A federal judge ruled Wednesday that a woman who accuses rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs of raping her 20 years ago must reveal her identity.
US District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil said in her ruling that “the balance of interests at stake weighs strongly” against the plaintiff remaining anonymous, Reuters reports.
Combs, 54, has been sued by multiple accusers, some anonymously and others, like his former girlfriend and R&B singer Cassie Ventura and singer Dawn Richard, have done so under their own names. Combs is also under criminal indictment in Manhattan for sex trafficking.
Combs has pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied all the accusations against hime, except for beating Ventura in a hotel hallway in 2016, an incident that was captured on video tape.
Vyskocil was not swayed by Jane Doe’s arguments that Combs’ allegedly violent behavior — detailed in the federal indictment — “created the very conditions” that warrant the plaintiff’s anonymity.
She said that Combs’ attorneys are entitled to investigate an accuser’s background and credibility and that there is an “unedniable public interest” in disclosing the names of the singer’s accuers.
“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 wrote.
Combs’ attorneys also want federal investigators to identify the accusers in the federal indictment.
Combs has been in jail in federal jail in Brooklyn since September 16, as judges continue to deny him bond because of his behavior.
It’s not clear if Vyskoci’s ruling will apply to other lawsuits filed in Manhattan.
