Diddy’s accuser must reveal name or rape case will be thrown out, judge rules

A woman who anonymously sued Sean “Diddy” Combs this month for rape must reveal her name or her lawsuit will be dismissed, a judge has ruled.

The woman’s complaint, filed as “Jane Doe” in the Southern District of New York, accuses Combs of raping her in 2004 at a Manhattan hotel when she was a 19-year-old student.

However, U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil, in a ruling Wednesday, said that while the case is highly sensitive and Jane Doe may face public scrutiny if she proceeds under her own name, her desire to remain anonymous does not outweigh the interests of Combs and the public “in the ordinary and constitutionally embedded presumption of openness in legal proceedings.”

Vyskocil said the woman’s complaint provided insufficient evidence that she would face “significant risk of harm” if named publicly. Vyskocil said her attorneys offered “no support for that claim” beyond the fact that 20 years ago, Combs threatened Doe’s life if she ran away at the time of the alleged rape. The complaint also said Combs had no contact with Doe in the years since and noted that Combs is currently incarcerated.

The judge also said her lawyers had not provided evidence that revealing Doe’s identity would cause psychological harm, noting that “public humiliation” was not enough. She said they did not present evidence from a mental health professional or an affidavit from Doe.

Vyskocil said she also considered fairness to Combs’ camp in defending herself, which would be difficult without her identity being made public, given that the alleged attack happened 20 years ago.

“Defendants have a right to defend themselves, including by investigating the plaintiff, and people have a right to know who is using their courts.”

In denying the motion, the judge gave Jane Doe until Nov. 13 to file a complaint on her own behalf “or this case will be dismissed.”

Attorney Tony Buzbee filed the action under the Gender-Based Violence Victims Protection Act, which gives victims a two-year period ending in March 2025 to file older claims. The lawsuit was one of six complaints Buzbee filed in the Southern District of New York, all anonymously, on October 14.

Buzbee did not comment on the court’s decision.

The complaint was filed against Sean Combs, several of his businesses, including his record label Bad Boy Records LLC, and Marriott International.

The complaint alleged that Jane Doe, who now lives in Tennessee, was invited to one of Comb’s photo shoots in Brooklyn, New York, in 2004.

She went to the photo shoot where she and another freshman from her dorm were invited to an after party. At that party, Combs told Doe and her friend “that they should come to his hotel first for a more exclusive party.” Doe and her friend agreed and were taken to a Manhattan-area Marriott hotel by a member of Comb’s entourage, the complaint said.

There, Doe and her friend were grabbed and taken to a separate bedroom away from the main party and locked inside with Combs, according to the filing.

Once inside, Combs allegedly gave them drinks, ordered them to use cocaine and forcibly touched them, the complaint says. He allegedly ordered Doe’s friend to perform oral sex “or else he would kill them both” and raped Doe, according to the filing.

A security guard opened the door at one point and Doe’s friend ran out. Doe was ordered to stay and waited about half an hour until another security guard came and told him he could leave, the complaint said.

The tormented music mogul was arrested in New York in Septemberfollowing a wave of lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault and misconduct. The lawsuits came after his ex-girlfriend Casandra Ventura, known by her stage name Cassie, sued him in federal court, accusing him of years of physical and sexual abuse.

The two settled a day after the lawsuit was filed, without disclosing terms. An attorney for Combs said the plea was not an admission of wrongdoing. He has previously denied the allegations.

Combs’ attorneys have denied the allegations of sexual misconduct.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com