear. She also alleges she was once locked in a car for hours by his bodyguard after a heated studio confrontation ahead of a “Saturday Night Live” appearance in 2010.
According to the complaint, Richard contacted her father during the incident, prompting him to drive from Baltimore to New York. She said Diddy warned her father to “consider your daughter’s career.”
Richard’s testimony resumes Monday (May 19) in the Southern District of New York.
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