A federal judge in New York dismissed most of Dawn Richard’s lawsuit against Sean "Diddy" Combs on June 15, ruling that the statute of limitations bars 17 of her 18 claims while leaving a single gender-motivated violence count that may be refiled in state court.
Richard filed the lawsuit in 2024, accusing Combs of an eight-year campaign of emotional abuse and violence that she says began during her time on the reality series Making the Band and continued through her stints with Danity Kane and Diddy - Dirty Money. The complaint listed 18 claims, including allegations of disparaging gender-based remarks, food and sleep deprivation, withholding pay, and multiple instances of assault and battery, as well as a dispute over payment and rights for the song "Deliver Me," which Richard co-wrote in 2009 and which appeared on Combs’s 2023 album.
Judge Katherine Polk Failla wrote that Combs’s conduct, "while indisputably odious — ceased in 2011 or 2012," and found that most of Richard’s claims therefore became time-barred more than a decade ago. Failla also noted that Richard’s ability to negotiate with Combs over compensation for "Deliver Me" suggested any duress had diminished over time, and she rejected the copyright claim because Richard and Combs are co-authors of the song, meaning she cannot allege infringement against him.
Richard’s lawyers urged a different reading. They argued that duress — including death threats, they said — and coercive control prevented Richard from bringing timely claims, a contention the judge considered but ultimately found insufficient to overcome the statute of limitations. The ruling strips almost the entire federal case of its legal force, leaving only one claim dismissed without prejudice: a count under New York’s gender-motivated violence law that the court said could be refiled in state court.
Plaintiffs’ counsel signaled they will take that route. Arick Fudali, speaking for Richard’s team, said, "We certainly agree with the Judge that the allegations in this case are execrable," and added, "primary claim filed under the gender motivated violence act in State Court in NYC, per the judge’s decision." Fudali also told reporters, "We intend to continue to fight for Dawn until justice is achieved."
Defense counsel framed the ruling as vindication. Juda Engelmayer said, "We are pleased with the results because her claims were purely fictional." The judge’s opinion, by removing the timed-out claims, leaves Combs exposed only to litigation at the state level on a single statutory theory rather than the broad federal case Richard originally pursued.
The decision arrives after a string of related legal events: Richard and singer Cassie Ventura both testified in the federal trial involving Combs, and Combs was sentenced last October to more than four years in prison on prostitution charges while being cleared of racketeering and sex trafficking in that case. Combs is currently awaiting a decision in an appeals court about overturning that sentence. Cassie later settled her separate civil claim.
The practical effect of the June 15 ruling is unmistakable: 17 of 18 federal claims are gone, and Richard’s path forward narrows to one state-law theory. Her attorneys have said they will refile the gender-motivated violence claim in New York City state court. If they do, the case will shift from federal procedural gates into the state system’s calendar and standards—where different deadlines, remedies, and jury pools apply—leaving the ultimate question of liability unresolved but confined to that single statutory avenue.
For now, Failla’s judgment determines the immediate fate of the federal litigation: nearly all of Richard’s allegations cannot be pursued there because they are untimely, and only the gender-motivated violence claim remains an open path to relief in New York courts.
