Photo: Getty Images
Dawn Richard and Aubrey O'Day will take the witness stand during Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex trafficking trial.
Right before court was adjourned on Thursday, May 15, Judge Arun Subramanian told the prosecution to prepare their next witness for the following day. The prosecution responded by informing the court that former Danity Kane members Dawn Richard and Aubrey O'Day will be their next witnesses in the trial. Richard is expected to go first after the defense wraps up its cross-examination of Cassandra "Cassie" Ventura. She is one of the numerous people who have filed a lawsuit against Combs within the past year.
In the lawsuit she filed in September 2024, Dawn Richard claimed Combs sexually assaulted her, starved her, and refused to pay her during her time with Danity Kane and his group Diddy-Dirty Money. She claimed the verbal abuse started when she was a contestant on his MTV series "Making The Band." She claimed she was deprived of food and sleep for up to 48 hours along with her bandmates. After she joined Danity Kane, Richard claimed Combs would barge into her dressing room, make her strip down to her underwear and smack her in the butt.
Richard also claimed she witnessed Combs assault Ventura on several occasions, which is something the prosecution will probably ask about. The singer and her Dirty Money partner, Kalenna Harper, tried to encourage Ventura to leave Combs. Both singers allegedly faced scrutiny from Combs with threatening messages like “you want to die today” and “I end people.”
Aubrey O'Day will most likely follow Richard's testimony. O'Day hasn't filed a lawsuit against Combs but has been one of his most lethal critics over the years. She will join veteran journalists Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes to cover the trial as it continues. Look out for the first episode debuting on iHeartRadio today.