NEW YORK — A Tennessee woman who claims in a civil lawsuit that Sean “Diddy” Combs sexually assaulted her when she was a 19-year-old college student in Brooklyn cannot proceed with her case anonymously, a federal judge ruled Wednesday, finding the woman’s arguments “wholly meritless.”
“Simply put, allegations of sexual assault, by themselves, are not sufficient to entitle a plaintiff to proceed under a pseudonym,” Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil wrote in the ruling.
The woman alleged a security guard took her into a private room at a party Combs hosted, and that the guard told her, “You know what you are here for.”
In asking to mask her identity, the woman argued she could be harmed if her name were to be published, but the judge was ultimately not convinced.
“Combs has had no contact with Plaintiff for the approximately 20 years since the alleged rape and Combs is currently detained pending trial. As such, counsel has not identified any present threat of physical harm to Plaintiff,” the decision said.
The judge also said Combs is entitled to investigate his accuser and her credibility.
“The Court appreciates that Combs is a public figure and, therefore, Plaintiff is likely to face public scrutiny if she proceeds in her own name. The Court is not oblivious to the potential toll of such scrutiny on any litigant. However, Plaintiff’s interest in avoiding public scrutiny, or even embarrassment, does not outweigh the interests of both Combs and the public in the customary and constitutionally-embedded presumption of openness in judicial proceedings,” the judge said.
This ruling could impact a number of other cases brought by accusers who have sued Combs under a pseudonym.
The judge noted other plaintiffs have opted to use their names in their lawsuits, including Casandra Ventura.
Combs has denied the allegations against him. In a statement Monday, his defense attorneys hit back against the new allegations against him — including one involving the alleged sexual assault of a 10-year-old boy — accusing the plaintiff’s lawyer of lacking credibility.
“The lawyer behind this lawsuit is interested in media attention rather than the truth, as is obvious from his constant press appearances and 1-800 number,” the statement said. “As we’ve said before, Mr. Combs cannot respond to every new publicity stunt, even in response to claims that are facially ridiculous or demonstrably false.”
The defense attorneys said they and Combs “have 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,” the defense attorneys said.
Combs, who was arrested last month on sweeping sex trafficking charges, has pleaded not guilty in that case. As part of his defense, Combs’ attorneys have asked the judge to order federal prosecutors to disclose the identities of his accusers.
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