Accuser in Diddy's Sexual Assault Case May Lose Anonymity if The Case Advances
An anonymous woman who filed a lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs, accusing him of sex trafficking and gang rape, must disclose her identity if the case proceeds, Billboard reports.
In the ruling that was handed down on Thursday (Feb. 29), Judge Jessica G. L. Clarke stated that while revealing the accuser’s identity could greatly impact her due to the “graphic and disturbing allegations in this case,” the woman could not prove that she could proceed as an anonymous plaintiff.
“While the court does not take the plaintiff’s concerns lightly, the Court cannot rely on generalized, uncorroborated claims that disclosure would harm the plaintiff to justify her anonymity,” Clarke wrote in her decision.
In the decision, Clarke cited similar high-profile suits involving Kevin Spacey and Harvey Weinstein in which “John Doe and Jane Doe accusers,” were denied anonymity. She also said that allowing cases to go forth with an anonymous name was “the exception and not the rule” in federal court cases.
“Although this case involves highly sensitive allegations and Doe has not publicly revealed her identity, all other factors weigh against Plaintiff’s motion should this case survive Defendants’ dispositive motions,” Clarke continued.
The ruling will not go into effect until after the judge rules on Diddy’s pending motion to dismiss the suit. No date had been set for the judge’s ruling.
According to the suit filed in December, the women accused Diddy, Bad Boy executive Harve Pierre, and another man of orchestrating "a sex trafficking scheme that involved supplying her with alcohol and transporting her by private jet to New York City where she was gang-raped."
The victim claims that when she was in 11th grade, she first met Pierre and "the third assailant," in Detroit at a local lounge. The plaintiff was allegedly convinced to fly on a private plane to New Jersey, and then drive to Diddy’s recording studio in New York City, where the alleged sexual acts were performed without her consent.
While he is dealing with this case with an anonymous plaintiff, in another lawsuit, Diddy has been accused of sexual assault by a former male employee on Monday (Feb. 26).
Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, who worked as a producer and videographer on Diddy’s “Love” album, alleged that Diddy “sexually harassed, drugged and threatened him” for more than a year, according to the suit.
Jones is seeking $30 Million in damages because he “witnessed, experienced, and endured many things that went far beyond his role as a producer on the Love album.”