A federal judge dismissed singer Dawn Richard’s lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs, saying in a ruling Friday that her claims of assault, groping and imprisonment were filed after the statute of limitations had run out.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.“Mr.
Combs’s conduct for which Plaintiff sues — while indisputably odious — ceased in 2011 or 2012,”wrote Judge Katherine Polk Failla with the U.S.District Court for the Southern District of New York.
“Plaintiff does not allege that Mr.Combs committed any tortious conduct against her again in the 12 or 13 years before she filed suit.”The ruling said most of the counts “would appear to be time-barred.” A majority of the suit was tossed out with prejudice.
One count, which alleged Combs violated the New York Gender-Motivated Violence Act, was dismissed without prejudice, opening the door for it to be refiled.Her legal team said in a statement that it plans “to continue to fight for Dawn until justice is achieved.” “We certainly agree with the Judge that the allegations in this case are execrable,” attorney Arick Fudali said.
“We are encouraged and look forward to pursuing our primary claim filed under the gender motivated violence act in State Court in NYC, per the judge’s decision.” The Gender-Motivated Violence Act was created in New York City to empower survivors to sue perpetrators and institutions responsible for abuse including sexual violence, domestic violence and workplace sexual violence, among other things.In 2022, the New York City Council opened a two-year lookback window that allowed people to file lawsuits even if the statute of limitations had run out.Richard was a former member of Danity Kane, the girl group Combs assembled on the MTV competition show “Making the Band.” She was also a part of another group he founded called Diddy — Dirty Money.
In her September 2024 lawsuit, Richard alle...