Earlier this month, rapper Jay-Z was named in a civil lawsuit alleging that he and fellow rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs raped a 13-year-old girl in 2000. Jay-Z, a longtime partner with the NFL, faced a significant legal setback on Thursday.
The lawsuit claims the woman was raped after being driven to an MTV Video Music Awards afterparty 24 years ago. While Diddy was sued in October, Jay-Z was added to the case earlier this month.
Jay-Z has contested the allegations. His attorney, Alex Spiro, filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that the accuser should be required to reveal her identity for the case to proceed. However, the judge disagreed.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres denied the motion, marking a significant legal setback for Jay-Z.
“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,” wrote Judge Torres in her ruling, according to court documents obtained by People magazine.
“The Court will not fast-track the judicial process merely because counsel demands it,” Judge Torres added.
In a previous filing, Spiro had urged the judge to require the accuser to “reveal her identity if she wants to continue the lawsuit,” as reported by the Associated Press.
“Mr. Carter deserves to know the identity of the person who is effectively accusing him — in sensationalized, publicity-hunting fashion — of criminal conduct, demanding massive financial compensation, and tarnishing a reputation earned over decades,” Spiro wrote, according to the Associated Press.
Following the judge’s decision, the lawsuit will proceed, and the accuser will be allowed to remain anonymous.
Needless to say, the disgusting charges against both Diddy and Jay-Z led to a lot of reactions on social media.
“Justice is good,” one person wrote in a post on X.
“All that PR didn’t help him,” someone else said.
“Good for the victim,” another person added.
“Great news. And don’t forget admonished his attorney’s bullying tactics with frivolous motions trying to appear tough in the media,” someone else added.
“Since this is a really high profile suite, I understand why they were allowed to stay anonymous. To prevent bullying and harassment of the person accusing him. Some of these fans take it upon themselves to get involved and make wild threats and even stock people. So I get it,” another person added.
“Jay is finished,” someone else said.
Obviously, these are just the reactions of normal, everyday people, but it’s a sample of some of the discourse surrounding the news.
We’ll have to see how this all plays out.
If you or someone else is the victim of sexual assault, please know that help is available 24 hours a day. You can speak to someone today by calling the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.
