An Alabama woman who claims she was raped by Jay-Z and Sean (Diddy) Combs at age 13 can remain anonymous in her lawsuit against the rap moguls for now, a judge ruled Thursday.
In her written order, Judge Analisa Torres also scolded the lawyer representing Jay-Z for his hostile motions and “inflammatory language” toward the plaintiff's lawyer, calling them inappropriate.
A Manhattan judge said the woman can proceed anonymously at this early stage of the proceedings but could be asked to reveal her identity at a later date if the case proceeds. This would enable defense lawyers to gather the facts necessary to prepare for trial. Torres also cited “considerable interest” from the public.
Combs remains in a New York prison awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. He also faces a wave of sexual assault lawsuits, many of which have been filed by plaintiffs' attorney Tony Buzbee, a Texas attorney who says his firm represents more than 150 people, both men and women, who allege abuse and sexual abuse by Combs.
The lawsuit alleges that multiple people were subjected to violence at parties in New York, California and Florida after consuming drug-laced drinks.
The amended lawsuit filed Sunday in federal court alleges that rap mogul Jay-Z raped a 13-year-old girl with Sean (Diddy) Combs at a party in 2000. Jay-Z denies the claims.
Combs' lawyers have dismissed Buzbee's lawsuits as “a shameless publicity stunt designed to extract money from celebrities who fear that lies about them will be spread, just as lies were spread about Mr. Combs.”
Jay-Z said in a statement that Buzbee was trying to blackmail him to settle the Alabama woman's allegations.
Buzbee wrote in an email that his office does not comment on court decisions.
In her lawsuit, the woman who claims she was raped at age 13 identifies herself as Jane Doe. She said she was living in Rochester in 2000 when she went to New York and befriended a limo driver who took her to the MTV Music Awards after-party, where she claims she was eventually attacked by Jay- Z and Combs. .
Alex Spiro, a lawyer for Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, asked a judge to dismiss the artist from the woman's lawsuit and requested a hearing in the case the day after the December 18 written submissions. .
Quoting from an interview the plaintiff gave to NBC-TV, Spiro wrote that the broadcast revealed “glaring inconsistencies and downright impossibilities” in the plaintiff's story. He noted that the woman claimed she traveled from Rochester for five hours to watch the music awards ceremony on the Jumbotron outside the event, even though permits and photos show the Jumbotron was not present.
Spiro also noted that the woman's father stated that he did not recall driving from Rochester to New York to pick up his daughter, as she claimed.
The woman admitted to inconsistencies in her story.
Torres wrote in her order Thursday that Spiro, who has been on the case for less than three weeks, submitted “a litany of letters and motions intended to impugn the character of plaintiff's counsel, many of which explained the purported 'urgency' of this case.”
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Referring to Jay-Z by his legal name, the judge stated: “Counsel Carter's relentless filing of fighting motions containing inflammatory language and ad hominem attacks is inappropriate, wastes judicial resources, and is a tactic that is unlikely to benefit his client. The Court will not expedite the judicial process just because a lawyer requests it.”
He was left a message seeking comment from Spiro on Thursday.
Support is available to anyone who has experienced sexual violence. Through it you can access crisis lines and local support services Government of Canada website or Canadian Ending Violence Association Database. If you are in immediate danger or concerned for your safety or the safety of others nearby, call 911.