A woman anonymously suing Sean “Diddy” Combs for an alleged rape in 2004 must reveal her identity or her case will be dismissed, a Manhattan federal judge ruled Wednesday.
The woman filed her lawsuit under the pseudonym Jane Doe, but Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil ruled that despite the sensitivity of the allegations, the alleged victim had not demonstrated that she’s entitled to remain anonymous.
“Plaintiff has an interest in keeping her identity private given the sensitive nature of her allegations [and] the potential for public scrutiny of her personal life,” Vyskocil wrote in court documents obtained by the Daily News. “But Plaintiff, who is an adult, has now decided to file a lawsuit in which she accuses a famous person of engaging in heinous conduct approximately 20 years ago.”
Among the multiple factors that weighed in to the decision, Judge Vyskocil ruled that Jane Doe offered insubstantial support for her claims that revealing her identity would pose “a risk of retaliatory physical or mental harm,” especially given that Combs is currently behind bars awaiting trial in his federal sex trafficking case.
Jane Doe says she was a college freshman when Diddy enticed her and a friend to a photo shoot across the street from her college campus in Brooklyn in 2004, then invited them to an after-party at a Marriott hotel. The pair were then allegedly dragged into a separate room rather than being allowed to mingle with guests, with the man who put them there saying, “You know what you are here for.”
Diddy then appeared and allegedly tried to make them do cocaine, according to TMZ. When they refused, Jane Doe claims he forced her friend to perform oral sex on him under threat of death and would not let them leave the room.
After her friend complied, Jane Doe claims Diddy turned his attention toward her, forcing her to undress and sexually assaulting her under additional threats. When someone she believes heard her cries and opened the door, her friend managed to flee. A security guard later came in and allowed her to leave the room, the woman alleges.
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Jane Doe is demanding a jury trial, which will not happen unless she files a complaint in her own name, Vyskocil ruled. She was given until Nov. 13 to go public or the case will be thrown out.
The woman’s lawsuit is one of 120 suits Texas attorney Tony Buzbee is filing against the rap mogul.
This is the second of Combs’s accusers who has been told to reveal her identity. In February, Manhattan federal Judge Jessica G. L. Clarke said another Jane Doe accuser must add her name to her complaint or risk having the case dismissed.
Combs is set to go on trial May 5 on charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. He’s being held at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center and could face more charges in the meantime.
