The woman who has accused Jay-Z of rape can remain anonymous in court for now.
As per TMZ court documents dated Thursday, December 26, the accuser, known as Jane Doe in the case, was ruled by judge Analisa Torres to remain anonymous. However, Judge Torres mentioned a potential review of this decision as the case progresses further.
Torres also accused Jay-Z’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, of being combative and trying to “fast-track” the case, per the outlet.
Attorney Tony Buzbee, representing Doe, addressed the ruling in a statement to Us Weekly, stating, “I don’t usually comment on court rulings. I will note that the planned and frantic attempts to discredit me as the attorney for alleged victims are proving ineffective.”
Earlier in the month, reports surfaced implicating Jay-Z, 55, in a civil suit alongside Sean “Diddy” Combs. In this legal action, Doe alleged that both rappers assaulted her at an MTV Video Music Awards after-party in 2000 when she was just 13 years old. The initial filing in October only mentioned Diddy, 55, as the defendant. Nevertheless, Buzbee, who also represents multiple individuals claiming to be survivors of Diddy, resubmitted the documentation on December 8 to add Jay-Z to the lawsuit.
Both Jay-Z and Diddy have denied the allegations. In a statement to Us Weekly, Jay-Z referenced his wife, Beyoncé, whom he has been married to since 2008, and their three children: Blue Ivy, 12, and twins Rumi and Sir, both 8.
“My wife and I will have to sit our children down, one of whom is at the age where her friends will surely see the press and ask questions about the nature of these claims, and explain the cruelty and greed of people,” his message read. “I mourn yet another loss of innocence. Children should not have to endure such at their young age. It is unfair to have to try to understand inexplicable degrees of malice meant to destroy families and human spirit.”
Jay-Z filed a motion to dismiss the civil lawsuit “for lack of subject matter jurisdiction due to the plaintiff’s lack of standing.”
“Plaintiff has provided no evidence — no affidavit, declaration, or specific factual support — to establish the kind of severe harm necessary to justify pseudonymity,” the document states.
In that same paperwork, the Roc Nation founder also requested the court for Doe’s identity to be “disclosed immediately” to the public.
After filing the motion, Spiro held a press roundtable on December 16, at Roc Nation’s New York City offices where Us and other reporters were present. Spiro began the meeting by stating that Jay-Z “did not rape a child” and gave a presentation that detailed alleged holes in the accuser’s story. Spiro also claimed that multiple people are willing to come forward to address the inconsistencies in the rape allegation made against Jay-Z.
The woman previously came forward to address the discrepancies in her account.
“You should always fight for what happened to you,” the unidentified woman, who has gone by Jane Doe in legal documents, said in a December 13 interview with NBC News. “You should always advocate for yourself and be a voice for yourself. You should never let what somebody else did ruin or run your life. I just hope I can give others the strength to come forward like I came forward.”
