Judge rules civil lawsuit from accuser Sean “Diddy” Combs cannot proceed anonymously

Federal Judge rules that accuser Jane Doe According to court documents, Shawn “Diddy” Combs must reveal her identity or her case will be dismissed.

In a ruling filed Wednesday and obtained by USA TODAY on Thursday, Judge Mary Kay Vyskol wrote that the “fundamental issue” is whether Jane Doe’s accuser “has a substantial privacy interest that outweighs the ordinary and constitutional presumption of openness in legal proceedings ” “

In the lawsuit filed earlier this month, Jane Doe accuses Combs of raping her when she was 19 at a Manhattan hotel in 2004.

But the judge said plaintiff Jane Doe in the case “has now decided to file a lawsuit in which she accuses a famous person of heinous behavior” 20 years ago, arguing that “defendants have the right to defend themselves” and “people have a right to know who is using their courts.”

USA TODAY has reached out to the plaintiff’s lawyers for comment. Combs’ team declined to comment.

The lawsuit, filed by Jane Doe in the Southern District of New York, is one of dozens filed against the music mogul since last November. Earlier this month, Texas attorney Tony Buzbee announced a wave of new lawsuits against Combs that include Jane Doe and more than 100 accusers his firm plans to represent.

Last month, the “I’m Gonna Miss You” hitmaker was arrested by federal authorities at a Manhattan hotel following a pair of federal raids in which he was the subject of a sex trafficking investigation. He is currently in jail in New York after being denied bail twice, and will reside there until his trial, which is scheduled for May 2025.

Sean “Diddy” Combs accused of sexual abuse of minors, multiple rapes in new civil lawsuits

Jumped wrote that the Jane Doe accuser must file the lawsuit on her own behalf by Nov. 13 or the lawsuit will be dismissed.

In her original lawsuit, the accuser claims she met Combs at a photo shoot where the rapper invited her and her friend to his hotel for an exclusive party.

At the hotel, Jane Doe says she was led to a bedroom and when she entered, Combs allegedly became “aggressive” toward her and a friend and said he “forcefully” touched them.

She claims the accuser’s friend performed oral sex on him, “otherwise he would have ordered them both killed.” Combs also forced Jane Doe to undress under threat of violence and “fondled, molested and ultimately raped Ms. Doe while she begged him to stop,” the lawsuit says.

Assistance: Taijuan Murman, Brendan Morrow

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Diddy Lawsuit: Judge Rules Jane Doe Can’t Continue Anonymously