An Alabama woman who says she was raped by Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs when she was 13 can proceed anonymously, for now, in her lawsuit against the rap moguls, a judge ruled Thursday.
In her written order, Judge Analisa Torres also chastised the lawyer representing Jay-Z for what she described as his combative motions and “inflammatory language” against the plaintiff's lawyer, calling them inappropriate.
The Manhattan jurist said the woman can proceed anonymously at this early stage of the litigation, but she may be required to reveal her identity at a later date, if the case proceeds. That would allow defense lawyers to collect facts necessary to prepare for trial. Torres also cited “substantial interest” from the public.
Combs remains jailed in New York awaiting a criminal trial on federal sex trafficking charges. He also faces a wave of sexual assault lawsuits, many of which were filed by the plaintiff's lawyer, Tony Buzbee, a Texas attorney who says his firm represents over 150 people, both men and women, who allege sexual abuse and exploitation by Combs.
The lawsuits allege many individuals were abused at parties in New York, California and Florida after receiving drug-laced drinks.
Combs’ lawyers have dismissed Buzbee’s lawsuits as “shameless publicity stunts, designed to extract payments from celebrities who fear having lies spread about them, just as lies have been spread about Mr. Combs.” Jay-Z has said in a statement that Buzbee is trying to blackmail him to settle the Alabama woman's allegations.
Buzbee said in an email that his firm does not comment on court rulings.
In her lawsuit, the woman who says she was raped at 13 identifies herself as “Jane Doe.” She said she was living in Rochester in 2000 when she made her way to New York City and befriended a limousine driver who drove her to an after-party for the MTV Music Awards, where she says she was eventually attacked by Jay-Z and Combs.
Alex Spiro, a lawyer for Jay-Z, asked the judge to dismiss the entertainer from the woman's lawsuit and he requested a hearing on the case for the day after he made his requests in writing on Dec. 18.
Citing an interview the plaintiff did on NBC-TV, Spiro wrote that the broadcast revealed “glaring inconsistencies and outright impossibilities” in the plaintiff's story. For one thing, the woman said she traveled for five hours from Rochester to watch the music awards show on a jumbotron outside the VMA even though permits and pictures show there was no jumbotron at the event.
Spiro also noted that the woman's father has said he does not recall driving from Rochester to pick his daughter up in New York City, as she says he did.
The woman has admitted inconsistencies in her story.
Torres wrote in her order Thursday that Spiro, who has been on the case less than three weeks, has 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.”
Referring to Jay-Z by his legal last name, the judge added: “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.”
A message seeking comment from Spiro was left for him on Thursday.
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5 Comments
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jib
Partners in crime.
リッチ
Why would these guys rape someone when women throw themselves at them hourly. While real rapes need to be taken seriously these famous people after the fact with no immediate police report or evidence other than her word really shouldn’t be publicly done as the damage is done once the fake charges are found out. Just like the 4 men in Florida who had their lives destroyed and the woman recently saying she lied.
virusrex
Because the purpose is to force themselves into someone that is not willing? Like the quote says "Everything in the world is about sex, except sex. Sex is about power."
Unless you can present evidence this is not a real rape you are arguing against yourself, this should be taken seriously.
A judge and a jury are the ones that have access to all the information and testimonies to make a decision about it, pretending to be as informed just by what the media reports makes no sense.
What damage is done according to you when someone is found innocent and the charges false?
You mean the men that were victim of systematic racism so invalid charges were accepted as dogma even when the judge and prosecutor knew they were innocent, and that some were killed in cold blood "trying to escape"? They had their lives destroyed not because of one easily debunked false accusation but because of a terribly biased system that would have found them guilty and worth killing no matter what they did.
Toblerone
Jay-Z lookin pensive in that pic.
Toblerone
Why would these guys rape someone when women throw themselves at them hourly.
The answer is in the question.