The judge overseeing the case of a woman who says she was raped by Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs when she was 13 has criticized the “inappropriate” behavior of Jay-Z’s lawyer.
In a written order, Judge Analisa Torres criticized Alex Spiro for his combative motions and “inflammatory language” against the plaintiff’s lawyer, Tony Buzbee.
Mr. Spiro, who has been representing Jay-Z for about three weeks, previously called for the Alabama woman’s identity to be revealed. She is currently identified only as “Jane Doe”, a US legal term to indicate she is anonymous.
The Manhattan judge has ruled that she can proceed anonymously for now but may need to reveal her identity later on.
Combs remains in a Brooklyn jail awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges. He has pleaded not guilty.
He faces numerous sexual assault lawsuits, many of which were filed by Texas lawyer Mr. Buzbee, who represents over 150 people alleging sexual abuse and exploitation by Combs.
The lawsuits claim that many individuals were abused at parties in New York, California, and Florida after being given drugged drinks.
Combs’ lawyers have dismissed Mr. Buzbee’s lawsuits as “shameless publicity stunts, designed to extract payments from celebrities who fear having lies spread about them, just as lies have been spread about Mr. Combs”.
Jay-Z, whose real name is Sean Carter, previously stated that Mr. Buzbee was attempting to blackmail him to settle the plaintiff’s allegations.
Mr. Buzbee declined to comment on court rulings in an email.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs was named alongside Carter in the lawsuit. Pic: AP
In her lawsuit, the woman alleges that Jay-Z and Sean Combs raped her when she was 13 after the MTV Video Music Awards in 2000.
Both men vehemently deny the allegations.
Mr. Spiro has previously requested the judge to dismiss Jay-Z from the woman’s lawsuit.
Citing an interview the plaintiff did with Sky’s US partner NBC News, Mr. Spiro argued that the broadcast exposed “glaring inconsistencies and outright impossibilities” in the plaintiff’s story.
The woman has acknowledged inconsistencies, admitting she had “made some mistakes” but standing by her allegations overall.
Judge Torres stated in her order on Thursday that Mr. Spiro had submitted a “litany of letters and motions attempting to impugn the character of Plaintiff’s lawyer, many of them expounding on the purported ‘urgency’ of this case”.
She added: “Carter’s lawyer’s relentless filing of combative motions containing inflammatory language and ad hominem attacks is inappropriate, a waste of judicial resources, and a tactic unlikely to benefit his client. The court will not fast-track the judicial process merely because counsel demands it.”
She said Mr. Spiro, who had accused the plaintiff’s lawyer of having a “chronic inability to follow the rules,” had failed to follow the rules himself. She warned him against future “unacceptable” behavior.
Sky News has reached out to Mr. Spiro for a comment.
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Sean Combs faces fresh lawsuit
Meanwhile, in a new lawsuit filed on December 20, a woman has accused Combs of drugging and sexually assaulting her in 2006 at a New York party, which she attended after winning a radio station contest.
The woman, who was 23 at the time, said she felt sick and fell unconscious after being served two premade drinks by waitresses, later waking up in the hospital with a ripped shirt, missing underwear and shoes, and no recollection of how she got there.
The suit stated that the woman experienced pain in her vagina for about a week, which she believed was from rough intercourse.
She also mentioned that an unknown woman with a New York number later called her, allegedly threatening her to keep quiet.
Combs’ attorney has dismissed the accusations as “pure fiction”.
In addition to Combs, the woman is also suing Bad Boy Entertainment Holdings, which Combs founded; Atlantic Records, which she said facilitated the event; Mike Savas, a promoter for Atlantic at the time; Delta Airlines, which flew her to New York; KKJamz 105.3, the radio station that held the contest; and the Roger Smith Hotel, where she stayed.
Ten “John and Jane Does” are also listed as defendants.