A decide has denied Jay-Z’s efforts to dismiss a lawsuit accusing the rapper and Sean “Diddy” Combs of raping a 13-year-old woman greater than twenty years in the past.
Within the lawsuit, initially filed in October, a girl recognized solely as “Jane Doe” sued Combs for allegedly raping her at a celebration following the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards. The criticism was amended on Dec. 8 to incorporate the allegation that Jay-Z, whose actual identify is Shawn Carter, was additionally current and took part within the assault.
Jay-Z has denied all allegations, and his legal professional Alex Spiro sought to dismiss the case after the Alabama lady acknowledged inconsistencies in her allegations in an NBC Information report revealed earlier this month. Spiro doubled down final week, talking exterior Roc Nation’s New York headquarters, saying the rap mogul is upset concerning the go well with and that “Mr. Carter has nothing to do with Mr. Combs’ case.”
On Thursday, in her written order, Decide Analisa Torres denied Combs’ hopes to have the go well with tossed out. Torres additionally dominated the lady accusing the 2 artists that she may proceed anonymously at this early stage of the litigation, however that she could also be required to disclose her id at a later date if the case proceeds.
The decide additionally chastised Carter’s legal professional for what she described as his “combative motions” and “inflammatory language” towards the plaintiff’s lawyer, calling them inappropriate. “Carter’s lawyer’s relentless submitting of combative motions containing inflammatory language and advert hominem assaults is inappropriate, a waste of judicial assets, and a tactic unlikely to learn his consumer. The Courtroom won’t fast-track the judicial course of merely as a result of counsel calls for it,” Torres wrote partially in her order.
Combs at the moment stays jailed in New York awaiting a prison trial on federal intercourse trafficking costs. He additionally faces a wave of different sexual assault lawsuits.
The Jane Doe’s lawyer, Tony Buzbee, wrote in a press release to The Hollywood Reporter following the decide’s ruling, “I don’t sometimes touch upon court docket rulings. I’ll say that the coordinated and determined efforts to assault me as counsel for alleged victims are falling flat.”
THR has additionally reached out to Combs’ legal professional for remark.
The Related Press contributed to this report.