Jay-Z fails in efforts to dismiss rape lawsuit accusing rapper and Sean “Diddy” Combs of attacking 13-year-olds

Less than 24 hours after Beyoncé’s triumphant NFL halftime spectacle blew Netflix viewers’ wigs away on Christmas Day, a legal storm has hit the Carter family as wife Jay-Z ends his Hail Mary attempt, the case against him and the imprisoned Hiring Sean “Diddy” failed. Combs allege the duo violently assaulted a minor more than 20 years ago.

In a scathing order released Thursday, a federal judge denied the desire of rapper Shawn Carter and his hard-edged lead attorney Alex Spiro to drop allegations against Jay-Z and the Bad Boy Records founder.

Judge Analisa Torres also rejected the “99 Problems” actor’s hopes of revealing Jane Doe’s true identity and moving things along more quickly. The U.S. District Judge emphasized the “weight of factors,” including the “highly sensitive and extremely personal” nature of Jane Doe’s claims, and ruled that the context of the matter “provides evidence for allowing Plaintiff anonymity, at least at this stage.” “. of the litigation.”

Interestingly, Judge Torres acknowledges that her opinion on anonymity could change over time, depending on where the case and its evidence go.

While more and more lawsuits and sordid accusations have come to light in recent months against Combs, who was arrested on September 16th, detailing his drug-fueled “freakoffs” and violence, a statement of claim filed on October 20th accused the rapper of raping a 13th girl -year-old named. year-old girl at a party after the 2000 MTV VMAs. Similar to many other John Doe and Jane Doe lawsuits filed against the well-connected Combs, this particular document identified a male “Celebrity A” and a female “Celebrity B” as very active participants mentioned in the rape. On December 8, an amended complaint gave no indication of who “Celebrity B” might have been, but did call Jay-Z “Celebrity A.”

As for the subsequent legal nukes, one thing is very clear from today’s order: Judge Torres doesn’t like the way Spiro has handled Jay-Z’s defense so far.

“Carter’s counsel’s relentless filing of motions to fight containing inflammatory language and ad hominem attacks is inappropriate, a waste of judicial resources, and a tactic unlikely to benefit his client,” Judge Torres wrote today of Quinn’s partner Emanuel and his methodology for his client. “The court will not expedite the legal process just because the lawyer requests it.”

In fact, Spiro’s usual aggressive tactics, Alec Baldwin and Elon Musk, do this billionaire client with this judge in almost no favors – and that’s not reflected well in his attacks on Jane Doe’s own lawyer, Tony Buzbee, in Torres’ POV.

“Moreover, although Carter’s counsel lambasts plaintiff’s counsel for their ‘chronic inability to follow the rules,’ Carter’s counsel has failed to abide by the clear rules of this court,” Judge Torres states, leading to a dispute between Spiro and Houston -based Buzbee, who is prosecuting literally dozens of cases against the much-accused Combs.

The New York federal judge skims over Spiro’s isolated allegations of Buzbee’s so-called “misconduct” and allegations that he is “apparently attempting to evade his disciplinary authority,” adding, “Despite Carter’s attorney stating he intends to file a lawsuit. “immediately file a motion to dismiss the first amended complaint pursuant to (Rule 12(f))” for not giving plaintiff the required five business days to respond, see Wait until the court sets a motion plan or indicate whether any exceptions to the court’s individual practices apply. This is unacceptable. Counsel is hereby advised that any further motions contrary to the individual procedures of the Court may be rejected for this reason alone.”

Judge Torres specifically notes that dismissal of a case like this is “universally opposed” and is only permissible “if there is good cause for doing so.” She continues tersely: “Carter’s motion, which summarily states that plaintiff’s allegations are ‘baseless’ and ‘salacious,’ does not raise the bar.”

Representatives for Spiro and Quinn Emanuel did not respond to Deadline’s request for comment this Boxing Day. If so, this post will be updated.

Former mogul Combs was first accused of rape and other abuse in a quickly settled ($30 million) lawsuit against his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura. The “All About the Benjamins” rapper denied everything, but changed his mind a bit over the summer when security camera footage from a swank Los Angeles hotel showed a nearly naked Combs obliterating Ventura as she attempted to escape down a hallway . After March 25 raids by Homeland Security and others on Combs’ properties in LA and Miami, the artist was arrested in the Big Apple more than three months ago on sex trafficking and other charges.

The criminal trial of Combs, who is already in the tough Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn (where health care CEO Luigi Mangione’s shooter is now housed) and has repeatedly rejected his $50 million bail efforts, is scheduled for April 5 . May next year. If found guilty, Combs, 55, faces life behind bars.

After attempting to take out Buzbee a few weeks earlier in an extortion lawsuit against Quinn Emanuel over a “celebrity and public figure residing in Los Angeles,” Jay-Z quickly countered earlier this month with a handwritten statement as he was named publicly. In this rare letter, media founder Roc Nation denied that he had raped anyone, saying in part: “These allegations are so heinous that I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil lawsuit!!”

As various Combs cases progressed in parallel, Jay-Z’s team and Jane Doe’s team went at each other’s paths with allegations of bullying, hired private investigators and bribery – and that was the polite part. Unlike a number of high-profile people in such situations, Jay-Z didn’t stay out of sight and showed up at the premiere of Disney’s in LA Mufasa: The Lion King with his daughter Blue Ivy Carter on December 9th and the endorsement of Roc Nation’s NFL affiliates by league commissioner Roger Goodell on December 11th.

On December 13, in what may prove to be a significant misstep, Jane Doe appeared on NBC and gave a different account of what allegedly happened to her than what was stated in her own court filings. “I made some mistakes,” the middle-aged woman, now living in Alabama, told NBC News, while maintaining that the overall allegations in her lawsuit were true, although some details were not 100% consistent. Very, very similar to the tactics he used in Baldwin’s now-dismissed manslaughter trial and others for other well-known clients, Spiro has addressed these points of contention and self-described “mistakes” by the prosecutor herself.

Buzbee derided Jay-Z himself as a bully who had “loudly asserted his claim for different rules and faster procedures,” brushed the claim aside and soon filed a separate lawsuit against Roc Nation and Quinn Emanuel for barratry and more.

As Judge Torres moved without hesitation to other matters Thursday, he added that Jane Doe and Attorney Buzbee were most likely pleased to have until Jan. 10 to respond to Jay-Z and Spiro’s Dec. 18 motion to preserve evidence answer “Significant risk that Buzbee will destroy evidence damaging to the plaintiff’s case, including evidence of his own misconduct.” Carter and his team have until January 17 to respond if they wish.

At the rate at which the two sides have been attacking each other in court so far, it would not be unreasonable to assume that at least one or two more lawsuits or motions will be filed in the case by then.