A United States District Court judge has ruled that the woman accusing rapper Jay-Z of rape may proceed anonymously in her lawsuit.
The decision, delivered by Judge Analisa Torres on 26 December, reflects the court’s recognition of the “highly sensitive and extremely personal” nature of the allegations.
The lawsuit, filed on 8 December, alleges that Jay-Z, born Shawn Carter, and music mogul Sean Combs (Diddy) raped a 13-year-old girl in 2000. Both men have denied the accusations, with Carter labelling them as “heinous in nature” and a “blackmail attempt.”
Judge Torres stated that allowing the plaintiff, identified as Jane Doe, to remain anonymous is necessary “at least for this stage of the litigation.”
She also criticised Jay-Z’s legal team for what she described as a “relentless filing of combative motions containing inflammatory language and ad hominem attacks,” calling the approach “a waste of judicial resources” and “inappropriate.”
Jay-Z’s representatives have not commented on the ruling. However, his legal team has launched a counterclaim against Jane Doe’s attorney, Tony Buzbee, accusing him of extortion and defamation.
The claim alleges that Buzbee’s demand letter provided only two weeks for Carter to agree to confidential mediation involving allegations of drugging and raping two minors.
Buzbee dismissed the counterclaims, saying, “This is just another attempt to bully and intimidate me. It just won’t work.”
He has also filed a separate suit accusing Roc Nation, Jay-Z’s entertainment company, of influencing former clients to make false claims against him. Roc Nation has denied the allegations, calling them “baloney” and a “pathetic attempt to distract and deflect attention.”
Jane Doe, now 35, recently admitted during a video interview with NBC News to making “some mistakes” in her recollection of events. Nonetheless, her lawsuit, filed under New York’s Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act, seeks unspecified damages.
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