Usher, Ne-Yo Were Present When Diddy Punched Cassie At Party, Dawn Richard Testifies

While on the witness stand Monday (May 19) in Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking trial, Dawn Richard testified that the Bad Boy founder allegedly punched his artist and girlfriend at the time, Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura, while attending a star-studded dinner party in 2010.
The Diddy-Dirty Money singer claims the incident took place in a restaurant where Combs and Ventura were 'quietly' arguing when Combs allegedly punched her in the stomach, causing her to double over in pain.
'She immediately bent over, he [Combs] told her to leave,' Richard testified. 'No one intervened.' Usher, Ne-Yo, record exec Jimmy Iovine and 'other celebrities' were allegedly present in the restaurant, but Richard did not testify that they directly witnessed the alleged moment of abuse.
Richard added that she rode home with the couple and witnessed Cassie be assaulted again for saying Combs 'embarrassed' her.
'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 recalled the evening in question in her September 2024 lawsuit against the No Way Out artist.
'In front of dinner guests, Mr. Combs hissed at Ms. Ventura in a screaming whisper and forcefully punched her in the stomach causing her to double over in visible pain, crying,' the lawsuit reads. 'Ms Clark escorted Ms. Ventura out of the restaurant and Mr. Combs remained and continued socializing with dinner guests.'
Diddy's attorney Erica Wolff addressed Richard's lawsuit at the time, telling VIBE in a statement, '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.'
It continues, 'If Ms. Richard had such a negative experience with Making the Band and Danity Kane, she would not have chosen to continue working directly with Mr. Combs for Dirty Money, nor would she have returned for the Making the Band reboot in 2020 or agreed to be featured on The Love Album last year. It's unfortunate that Ms. Richard has cast their 20-year friendship aside to try and get money from him, but Mr. Combs is confidently standing on truth and looks forward to proving that in court.'
More from VIBE.com
Dawn Richard Claims Diddy Warned That "People Go Missing" For Going Against Him
Misa Hylton Reacts To Backlash For Appearing At Diddy Trial: "I'm A Mother First"
Cassie's Husband, Alex Fine, Calls Sean "Diddy" Combs A "Demon"

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Sean Combs ' jury got a lesson in Diddy Speak on Friday, courtesy of the sixth former personal assistant to testify against him in the rap mogul's Manhattan sex-trafficking and racketeering trial. "Zans," "Gucci bag active," and "SEAL Team Six" — ex-PA Brendan Paul was tasked with explaining all these Combsworld slang terms and more. Paul's testimony was tactically important. Prosecutors used his descriptions of drugs, sex, and grueling work schedules to bolster the narcotics-distribution, sex-trafficking, and forced-labor allegations of a racketeering charge that carries a potential life sentence. The testimony also offers a primer in deciphering Diddy. Here are some insider references the PA translated for jurors: 1. Gucci-bag active Paul, who worked as Combs' gofer from 2022 into 2024, once texted Kristina Khorram, chief of staff at the mogul's music and lifestyle empire, to let her know that their boss was up and at 'em. "PD active now," he texted. "Like, wild king mode active?" 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I feel like being a sugar-coater – you know, a people-pleaser from Charleston – I don't really speak up too much. I got to wear this different hat that day, and it reminded me that I should live more like this song.' One of the keys came in organizing the story. With verse one, the singer admits she's been hiding secrets. In the chorus, she announces the truth is coming out, and in verse two, she begins to show how burdensome it was to stay silent. In perhaps their most significant decision, the three women built a bridge, acknowledging the risk that came with revealing the past, but noting that exposing that information might benefit the next potential victim: 'The truth will set her free.' 'This isn't a takedown song,' McLamb says. 'It's an empowering song, and it's all about morality. It's not about a vindictive situation on [the singer's] part, and I think that was something that was important to get in there lyrically. We were clarifying why we were telling this truth.' To heighten the drama, they fashioned that bridge over an a cappella breakdown section with claps and bass drum. 'I wanted it to sound like the old prison songs,' Jones says. Her team got excited about it once she began sharing the demo, a mostly acoustic effort that includes a haunting 'woo hoo' counter-melody; that element helps 'No Tellin'' walk a difficult emotional line.'It's a heavy subject, but it turns out to be a celebration in the end,' says Jones' manager, producer Ric Wake (Mariah Carey, Taylor Dayne). Big Machine Label Group senior vp of A&R/staff producer Julian Raymond (Glen Campbell, Justin Moore) co-produced 'No Tellin'' with Jones and Wake, booking a session at Blackbird Studios before the year ended. Jones sat in on guitar and vocal with the studio band, and they built a track that used a series of scene changes to enhance the storyline's evolution. It started with a swampy feel, took on a driving beat in verse 2, then broke into a New Orleans funk after the breakdown in the bridge, finally relaxing into a ghostly finale. Keyboardist Tim Lauer wrote a string arrangement that included a heat-inducing, descending glissando. Lauer contrasted that with an ascending glissando on his Wurlitzer in the middle of the bridge. 'We kind of lifted that [string sound] a little bit off my loving history of Bobbie Gentry,' Raymond says. 'It's got a little bit of bluegrass vibe in there. It's a roarin' track, and it's just a lot of fun.' Jones sang all the vocal parts herself, including the lead and a load of harmonies, extra melodies and ad libs. She manages to sound like someone else – even like a gospel singer – on some of those extra parts.'She's a chameleon,' Raymond says. 'She can change her voice easily when she needs to.' 'No Tellin'' immediately became the frontrunner for Jones' first Nashville Harbor single, released to radio via PlayMPE on May 13. 'When [BMLG president/CEO] Scott Borchetta and the guys over at the label all heard it, they said, 'This is the one,' and we all agreed,' Wake notes. 'We had a couple other ones that were really close, though. I'm happy to say we definitely have some follow ups.' While Jones worked out some of her internal issues around holding back the truth with 'No Tellin',' she hopes it provides healing – or a warning – for others who hear it and take its message to heart. 'In the end, it's not about one person, whether it's the villain or the victim,' she says. 'It's about the fact that when you tell the truth, then it takes the power out of shame and isolation, and it helps other people who are going through the same thing. Or helps people, hopefully, not have to go through it at all.' 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