Jay-Z’s rape accuser can proceed in her lawsuit against him and Sean “Diddy” Combs and remain anonymous while doing so, a New York judge has ruled.
In court documents obtained by The Post Thursday, Judge Analisa Torres decided that “the weight of the factors tips in favoring of allowing plaintiff to remain anonymous, at least for this stage of the litigation.”
Torres explained her reasoning via various bullet points, noting that the court “is not required to list each of the factors or use any particular formulation as long as it is clear that the court balanced the interests at stake in reaching its conclusion.”
Ultimately, the judge believes the alleged victim is “particularly vulnerable to the possible harms of disclosure” because she allegedly “continues to experience depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and a seizure disorder associated with the stress of her sexual assault.”
Torres went on to scold Jay-Z — born Shawn Carter — and his attorney, Alex Spiro, for demanding to deny the Alabama woman’s request to pursue her claims as “Jane Doe.”
“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,” she wrote in her ruling.
“The court will not fast-track the judicial process merely because counsel demands it.”
Earlier this month, the plaintiff amended her October complaint against Combs to name Jay-Z, both 55, as the other male celebrity who allegedly raped her at a 2000 MTV Video Music Awards afterparty when she was 13.
Doe claimed that while at the New York house party, she was offered a drink that made her feel “woozy” and “lightheaded,” so she went into a bedroom to lie down.
Shortly after, she claimed the rappers and longtime friends entered the room and that Combs said to her, “You are ready to party!”
The woman alleged that Jay-Z then removed her clothes, held her down and raped her while Combs and an unidentified female celebrity looked on.
According to Doe, Combs then allegedly raped her as Jay-Z and the unnamed woman watched.
Soon after news of the amended suit broke, the Roc Nation founder denied the “heinous” allegations and slammed the woman’s lawyer, Tony Buzbee, as “deplorable” in a scathing statement.
He also filed to dismiss the “cynical and calculated” lawsuit and demanded that the accuser — who has since admitted to some inconsistencies in her story — be named publicly.
Spiro filed a separate letter to the judge asking for his client’s request to be expedited due to the “intense media scrutiny” and “highly sensitive nature” of the suit.
His reps did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment on Torres’ ruling.
As for Combs, he is currently in jail at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn awaiting trial for sex trafficking, racketeering and prostitution, to which he pleaded not guilty.
The Bad Boy Records founder’s reps previously told Page Six in a statement that the amended complaint — one of dozens that have been filed against him — “exposes [Buzbee’s] barrage of lawsuits against Mr. Combs for what they are: 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.”
The reps added, “As his legal team has said before, Mr. Combs has full confidence in the facts and the integrity of the judicial process. In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr. Combs never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone — man or woman, adult or minor.”
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-330-0226.
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