A woman suing Sean “Diddy” Combs for sexual assault must reveal her identity or face potential dismissal of her lawsuit.
The Tennessee resident sued Diddy, alleging he assaulted her at a party two decades ago when she was a 19-year-old college student. She filed her claim under a pseudonym, but a federal judge has ruled the case cannot proceed anonymously, according to abc News.
“Simply put, allegations of sexual assault, by themselves, are not sufficient to entitle a plaintiff to proceed under a pseudonym,” Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil said in her decision.
The judge disagreed with the accuser’s argument that she could face harm if her identity was known.
“Combs has had no contact with Plaintiff for the approximately 20 years since the alleged rape and Combs is currently detained pending trial,” Judge Vyskocil stated. “As such, counsel has not identified any present threat of physical harm to Plaintiff.”
Although the judge agreed that Jane Doe could face public scrutiny, she said it “does not outweigh the interests of both Combs and the public in the customary and constitutionally-embedded presumption of openness in judicial proceedings.”
Earlier this year, a woman with a “public-facing identity” asked a judge to maintain her anonymity in her lawsuit against Diddy and Bad Boy Records’ former president Harve Pierre.
“Because of my former employer’s power and influence, I fear that I will be harassed and ridiculed if my identity was made public in connection with these claims,” she explained. “I am concerned for my physical safety and the safety of my family.”
Diddy denies the allegations. He remains behind bars at MDC, awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution.