a woman from alabama who says Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs, who raped her when she was 13, can now proceed anonymously in her lawsuit against the rap moguls, a New York federal judge ruled Thursday. .
In her written order, U.S. District Judge Annalisa Torres said the woman can proceed anonymously at this early stage of the trial, but she may be required to reveal her identity at a later date if the case moves forward. . This will allow defense attorneys to gather the facts needed to prepare for trial. Torres also cited “substantial interest” from the public.
The Manhattan jurist also chastised Alex Spiro, the attorney representing Jay-Z—whose legal name is Shawn Carter—for what he described as “the continued filing of belligerent motions consisting of inflammatory language and ad hominem attacks” against the plaintiffs' attorney. described them as “unfair, a waste of judicial resources, and a strategy that will not benefit his client.”
Torres wrote in his order Thursday that Spiro, who has been on the case for less than three weeks, has “submitted numerous letters and motions attempting to impeach the character of Plaintiff's counsel, many of them Highlighting the perceived 'need'.”
In response to the decision, the plaintiffs' attorney, Tony Buzbee, told CBS News in an email Thursday evening that he “does not generally comment on court decisions,” but alleged that “as counsel for the alleged parties The coordinated and desperate efforts to attack me” the victims are failing.
CBS News has contacted Carter's attorneys for comment.
comb stays in jail Awaiting criminal trial on federal sex trafficking charges in New York. He also faces a wave of sexual harassment lawsuits, many of which were filed by Texas attorney Buzbee, who says his firm represents more than 150 people, both men and women, who Combs Alleges sexual abuse and exploitation by.
The lawsuits allege that several individuals were abused after drinking drug-laced drinks at parties in New York, California and Florida.
Combs's lawyers have dismissed Buzbee's lawsuits as a “shameless publicity stunt” designed to extort payment from celebrities who fear having lies spread about themselves, such as those about Mr. Combs. Lies have been spread. Jay-Z said in a statement that Buzbee was trying to blackmail the Alabama woman into settling her allegations.
In her lawsuit, the woman who says she was raped when she was 13 identifies herself as “Jane Doe.” She said she was living in Rochester in 2000 when she visited New York City and became friends with a limousine driver who took her to an MTV Music Awards after-party, where she says she eventually met Jay-Z and Combs had attacked him. ,
Spiro asked the judge to dismiss the entertainer from the woman's lawsuit and he requested a hearing on the case the next day after making his request in writing on December 18.
Citing an interview the plaintiff did with NBC News, Spiro wrote that the broadcast revealed “glaring inconsistencies and complete impossibilities” in the plaintiff's story. For one thing, the woman said she drove five hours from Rochester to watch the music awards show on the Jumbotron outside the VMAs, even though permits and photos show there was no Jumbotron at the event.
Spiro also said the woman's father said he did not remember driving from Rochester to New York City to pick up his daughter, as she says he did.
In the interview, the woman acknowledged inconsistencies in her story.