Dawn Richard’s Lawyer Addresses Sean “Diddy” Combs Witness Tampering Claims

Lisa Bloom, the attorney representing Dawn Richard in her civil case against Sean “Diddy” Combs, speaks with TalkTV about her client’s case, the criminal charges he faces, and the allegations of witness tampering. In a clip of the interview shared by The Art of Dialogue on X, Bloom points out details where the civil suit and criminal case overlap.

“The federal criminal case came after ours, but it was strikingly similar,” she explained. “Many of the same allegations that women were victimized, that they were terrorized, that they weren’t even paid properly when they worked for him and made music with him.”

Lisa Bloom smiling
Bloom attends Los Angeles End Jew Hatred/ The Lawfare Project Fundraiser on May 08, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.

She continued to detail, “There’s the federal criminal case, that’s why he’s in prison right now. And I think he’s going to be in prison for the rest of his life. And then there’s a large number of civil cases that have been filed. Those are private lawsuits for money damages. There’s my case and there’s a number of other cases with similar allegations, some involving underage people as well as adults that are victimized by him.

In our case and in the federal criminal case, we’re not just against Sean Combs but against a large number of people who are accused of being his enablers. Because we know from history… people like Jeffrey Epstein, I represented 11 of his victims, these guys don’t just do this by themselves. They have to have a large number of people who are complicit in order to have an operation this big and to have this many accusers.”

Diddy, Dawn Richard and Kalenna Harpet
Singers Dawn Richard, Kalenna Harper, and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs of Diddy Dirty Money accept the Best Group award onstage during the BET Awards ’11 held at the Shrine Auditorium on June 26, 2011 in Los Angeles, California.

At the end of the clip, she explained how Richard’s lawsuit could be the reason that Combs has been denied bail in criminal court.

“That is very unusual and here’s why, and it has to do with my case because the prosecutors say he was tampering with witnesses before he was sent to jail,” detailed Bloom after being asked why the Bad Boy Records founder remains behind bars. “In my case, there’s a woman, only one, who came out publicly after we filed our complaint, and basically attacked my client and said she was a liar. Well, it turns out, the prosecutors say, that there were over 100 phone calls… phone messages between Sean Combs and this witness right after the filing of our complaint until a couple of days later when she came out with her statement calling my client a liar. And then those calls stopped.”

She continued to elaborate, “So the implication is very clear: that he was reaching out to her, I don’t know if he offered her something or if he scared her or what happened, but that he’s tampering with witnesses. And the judge essentially said he needs to be behind bars because we can’t have witnesses tampered with.”

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Last month, Richard came forward to take legal action against Combs, claiming she was verbally abused while participating in Making The Band, alleged sexual assault, received death threats, and detailed witnessing physical assaults on Cassie Ventura.

“Mr. Combs is shocked and disappointed by this lawsuit,” detailed his attorney Erica Wolff in a statement at the time. “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.”

The memo continued, “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.”

Diddy, Kalenna Harper and Dawn Richard
Sean Combs, Dawn Richard and Kalenna Harper of Diddy-Dirty Money visit BET’s “106 & Park” at BET Studios on December 13, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by

Aligning with the statement made by Bloom, the day Richard’s lawsuit became public news, Combs allegedly called or texted Kalenna Harper 58 times in four days, according to NBC News. Harper subsequently made a statement on social media denying claims made by Richard’s filing.

“This incident is just one way of making clear that this defendant has the ongoing ability to keep witnesses, even witnesses who might have been around for very distant-in-time abuse, in his pocket, and at his disposal,” explained one of the prosecutors, Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Johnson.

Diddy wearing all black
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs attends The 2023 Met Gala Celebrating “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line Of Beauty” at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 01, 2023 in New York City.

Combs was arrested in New York City amid the mounting civil lawsuits on criminal allegations of racketeering conspiracy; sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion; and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty to the aforementioned charges.

“As Mr. Combs’ legal team has emphasized, he cannot address every meritless allegation in what has become a reckless media circus,” Wolff shared in a statement earlier this month after more lawsuits were filed against her client.

“That said, Mr. Combs emphatically and categorically denies as false and defamatory any claim that he sexually abused anyone, including minors. He looks forward to proving his innocence and vindicating himself in court if and when claims are filed and served, where the truth will be established based on evidence, not speculation.”

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