A New York judge has ruled that the woman accusing Jay Z and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs of raping her (when she was 13 years old) can remain anonymous for now. U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres announced her ruling on Thursday, declaring that the woman (known as Jane Doe) had provided enough evidence to justify her anonymity. However, Torres said the woman could be forced to disclose her identity later if the case goes to trial.
The lawsuit that has been catching a lot of eyeballs claims that the alleged assault took place during an MTV VMAs after-party in 2000. According to Jane Doe, she was drugged by a limousine driver and taken to a private building where both men allegedly assaulted her. Shawn Carter, whose stage name is Jay-Z, has absolutely denied the accusations, calling it “provably, demonstrably false.”
In her order, Judge Torres condemned Jay Z’s attorney, Alex Spiro, for his aggressive legal approach that included inflammatory language and attacks on Tony Buzbee, who pleaded the case on Jane Doe’s behalf. “Relentless filing of motion is inappropriate, a waste of judicial resources, and is not likely to benefit the plaintiff,” Torres said, adding that “the Court will not fast-track the judicial process because counsel demands it.”
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Spiro has also accused Tony Buzbee of unethical practices, as he called the case part of a “sprawling extortion saga.” He mentioned that there were inconsistencies in the accuser’s account, citing Jane Doe’s NBC News interview, where the woman admitted to making “some mistakes” while talking about what happened.
“When something isn’t real, you’re going to get the details wrong because you weren’t really there,” Spiro said. He further argued that the allegations draw attention away from real victims of abuse and regrets the effects on his client and his family.
Buzbee, who is also handling multiple lawsuits against Diddy, dismissed Spiro’s claims as “a failing strategy.” Diddy is currently in custody on unrelated charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and sexual assault. The accusations against both men have got public scrutiny at the highest, with fans and critics alike closely following the developments.
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The judge concurred that there was sufficient public interest in the case. However, she said that at this point, the interest of the plaintiff in anonymity must be taken care of. “The weight of the factors tips in favor of allowing Plaintiff to remain anonymous, at least for this stage of the litigation,” Torres concluded.
Jane Doe first filed a suit against Diddy. Later, the case was modified in December, where it included Jay Z, which now stands in total as one of the many legal battles. It includes big names in the music world where allegations are against two powerful personas. As of yet, Jane Doe remains nameless, but the trends now indicate a long-drawn-out, contentious battle that involves these parties.
