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The woman who accused JAY-Z and Diddy of sexually assaulting her nearly 25 years ago can remain anonymous for now.
According to a report USA Today published on Thursday, December 26, Judge Analisa Torres ruled in favor of the plaintiff and allowed her to proceed as Jane Doe. In her ruling, Judge Torres cited the plaintiff's mental health history, the sensitivity of her allegations, and her overall safety. She also noted that the issue of her anonymity can be revisited as the case progresses. The ruling came down a few weeks after Hov's attorney Alex Spiro filed a motion to reveal Jane Doe's identity.
"Mr. Carter deserves to know the identity of the person who is effectively accusing him — in sensationalized, publicity-hunting fashion — of criminal conduct, demanding massive financial compensation, and tarnishing a reputation earned over decades," Spiro wrote.
The 38-year-old woman from Alabama recently amended the lawsuit her attorney Tony Buzbee filed in October to name Shawn "JAY-Z" Carter as one of the other celebrities who allegedly raped her alongside Sean "Diddy" Combs at an after-party for the MTV Video Music Awards in 2000. Doe claimed Combs' driver convinced her to hop in a limo and take a ride 20 minutes from Radio City Music Hall in New York City to attend an after-party at a white mansion. In the lawsuit, she said she spoke with celebrities when she got there and sipped on a drink that made her light-headed. She claimed Carter and Combs attacked her while she was lying down in a bedroom. After the attack, Doe managed to escape and called her father from a nearby gas station to pick her up.
Shortly after Carter denied the allegations, a report from NBC News discovered several inconsistencies in Jane Doe's story including her alleged interactions with celebrities like Benji Madden and her ride home with her father after the attack. The lead guitarist for Good Charlotte denied being on the East Coast during the night in question, and her father told the outlet he has no recollection of picking up his daughter from a gas station. JAY-Z's Roc Nation issued a statement on social media that accused Doe's attorney Tony Buzbee of extortion and maintained his innocence.
“This incident didn’t happen and yet he filed it in court and doubled down in the press,” Hov said in a recent statement. “True Justice is coming. We fight FROM victory, not FOR victory. This was over before it began. This 1-800 lawyer doesn’t realize it yet, but, soon.”
The ruling also denied a request to remove JAY-Z from the complaint and strike it from the record. Despite acknowledging "mistakes" in her allegations, Doe said she's sticking to her story no matter what. iHeartRadio has reached out to JAY-Z's reps for comment.