The video dives into the complex legal case involving rapper and music mogul Sean Diddy Combs, who faces both criminal and civil accusations. Charges against him include sex trafficking, racketeering, abuse, and coercion, with both criminal and civil components. Lawyer Lisa Bloom, who previously represented victims of Jeffrey Epstein, is involved in the case, now representing Dawn Richard, a plaintiff alleging misconduct by Combs during her music career and association with him.
Dawn Richard accuses Sean Combs of fostering a hostile work environment, involving offensive gendered comments, physical abuse, and control over her personal freedoms like eating and sleeping. The accusations extend to allegations of severe violence and intimidation against herself and others, including Cassie Ventura, Sean Combs' ex-girlfriend. The discussion elaborates on the notorious 'freak off parties' allegedly involving non-consensual sexual activities, drugging, and coercion, comparing the case to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
Main takeaways from the video:
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Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:
1. racketeering [ˌrӕkɪˈtɪərɪŋ] - (noun) - Engaging in a pattern of illegal activity within a business, often involving organized crime. - Synonyms: (extortion, blackmail, fraud)
But he's accused of sex trafficking, racketeering, abuse and coercion.
2. coercion [koʊˈɜːrʒən] - (noun) - The practice of persuading someone to do something by using force or threats. - Synonyms: (compulsion, duress, intimidation)
But he's accused of sex trafficking, racketeering, abuse and coercion.
3. prominence [ˈprɒmənəns] - (noun) - The state of being important or famous. - Synonyms: (fame, importance, distinction)
She's a lawyer who came to prominence acting for some of Jeffrey Epstein's victims.
4. allegations [ˌæləˈɡeɪʃənz] - (noun) - Claims or assertions that someone has done something illegal or wrong, typically without proof. - Synonyms: (accusations, charges, claims)
allegations against Cassie Ventura and when it comes to your client.
5. tumultuous [tuːˈmʌltʃuəs] - (adjective) - Marked by disorder, disturbance, or unrest. - Synonyms: (chaotic, turbulent, stormy)
So just a really violent, tumultuous atmosphere.
6. intimidation [ɪnˌtɪmɪˈdeɪʃən] - (noun) - The action of frightening someone into doing what one wants. - Synonyms: (bullying, threat, coercion)
Sean Combs, he's been accused this week of intimidation of witnesses from prison.
7. temerity [təˈmerɪti] - (noun) - Excessive confidence or boldness; audacity. - Synonyms: (audacity, nerve, boldness)
She had the temerity to want to have her own agency and decide that she wanted to leave.
8. complicit [kəmˈplɪsɪt] - (adjective) - Involved with others in illegal activity or wrongdoing. - Synonyms: (involved, implicated, culpable)
But those who conspire with them, who help them, who are complicit.
9. harassment [həˈræs.mənt] - (noun) - Aggressive pressure or intimidation. - Synonyms: (persecution, intimidation, bullying)
And other men who are accused of workplace misconduct to stop it, to knock it off.
10. frightening [ˈfraɪtnɪŋ] - (adjective) - Making someone afraid or anxious; terrifying. - Synonyms: (scary, terrifying, alarming)
intimidation of witnesses from prison.
The Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs allegations and the claims of his alleged victims
Rapper and music mogul Sean Diddy Combs expected in court tomorrow, fighting to be released on bail. We're going to look first at the case against him. His lawyer has said he's an innocent man with nothing to hide. But he's accused of sex trafficking, racketeering, abuse and coercion. It's a huge and very complex case with both a criminal and a civil action. A little earlier I spoke to Lisa Bloom. She's a lawyer who came to prominence acting for some of Jeffrey Epstein's victims. She's now representing a woman called Dawn Richard in the civil case against Sean Coombs.
I'm very proud to represent Dawn Richard. She was on the TV show with Sean Combs making the band back in 2004. Then she was in two bands that he produced, Danity Kane and Diddy Dirty Money. And we filed her lawsuit a few months ago alleging that Sean Combs used a lot of offensive gendered comments in the workplace calling women fat, ugly, the B word and other terms that he groped and grabbed her body parts, sexual, sexually assaulted her. That he not only failed to pay her money that was promised to her, but actually prevented her from eating and sleeping during those years, just treated her terribly.
She also, unfortunately, she alleges witnessed some severe acts of violence against Cassie Ventura and other women. And when she spoke out, she says she was threatened with more physical violence. She said Sean Combs had a vicious temper and she was absolutely terrified of him. And I'm just going to explain to our audience as if they can't remember who Cassie Ventura is because some people might remember this very distressing video which shows Ms. Ventura, she's Sean Combs ex girlfriend, she's a model. It shows her being assaulted in an LA Los Angeles hotel corridor in 2016. Now, when that video emerged, he apologized and said his behavior on the video was inexcusable. But just explained explain why she is relevant to your case.
My client knew Cassie Ventura, she says witnessed a lot of acts of violence. Like Cassie was making some eggs in a kitchen, they weren't to Sean Combs liking. He threw the pan across the room and, you know, physically assaulted her on numerous occasions. And Dawn Richard, my client says that when she spoke out about it, tried to get Cassie to speak out, when she complained about it, she was also threatened with physical violence. So just a really violent, tumultuous atmosphere.
And I just want to quote to you Mr. Combs response. I know he apologized for the behavior as filmed on that CCTV that we've Just seen he his wider innocent. He still professes his wider innocence when it came comes to Cassie Ventura and when it comes to your client. His lawyer said Mr. Combs is shocked and disappointed by this lawsuit. It's an attempt to rewrite history. Dawn Rashad has now manufactured a series of false claims, all in the hopes of trying to get a payday conveniently timed to coincide with her album release and press tour. If Ms. Richard had such a negative experience with Mr. Coombs, as she said, Mr. Combs, she said over the period she would not have chosen to continue directly working with him nor returned for an album reboot in 2020.
That's his perspective. Just explain from your perspective, she did continue to work with. She worked with him from 2004 to 2020. In the indictment, you've described an atmosphere of fear. What did you mean by that? So a woman does not have to choose between her dignity and her job. A woman doesn't have to go from job to job fleeing from billionaire bullies like Sean Combs, fleeing from sexual harassers or people who engage in violence. It is 100% on Sean Combs and other men who are accused of workplace misconduct to stop it, to knock it off. She didn't have to give up her career in order to have her dignity.
So in terms of the atmosphere of fear, dozens and dozens of people have now come forward, said the same thing that Don Richard has said that it was. He had a terrible temper. He was very violent. We all saw it on that video. And that video, by the way, was Cassie Ventura trying to leave a party. What have been called the freak off parties. She had the temerity to want to have her own agency and decide that she wanted to leave. And we see him assaulting her, kicking her when she's down and dragging her back into the party because he didn't want her to leave.
What were the freak off parties? Well, these were parties where now many people have alleged that sexual behavior was going on at non consensual sexual behavior. Some people were drugged. I have another client who's about to come forward with some of these allegations. But many other people already have come forward with the allegations that people were drugged, that they were forced into sexual activity in order to have business deals with Sean Combs. Sometimes they were underage people. It's been alleged having sexual activity at these parties. So a variety of illegal acts. And he does of course say that these parties were consensual.
You have represented victims over many decades in high profile cases. Jeffrey Epstein's case, for example, can you just lay out the scale when it comes to the allegations against Sean Combs? How do you. Can you put this in context in terms of the scale of it in comparison with other things that you've worked on? Yes, and Jeffrey Epstein is a very good parallel to this case. I was very proud to represent 11 of his victims and get justice for them. If you are going to abuse one person or two person, you don't two people, you don't need a criminal operation. But if you want to abuse hundreds or thousands of people, you need other co conspirators to help you with that number of victims. That's what clearly Jeffrey Epstein had. And Elaine Maxwell was criminally convicted for being a co conspirator and she's now serving time in prison for it. And in the case of Sean Combs, these parties were massive events.
He had an operation that people were brought in by others, so he didn't do everything himself. And we think it's very important that not only do predators get brought to justice, but those who conspire with them, who help them, who are complicit. And that's why in our lawsuit we have named a number of other individuals and companies. And the federal criminal case that was filed a week after our case very closely mirrors our case and also talks about co conspirators. And my strong belief is that the FBI is probably currently looking at other co conspirators to name as well as Sean Combs because he didn't do this by himself.
And you mentioned that criminal case. Has your client been approached by anyone from the criminal trial? Is it feasible that your civil case and your client's story could be wrapped into the criminal trial? Yes. Not only was Dawn Richard approached, but she has cooperated with the federal authorities because this isn't just about money for her. She's entitled to damages for what Sean Combs put her through. But this is about justice. And so she has voluntarily cooperated. And I'm very proud of her answering all the questions that the FBI has put to her.
And Sean Combs, he's been accused this week of intimidation of witnesses from prison. Have you seen any evidence of that in terms of the case you're involved in? Yes. And what we know is one of the reasons why he was denied bail was because of an incident in our case. So after we filed our lawsuit, only one person came out publicly and essentially called my client a liar. And that's a woman that she had worked with over the years. Well, at Sean Combs's bail hearing a couple weeks later, the government said that because they had tracked his phone, that Sean Combs had had over 100 contacts with this woman, this witness, in the days after the filing of our complaint leading up to when she spoke out against my client. And so the strong implication there is that he talked her into making those statements, perhaps gave her money. We don't know. But that would be witness tampering. That's what the government argued. The judge agreed, and he was denied bail as a result, which he should have been.
Well, Sean Combs is expected in court tomorrow. We believe he's asking to be released on bail. We will see. But Lisa Bloom, thank you so much for coming on newsnight. Thank you. Thank you.
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