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A New York federal judge ruled that the woman accusing Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs of sexual assault can remain anonymous for now.
U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres ruled that the Alabama woman alleging she was raped at age 13 by the rap moguls may have to reveal her identity at a later date but, for now, can proceed with the lawsuit anonymously.
“The weight of the factors tips in favor of allowing Plaintiff to remain anonymous, at least for this stage of the litigation,” the judge said.
Torres cited “substantial interest” from the public in Thursday’s ruling as she also castigated the lawyer representing Grammy-winning rapper Jay-Z, whose legal name is Shawn Carter, according to CBS News.
(Video Credit: KHOU 11)
The judge called out Alex Spiro for what she expressed as his “relentless filing of combative motions containing inflammatory language and ad hominem attacks” against the plaintiff’s lawyer.
“Since Carter’s attorney first appeared, in this case, seventeen days ago, he has submitted a litany of letters and motions attempting to impugn the character of Plaintiff’s lawyer [Buzbee], many of them expounding on the purported ‘urgency’ of this case,” the judge said of the attorney.
Torres described them as “inappropriate, a waste of judicial resources, and a tactic unlikely to benefit his client.”
“The Court will not fast-track the judicial process merely because counsel demands it,” Torres said.
Yikes, Judge Torres weighs in on the Jay-Z and Alex Spiro v Lawyer Tony Buzbee situation:
She’s allowing the plaintiff to proceed anonymously, for now.
The judge goes off on Alex Spiro:
“The Court will not fast-track the judicial process merely because counsel demands it.” pic.twitter.com/v1Xjtqzrx1
— Erick Stwebile (@Thekeycritic) December 26, 2024
The accuser filed her lawsuit against Combs in October and re-filed it in early December, adding Carter’s name.
The plaintiff’s attorney said he doesn’t “typically comment on court rulings,” but told CBS News Thursday that “the coordinated and desperate efforts to attack me as counsel for alleged victims are falling flat.”
The Texas attorney says his firm is representing over 150 men and women who have leveled sexual abuse allegations against Combs who is facing federal sex trafficking charges and remains in jail in New York.
Jay-Z has claimed that Buzbee is trying to blackmail him.
— Roc Nation (@RocNation) December 9, 2024
Spiro had asked the judge to dismiss Carter’s name from the lawsuit and cited an NBC News report noting the woman admitted to some “inconsistencies and outright impossibilities” in her allegations.
In knocking out the rapper’s attempt to dismiss the allegations against him, Torres noted that dismissing a case like this is “generally disfavored” and only holds water “if there is a strong reason to do so.”
“Carter’s motion, which summarily asserts that Plaintiff’s claims are ‘baseless’ and ‘salacious,’ does not clear that high bar,” Torres said.
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