Serious allegations: Jay-Z is said to have raped a 13-year-old at an afterparty in 2000.
The woman who accuses Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs of drugging and raping her when she was 13 can remain anonymous for now.
No final decision
The decision to keep the plaintiff’s identity secret was made by the New York court on Thursday, December 26, citing the “highly sensitive” nature of her allegations. According to court documents obtained by Billboard, Judge Annalisa Torres wrote that “the weight of the factors” in this case “militate in favor of allowing plaintiff to remain anonymous for the time being.”
In addition, the person allegedly affected would continue to suffer from the consequences of the alleged rape, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Her lawyers also alleged that Combs intimidated other victims who took legal action against him “Billboard”. According to the magazine, the judge emphasized that the court will review this step again as factors could change over the course of the proceedings.
Acceleration slowed down for the time being
In the same decision, the chairwoman also rejected a request from Jay-Z’s defense attorneys to expedite the proceedings. She criticized the rapper’s attorney, Alex Spiro, for his repeated “aggressive motions” and “insulting” attacks on the plaintiffs’ attorneys. This was “inappropriate” and “a waste of judicial resources,” Billboard quoted the judge as saying.
Allegations against Jay-Z and Diddy
The plaintiff accuses Jay-Z and Combs of drugging and raping the then-minor girl in 2000 after an MTV Music Awards afterparty in New York. The lawsuit against Combs recently expanded to include Jay-Z. Both rappers have denied the allegations. Jay-Z called the civil lawsuit an “extortion attempt” and called the plaintiff’s attorney, Tony Buzbee, a “fraud.”
The process is currently accompanied by a larger legal dispute. Lawyer Buzbee recently sued the Roc Nation musician’s company and its lawyers for alleged attempts to undermine his case. The company denied the allegations and called the lawsuit “absurd” and “a distraction.”