A woman who has accused Sean “Diddy” Combs and Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter of raping her after an awards show in 2000 when she was 13 can remain anonymous as her lawsuit proceeds, a federal judge has ruled.
The woman’s lawsuit was initially filed in October — one of a number of anonymous civil complaints filed by Texas attorney Tony Buzbee against Combs. The suit was amended in December to include Carter, who has denied the allegations.
Carter filed a motion earlier this month asking the judge to deny the plaintiff’s request to remain anonymous, calling for either her identity to be disclosed or the suit to be dismissed
However, in a ruling Thursday, U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres said the woman can remain anonymous for now — although she may revisit her ruling in the future.
The judge said allegations of sexual assault are highly sensitive and of an extremely personal nature and that the woman who filed the lawsuit is “particularly vulnerable to the possible harms of disclosure,” because, according to her lawsuit, she suffers depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and a seizure disorder associated with the stress of her sexual assault.
In her ruling, the judge acknowledged the plaintiff’s continued anonymity “may cause prejudice to Defendants, making it more difficult for them to collect the facts necessary to mount a defense” and challenge the plaintiff’s credibility.
But, citing the “exceedingly early stage in this case,” the judge ruled the woman can remain anonymous for now.
“Plaintiff is advised that, because the balance of these factors will certainly shift as this case proceeds, especially if and when the parties engage in discovery in earnest, the Court intends to revisit this decision at a future date,” the judge wrote in her ruling.
