Woman accusing Jay-Z, Sean (Diddy) Combs of rape can remain anonymous for now, judge says

An Alabama woman who says she was raped by Jay-Z and Sean (Diddy) Combs when she was 13 can continue anonymously for now in her lawsuit against the rap moguls, a judge ruled Thursday.

In her written order, Judge Analisa Torres also chastised the attorney representing Jay-Z for what she described as his combative suggestions and “inflammatory language” against the plaintiff’s attorney, calling them inappropriate.

The Manhattan judge said the woman can proceed anonymously at this early stage of the trial, but may have to reveal her identity at a later date if the case proceeds. This would allow defense attorneys to gather facts necessary to prepare for trial. Torres also cited “significant interest” from the public.

Combs remains in jail in New York awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges. He also faces a wave of sexual assault lawsuits, many of which have been brought by the plaintiff’s attorney, Tony Busby, a Texas attorney who says his firm represents more than 150 people, men and women, who allege Combs committed sexual abuse and exploitation.

The lawsuits allege that many people were abused at parties in New York, California and Florida after being given drug-laced drinks.

Combs’ lawyers dismissed Busby’s lawsuits as “shameless publicity stunts designed to extract payments from celebrities who are afraid of lies being spread about them, just as lies are being spread about Mr. Combs.”

Jay-Z said in a statement that Busby was trying to blackmail him into settling the Alabama woman’s allegations.

Busby said in an email that his firm does not comment on court decisions.

In her lawsuit, the woman who says she was raped at age 13 identified herself as Jane Doe. She said she was living in Rochester in 2000 when she headed to New York and befriended a limo driver who took her to an after-party for the MTV Music Awards, where she says she ended up being assaulted by Jay-Z and Combs.

Alex Spiro, an attorney for Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, asked the judge to dismiss the artist from the woman’s case, and he requested a hearing on the case for the day after making his written requests 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. He noted that the woman said she had driven five hours from Rochester to watch the music awards show on the Jumbotron outside the event, even though permits and photos showed the Jumbotron was not present.

Spiro also noted that the woman’s father said he did not remember driving from Rochester to pick up his daughter in New York, as she says he did.

The woman has admitted to inconsistencies in her story.

Torres wrote in his order Thursday that Spiro, who has been on the case for less than three weeks, submitted “a litany of letters and motions attempting to impugn the character of plaintiff’s counsel, many of them explaining the alleged “urgency ” of this case.”

Referring to Jay-Z by his legal last name, the judge said: “Carter’s counsel’s continued filing of adversarial 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 speed up the trial just because the lawyer requests it.”

A message for comment from Spiro was left for him Thursday.

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