Accuser in Jay-Z and Diddy Rape Lawsuit Can Remain Anonymous, Judge Rules

The woman who alleges Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs sexually assaulted her when she was 13 years old in 2000 is not required to reveal her identity, a judge ruled on Thursday, Dec. 26.

Jay-Z’s attorney, Alex Spiro, filed a motion to strike the complaint filed by Jane Doe earlier this month, arguing that the suit should be dismissed if the accuser would not reveal her real identity. U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres denied Spiro’s motion on Thursday, as per the Associated Press.

In her written order, Torres chided Spiro for what she described as his “combative” motions and “inflammatory language” against the plaintiff’s lawyer, whom Jay-Z (legal name Shawn Carter) has claimed is blackmailing him with a bogus claim.

Torres wrote in her complaint that Spiro, who has been working on this case for less than three weeks, has already submitted a “litany of letters and motions attempting to impugn the character of Plaintiff’s lawyer, many of them expounding on the purported ‘urgency’ of this case.”

Torres continued, “Carter’s lawyer’s relentless filing of combative motions containing inflammatory language and ad hominem attacks is inappropriate, a waste of judicial resources, and a tactic unlikely to benefit his client. The Court will not fast-track the judicial process merely because counsel demands it.”

While the woman is allowed to proceed anonymously at this stage of the case, Torres did note she may be required to reveal her identity later on if the case proceeds in order to allow defense lawyers to prepare for trial.

Jane Doe originally sued Combs in October, amending her complaint earlier this month to add Jay-Z. In the suit, Doe alleges she was raped by the rappers after being driven to an MTV Video Music Awards afterparty in 2000.

Spiro has since argued for the suit’s dismissal, citing “glaring inconsistencies and outright impossibilities” in an interview the plaintiff did on NBC. One of those inconsistencies includes the plaintiff’s claim that she traveled five hours from Rochester to watch the VMAs on a jumbotron outside of the venue, despite permits and pictures showing there was no jumbotron at the event. Spiro says the woman’s father also has said he doesn’t remember driving to pick his daughter up in New York City as she claims he did.

Combs, meanwhile, remains behind bars in New York awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. The music mogul also faces numerous sexual assault lawsuits, many of which were filed by the plaintiff’s attorney Buzbee.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.