NEW YORK — U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla dismissed most of Dawn Richard's lawsuit against Sean Combs. The ruling, dated Friday, was publicly released on Monday. The judge serves on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Judge Failla dismissed most of the claims because the alleged events occurred outside the one-year statute of limitations for filing under New York law. A majority of the claims were dismissed with prejudice. One count alleging Combs violated the New York Gender-Motivated Violence Act was dismissed without prejudice, allowing it to be refiled in state court.

Richard filed the lawsuit in September 2024. In the ruling, Judge Failla wrote that the court's decision exists independently of its view of the factual allegations, which she stated would be execrable if true. She also wrote that the alleged tortious conduct ceased in 2011 or 2012, with no further conduct alleged in the years following.

Richard's attorney, Arick Fudali, said Richard's legal team agrees with the judge's characterization of the allegations. Fudali also stated that the legal team is encouraged and will continue to pursue the case until justice is achieved, specifically pursuing the primary claim in New York state court under the Gender-Motivated Violence Act.

The Gender-Motivated Violence Act was established in New York City to allow civil suits for gender-motivated violence, including sexual and domestic violence. In 2022, the New York City Council authorized a two-year lookback window allowing lawsuits for past gender-motivated violence regardless of previous statutes of limitations.

Richard was a member of the musical groups Danity Kane and Diddy - Dirty Money from 2004 to 2012. She testified at a federal trial in Manhattan that she witnessed Combs beat his then-girlfriend Casandra Ventura in 2009. In her lawsuit, Richard alleged that Combs threatened her to remain silent about witnessing the 2009 incident. Combs's publicist, Juda Engelmayer, stated that Combs's team views the lawsuit claims as false assertions made for financial gain. In September 2024, representatives for Combs stated he was surprised by the allegations and questioned why Richard would continue working with him if the claims were true. Combs is serving a 50-month prison sentence at Federal Correctional Institution Fort Dix in New Jersey.