December 28, (THEWILL) – A judge has denied Shawn Corey Carter aka Jay Z’s efforts to dismiss a lawsuit accusing the rapper and Sean Combs aka Diddy of raping a 13-year-old girl more than two decades ago.
In the lawsuit, originally filed in October, a woman identified only as Jane Doe sued Combs for allegedly raping her at a party following the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards.
The complaint was amended on December 8 to include the allegation that Jay-Z was also present and participated in the assault., making him the first celebrity accused of sexual assault in connection to Diddy.
Jay-Z has denied all allegations, and his attorney Alex Spiro sought to dismiss the case after the Alabama woman acknowledged inconsistencies in her allegations.
Relying on those inconsistencies, Carter’s lawyer took the unusual step of asking the judge for an expedited dismissal because the case was frivolous and unfounded.
Jane Doe said she was drugged at the party before she was sexually assaulted by both men.
Doe is represented by Houston-based attorney Tony Buzbee, who has said he is representing at least 120 accusers of Combs.
Carter’s attorney, Alex Spiro, has aimed Buzbee, accusing him of extorting his famous client.
In her decision to grant Doe’s motion to proceed anonymously, the judge wrote, “The weight of the factors tips in favor of allowing Plaintiff to remain anonymous, at least for this stage of the litigation,”
He however noted that this decision could change, writing, “because the balance of these factors will certainly shift as this case proceeds, especially if and when the parties engage in discovery in earnest, the court intends to revisit this decision at a future date.”
The judge’s order explained that factors in granting Doe to be able to proceed anonymously included that allegations concerning sexual assault are highly sensitive, given that Doe alleged that Diddy and Jay Z drugged and raped her when she was only thirteen.
This, as well as Buzbee’s assertion that many of his other clients who have filed similar lawsuits against Diddy’s claim to have been threatened by the artiste for their decision to speak out.
Carter’s attorney called Doe’s case all a fantasy and said, “We expect the case to be dismissed. If it’s not, we expect this all to crumble.”
Ivory Ukonu is a versatile journalist with many years of experience, with entertainment and society reporting as her area of core competence.
