A New York judge has ruled to keep the identity of a woman who accused Jay-Z of raping her when she was 13 years old nearly 25 years ago, just weeks after the rapper’s attorney pushed for her name to be revealed. The woman, referred to as “Jane Doe” in her suit, accused Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs of drugging and raping her at an after-party for the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards in New York City.
In a scathing filing, Judge Analisa Torres criticized the rapper’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, for being combative and attempting to “fast-track” the judicial process. She also denied Spiro’s request to dismiss the lawsuit and make the accuser’s identity public, saying that the court would not “fast-track the judicial process merely because counsel demands it.”
The accuser is seeking to remain anonymous, at least for now, and has accused the defendants of drugging and raping her at an after-party hosted by Combs, with a female celebrity witnessing the alleged assault. Jay-Z has denied the allegations, claiming that the suit is full of inconsistencies and that the accuser is making false claims.
The case has elicited strong reactions from all sides, with both the accuser’s and defendants’ lawyers trading barbs in court filings. The case is ongoing, with a trial scheduled for next year.