Sean “Diddy” Combs won a legal battle as a judge ruled his John Doe accuser cannot remain anonymous in a high-profile sexual assault lawsuit.
Sean “Diddy” Combs notched another courtroom victory as a federal judge in New York ruled that a man accusing the music mogul of sexual assault must reveal his identity.
The lawsuit was filed in October by an individual identified only as “John Doe.”
John Doe claims he was 17 years old when he met Diddy at a Miami nightclub in 2003. He was introduced to the Hip-Hop heavyweight under the pretense of career prospects.
According to the lawsuit, the teenager was later invited to Diddy’s home, where he alleges he was offered a drink that caused physical weakness and disorientation. The filing claims Diddy then drugged and sexually assaulted him.
Attempting to shield his identity, the accuser argued in court that disclosing his name would expose him to potential public backlash, harassment, and deep emotional distress.
His legal team cited Diddy’s alleged history of intimidation tactics to support the request for anonymity, asserting that their client feared retaliation.
Diddy’s attorney fired back, arguing that the allegations were both serious and reputationally damaging, making it fundamentally unfair for the plaintiff to proceed without disclosing his identity.
In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan sided with Diddy, stating that while anonymity may be granted under specific circumstances, it is not guaranteed in civil cases, especially those involving high-profile defendants.
The decision marks the second pivotal ruling Kaplan has issued that Diddy’s legal team is leveraging to his advantage.
In a separate case involving the Alexander brothers — former real estate developers accused of gender-motivated violence — Kaplan recently determined that certain claims brought under the New York City Gender-Motivated Violence Act (VGM) were invalid due to timing conflicts with broader state laws like the Adult Survivors Act (ASA).
While the judge did not dismiss the substantive allegations against the Alexanders on their merits, Kaplan ruled that the suit was time-barred under legal technicalities.
Now, Diddy’s attorneys are pointing to that precedent in an effort to eliminate similar lawsuits. Diddy has faced a growing number of legal battles after federal sexual misconduct cases emerged against the entrepreneur in recent months.
His lawyers allege that many of these claims are opportunistic, aiming to capitalize on the tidal wave of lawsuits filed under loosening statutes of limitation laws.
Diddy is locked away at the MDC jail in Brooklyn, where he is awaiting trial for sex trafficking and RICO charges.
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