A judge has denied a motion from Jay-Z’s team to dismiss the civil lawsuit against him claiming he raped a 13-year-old girl in 2000. The suit was initially filed by lawyer Tony Buzbee in October as one of the many against Sean “Diddy” Combs; Jay-Z—real name Shawn Carter—was added to the complaint when it was amended in December. Carter has denied wrongdoing in some strongly worded statements.
The judge denied the motion for dismissal on Thursday, as well as a motion to reveal the accuser’s identity; she is currently anonymously known as “Jane Doe.” U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres ruled that Doe is “particularly vulnerable to the possible harms of disclosure” (per ABC News) and that her identity will remain protected at this “exceedingly early stage in this case.” However, that could change in the future: “Plaintiff is advised that, because the balance of these factors will certainly shift as this case proceeds, especially if and when the parties engage in discovery in earnest, the Court intends to revisit this decision at a future date.”
Carter’s lawyer in the case is Alex Spiro, who recently represented Alec Baldwin in his criminal case over the Rust shooting and currently represents New York City lawyer Eric Adams (who is currently facing federal charges). Spiro has called the case “provably demonstrably false,” and sought an expedited hearing on the matter after Jane Doe admitted to inconsistencies in her story (she nevertheless maintains that the assault occurred). Judge Torres shot down Spiro’s attempt at getting the matter expedited, responding, “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.”
Carter filed a lawsuit against Doe’s lawyer Buzbee in November before the allegation became public. In return, Buzbee is suing Carter’s Roc Nation, accusing the company of engaging “shadowy operatives” who “conspired to obstruct justice” in a campaign against the Buzbee Law Firm. Roc Nation called the “baloney lawsuit” a “sham” in a statement to Rolling Stone. In response to the judge’s Thursday rulings, Buzbee gave a statement to The Hollywood Reporter saying, “I don’t typically comment on court rulings. I will say that the coordinated and desperate efforts to attack me as counsel for alleged victims are falling flat.”