Judge upholds anonymity for Jay-Z accuser, calls out legal filings
A woman who has accused Jay-Z and Sean "Diddy" Combs of sexually assaulting her when she was 13 years old, has been granted permission to continue her lawsuit under anonymity—for the time being—a judge ruled yesterday.
Judge Analisa Torres of New York criticised the legal team representing Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, for repeatedly filing motions laced with inflammatory language and personal attacks against the accuser's attorney, Tony Buzbee.
In a court order reviewed by Variety, Judge Torres remarked that Carter's legal counsel, in just 17 days since their involvement in the case, had submitted numerous letters and motions to discredit Buzbee's character.
Judge Torres criticised the conduct of Jay-Z's legal team, describing their complaints as "inappropriate, a waste of judicial resources, and an ineffective strategy unlikely to serve the interests of their client."
The plaintiff, identified as Jane Doe, initially filed her lawsuit against Sean "Diddy" Combs in October before including Jay-Z in a re-filed version earlier this month.
For now, the court has allowed her to proceed anonymously, though she may be required to disclose her identity as the case progresses.
Alex Spiro, representing Jay-Z, has recently urged the court to dismiss his client from the lawsuit. He referenced an NBC News report in which the accuser allegedly admitted to certain "inconsistencies and outright impossibilities" in her claims.
Spiro's team has also issued public statements criticising Jane Doe's attorney, Tony Buzbee, labelling him a "1-800 lawyer" focused on "money and fame."
Judge Torres rejected Jay-Z's motion to dismiss the case. Representatives for Jay-Z have yet to respond to Variety's request for comment on the ruling.
In recent weeks, the plaintiff's attorney, Tony Buzbee, filed a separate lawsuit against Roc Nation, the entertainment company owned by Jay-Z.
Buzbee alleges that the company has employed "shadowy operatives" to coerce his former clients into filing "baseless" claims against him. In turn, Jay-Z has filed a defamation lawsuit against Buzbee.
The accuser, referred to as Jane Doe, claims she was 13 years old when Jay-Z and Sean "Diddy" Combs assaulted her in 2000. Her allegations added the incident occurred after an afterparty for the MTV Video Music Awards.
Jay-Z swiftly addressed the allegations, issuing a strongly worded statement directed at the accuser's attorney, Tony Buzbee.
"You've made a grave error in assuming all 'celebrities' operate the same way," Jay-Z wrote. "I come from the projects of Brooklyn, a place where we live by strict codes of honour and protect our children at all costs. Your actions, exploiting people for personal gain, reveal your lack of principles."
"These baseless accusations against me, fueled by conspiracy theories and absurd claims, are not only false but would be laughable if they didn't involve such serious matters concerning children.," he asserted.
Meanwhile, Sean "Diddy" Combs has been held in a Brooklyn detention centre since his arrest in September. He is expected to remain in custody until his trial, which is set to commence in May.
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