Jay-Z faced a scathing rebuke for ‘wasting court resources’ in his fight against a woman who accused him of raping her when she was 13.
The music mogul, whose real name is Shawn Carter, has made several attempts through his lawyer Alex Spiro to quash the case or force the woman to be publicly identified.
But on Thursday, Judge Analisa Torres sided with his accuser, granting the woman anonymity for the next stage of proceedings and slamming Spiro in the process.
The woman, referred to as Jane Doe, alleges Carter, along with disgraced rapper Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, drugged and raped her when she was 13 at an after-party for the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards in New York City.
In a five-page filing released on Thursday, Judge Torres condemned Spiro’s aggressive legal maneuvers, describing them as ‘combative’ and filled with ‘inflammatory language and ad hominem attacks.’
She accused Carter’s attorney of attempting to ‘fast-track the judicial process’ by repeatedly filing motions to reveal the identity of Jane Doe and dismiss the case.
‘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,’ Torres stated firmly.
‘The Court will not fast-track the judicial process merely because counsel demands it.’
The judge in the case of rape allegations against Jay-Z stretching back 25 years issued a scathing rebuke over the conduct of the rapper’s attorney
According to the lawsuit, the alleged incident occurred after the accuser, then a teenager trying to get into the awards show at Radio City Music Hall, was invited to an after-party by a man claiming to be Combs’ limo driver.
The disturbing suit alleges how upon arriving at the party, the woman was coerced into signing a nondisclosure agreement, served a drink laced with drugs, and subsequently assaulted by Carter and Combs as a ‘female celebrity’ looked on.
Carter has vehemently denied the claims, calling them baseless and accusing the accuser and her attorney, Tony Buzbee, of fabricating a ‘false statement.’
Buzbee’s lawsuit against Jay-Z is part of a series of civil cases he has filed against Combs, 55, who remains jailed in New York as he awaits trial on federal charges that he coerced and abused women for years.
Jay-Z said the lawsuit against him is part of an extortion attempt.
After the allegations came to light, he swiftly issued a statement in which he accused Buzbee of trying to blackmail him by getting him to agree to a legal settlement over allegations he and Combs raped a woman when she was 13 years old.
‘I have no idea how you have come to be such a deplorable human Mr. Buzbee, but I promise you I have seen your kind many times over,’ Jay-Z said in his statement.
‘You claim to be a marine? Marines are known for their valor, you have neither honor nor dignity.’
Judge Analisa Torres, pictured, reprimanded Jay-Z’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, in the case alleging sexual assault dating back nearly 25 years
Judge Torres condemned Spiro’s aggressive legal maneuvers, describing them as ‘combative’ and filled with ‘inflammatory language and ad hominem attacks.’
In a crucial win for the plaintiff, the judge ruled that Jane Doe’s anonymity would be preserved for the time being, emphasizing that ‘the weight of the factors tips in favor of allowing Plaintiff to remain anonymous, at least for this stage of the litigation.’
While Carter has publicly denied the allegations and criticized the inconsistencies in the accuser’s account, his co-defendant Sean Combs finds himself entangled in even deeper legal troubles.
Combs, currently held without bail on federal charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution, has also denied the allegations brought forward in this case.
His trial is scheduled for May 2025.