In her written order, Judge Analisa Torres also chastised the attorney representing Jay-Z for what she described as his aggressive motions and “inflammatory language” against the plaintiff’s attorney, calling them inappropriate.
The Manhattan lawyer said the woman can sue anonymously at this early stage of the litigation, but she may be forced to reveal her identity at a later date if the case proceeds. This would allow defense attorneys to gather the facts needed to prepare for trial. Ms. Torres also cited “substantial interest” from the public.
Sean Combs remains jailed in New York awaiting a criminal trial on federal sex trafficking charges. He is also the subject of a wave of sexual assault lawsuits, many of which were filed by the plaintiff’s attorney, Tony Buzbee, a Texas attorney who says his firm represents more than 150 people, both men and women. , which allege sexual abuse and exploitation by Mr. Combs.
The lawsuits allege that many people were abused at parties in New York, California and Florida after drinking drug-laced drinks.
Mr. Combs’s lawyers dismissed Mr. Buzbee’s lawsuits, calling them “brazen publicity stunts, designed to extract payments from celebrities who fear lies will be spread about them, just as lies have been spread about Mr. Combs. Jay-Z mentioned in a statement that Mr. Buzbee was trying to blackmail him into settling the Alabama woman’s allegations.
Mr. Buzbee stressed in an email that his office does not comment on court decisions.
In her complaint, the woman who says she was raped at age 13 identifies herself as “Jane Doe.” She explained that she was living in Rochester in 2000 when she visited New York and befriended a limo driver who drove her to an MTV Music Awards after party, where she says she was attacked by Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Jay-Z’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, asked the judge to dismiss the artist’s complaint from the woman and requested a hearing on the case the day after his written requests on December 18.
Citing an interview given by the complainant to NBC-TV, Mr. Spiro wrote that the program revealed “glaring inconsistencies and absolute impossibilities” in the complainant’s story. For one thing, the woman said she traveled five hours from Rochester to watch the music awards ceremony on a jumbotron outside the VMAs, even though permits and photos show there was no no jumbotron at the event.
Mr. 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 claims. The woman admitted inconsistencies in her story.
Ms. Torres wrote in her order Thursday that Mr. Spiro, who has been working on the case for less than three weeks, submitted a “litany of letters and motions attempting to impeach the character of plaintiff’s attorney, many of them explaining the so-called “urgency” of this matter.
Referring to Jay-Z by his legal last name, the judge added: “Carter’s attorney’s continued filing of aggressive 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 expedite the legal process simply because the lawyer demands it.”
A request for reaction was sent to Mr. Spiro on Thursday.
