Harve Pierre is calling for the dismissal of Dawn Richard's latest lawsuit against him and Diddy. Pierre, who was once the tip executive at Diddy's Bad Boy empire, has been hit with allegations involving an altercation that left Richard forcibly confined inside a car for several hours.
The purported incident took place at a Manhattan recording studio in December 2010. According to USA Today, Richard is also suing the two on 21 counts of sexual assault and battery, sex trafficking, gender discrimination, and copyright infringement. The suit, which spans 55 pages, was filed on Tuesday.
Diddy's lawyer claims that Dawn Richard's lawsuit is just a ploy for money
In detailing the incident from December 2010, Richard claims that Diddy's bodyguard forcibly escorted her out of the studio after a quarrel. He then locked her up inside a car for hours on end, before Pierre intervened and let her go. However, Richard contends Pierre only acted when her father showed up and demanded her release.
Per a report from Hot New Hip Hop, Harve Pierre, who is being represented by lawyer Scott E. Leemon, contends that the amendment to the Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Act (GMVL) is null and void in this case. Lemon noted:
"New York State has a one-year statute of limitations for claims like these. Even if the claims were timely, they lack the necessary evidence suggesting that Pierre was involved in any tortious act."
In referring to the claims that an agreement between Richard and Pierre was violated, Leemon continued, asserting that "there is no allegation of any contractual obligation between the parties," and that "the complaint fails to support a reasonable inference that Mr. Pierre enabled Combs’ conduct."
According to USA Today, Harve Pierre stole Richard's work, refused to pay her, and had her undergo "inhumane" working conditions. She was also allegedly subjected to assault, groping, and false imprisonment, all of which took place over a ten-year time span.
Leemon responded to the fraud allegations:
"The complaint’s vague and undifferentiated allegations of fraud against all defendants fail to meet the specificity standards required in such cases ... The complaint fails on several grounds, and we are optimistic that Mr. Pierre will be cleared."
Diddy's attorney, Erica Wolff, has maintained her client's innocence:
"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."
She went on:
"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.”
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The rest of the lawsuit, according to Hot New Hip Hop, sees Richard contend that Diddy, “manipulated her with mantras that submission to his depraved demands was necessary for career advancement, instilling in her the belief that such abuse and exploitation were required for female artists to succeed in the music industry.”
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