Judge says woman accusing Jay-Z and Sean (Diddy) Combs of rape can remain anonymous for now

An Alabama woman who says she was raped by Jay-Z and Sean (Diddy) Combs when she was 13 can move forward anonymously, for now, in her lawsuit against the rap moguls, a judge ruled. Thursday.

In her written order, Judge Analisa Torres also criticized the attorney representing Jay-Z for what she described as his combative gestures and “inflammatory language” against the plaintiff’s attorney, calling them inappropriate.

The Manhattan judge said the woman could proceed anonymously at this early stage of the lawsuit, but she may be asked to reveal her identity later, if the case proceeds. This would allow defense attorneys to gather the necessary facts to prepare for trial. Torres also noted the “huge interest” from the public.

Combs remains jailed in New York awaiting criminal trial on federal sex trafficking charges. He also faces a wave of sexual assault lawsuits, many of them filed by the plaintiff’s attorney, Tony Buzbee, a Texas attorney who says his firm represents more than 150 people, both men and women, who allege sexual assault and exploitation by Combs.

The lawsuits allege that several individuals were abused at parties in New York, California and Florida after consuming drinks containing drugs.

Combs’ lawyers dismissed Buzbee’s lawsuits as “shameful publicity stunts designed to extract money from celebrities who fear falsehoods will be spread about them, just as lies have been spread about Mr. Combs.”

Jay-Z said in a statement that Buzbee is trying to blackmail him into settling the Alabama woman’s allegations.

Buzbee said in an email that his company does not comment on court rulings.

In her lawsuit, the woman who said she was raped when she was 13 identifies herself as Jane Doe. She said she was living in Rochester in 2000 when she drove to New York City and befriended a limo driver who drove her to an MTV Music Awards after-party, where she says she was eventually attacked by Jay-Z and Combs. .

Jay-Z’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, whose real name is Shawn Carter, asked the judge to exclude the artist from the woman’s lawsuit and requested a hearing in the case for the day after he submits his submissions in writing on December 18. .

Citing an interview the plaintiff gave on NBC-TV, Spiro wrote that the broadcast revealed “glaring inconsistencies and complete impossibility” in the plaintiff’s story. He noted that the woman said she traveled five hours from Rochester to watch the music awards show on a jumbotron outside the event, even though passes and photos show there was no jumbotron.

Spiro also noted that the woman’s father said he didn’t remember driving from Rochester to pick up his daughter in New York City, she says.

The woman admitted there were inconsistencies in her story.

Torres wrote in her order Thursday that Spiro, who had been on the case for less than three weeks, filed “a series of letters and motions attempting to impugn the character of plaintiff’s counsel, several of which explain the alleged ‘urgency’ to prosecute this case.”

Referring to Jay-Z by his last legal name, the judge said: “Carter’s counsel’s relentless submission of combative motions containing inflammatory language and personal attacks is inappropriate, a waste of judicial resources, and tactically unlikely to benefit his client. The court will not expedite the judicial process merely because “The lawyer requests it.”

A message seeking comment was left from Spiro on Thursday.

---

Support is available to anyone who has experienced sexual assault. You can access crisis lines and local support services through this Government of Canada website or Ending Violence Canada database. ​​If you are in immediate danger or fear for your safety or the safety of others around you, please call 911.