The judge overseeing the case of a woman who said she was raped by Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs when she was 13 has criticized the “inappropriate” behavior of Jay-Z’s lawyers.
In a written order, Judge Analisa Torres criticized Alex Spiro for what she described as his combative actions and “inflammatory language” against the plaintiff’s attorney, Tony Buzbee.
Mr. Spiro – for whom he worked Jay Z For about three weeks – He previously called for the Alabama woman’s identity to be revealed. She is currently identified only as “Jane Doe,” an American legal term that indicates she is anonymous.
The Manhattan judge said she can proceed anonymously at this point but may be asked to reveal her identity at a later date.
Combs He remains in a Brooklyn jail awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges. He has pleaded not guilty.
Combs is facing a wave of sexual assault lawsuits, many of them filed by Texas attorney Mr. Buzbee, who says his firm represents more than 150 people, both men and women, alleging sexual assault and exploitation by Combs.
The lawsuits allege that several individuals were abused at parties in New York, California and Florida after being given drugged drinks.
Combs’ lawyers dismissed Buzbee’s lawsuits as “shameful publicity stunts designed to extract money from celebrities who fear falsehoods will be spread about them, just as lies have been spread about Mr. Combs.”
Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, had previously said in a statement that Mr. Buzbee was trying to blackmail him into settling the plaintiff’s allegations.
Mr. Buzbee said in an email that his company does not comment on court rulings.
The woman claims in her lawsuit that Jay-Z and Sean Combs raped her when she was 13 years old after the MTV Video Music Awards in 2000.
Both men strongly deny these accusations.
Mr. Spiro had previously asked the judge to exclude Jay-Z from the lawsuit against the woman.
Citing an interview the plaintiff conducted with Sky’s US partner NBC News, Spiro wrote that the broadcast revealed “glaring inconsistencies and complete impossibility” in the plaintiff’s story.
The woman acknowledged the contradictionsSaying she “made some mistakes,” she stands by her claims overall.
Mr. Spiro submitted “a series of letters and motions attempting to impugn the character of plaintiff’s counsel, several of which explain the alleged ‘urgency’ of this case,” Judge Torres wrote in her order Thursday.
She added: “Carter’s counsel’s relentless filing of combative motions containing inflammatory language and personal attacks is inappropriate, a waste of judicial resources, and a tactic that is unlikely to benefit his client. The court will not expedite the judicial process simply because counsel requests it.” “He-she.”
She said Mr Spiro – who the plaintiff’s lawyer accused of suffering from a “chronic inability to follow the rules” – had failed to follow the rules himself. She warned him against any “unacceptable” behavior in the future.
Sky News has contacted Mr Spiro for comment.
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Meanwhile, in a new lawsuit filed on December 20, A woman accused Combs of drugging and sexually assaulting her in 2006 At a party in New York she attended after winning a radio station competition.
The woman, who was 23 at the time, said she felt ill and passed out after waitresses served her two pre-made drinks, and later woke up in hospital with a torn shirt, missing underwear and shoes, and no memory of how she got there.
The woman continued to experience pain in her vagina for about a week, which she believed was caused by violent intercourse, the lawsuit said.
She also said that an unidentified woman with a number in New York later called her and threatened to keep quiet.
Combs’ attorney called the allegations “pure fiction.”
In addition to Combs, the woman filed a lawsuit against Bad Boy Entertainment Holdings, which Combs founded; Atlantic Records, which said it facilitated the event; Mike Savas, an Atlantic promoter at the time; Delta Air Lines, which flew it to New York; KKJamz 105.3, the radio station that said it held the contest; And the Roger Smith Hotel, where she stayed.
Ten “John and Jane Hull” were also listed as defendants.