Jay Z's latest moves In his legal case against an unidentified woman, he issued a “stinging judgment” after asking the judge to order the victim's identity to be made public.
Jay Z's lawyers have filed several court documents after the rapper was added to a lawsuit accusing him and Sean “Diddy” Combs of raping a 13-year-old girl at the 2000 VMAs after-party. However, the “naked litigation” strategy used was met with a “slap on the bench” by New York Judge Analisa Torres, according to experts.
“Jay-Z's attorney, Alex Spiro of Quinn Emanuel, went so far as to file motion after motion and attack the alleged victim and (her attorney) Tony Buzbee,” former federal prosecutor Nima Rahmani explained to Fox News Digital. “We call a stinging ruling like this a ‘bench slap’.”
“When a judge publicly berates a lawyer in this way, it is professionally embarrassing and sends a message that bare-knuckle litigation tactics will not be tolerated just because you work for a white-shoe company and represent a rich and powerful celebrity. Spiro will have to recalibrate his approach and take a more nuanced and professional tone in His files are before the court.”
JAY-Z's sexual assault accuser can remain anonymous for now: Judge
A New York judge criticized the tactics of Jay-Z's legal team in a ruling that allows his sexual assault accuser to remain anonymous. (Theo Wargo/WireImage)
Torres ruled that Jane Doe could remain anonymous for the time being, but reserved the right to reconsider the decision at a future date in court documents filed Thursday. The judge took the time to recall Spiro's prior motions.
“Jay-Z's attorney's relentless filing of combative motions containing inflammatory language and personal attacks is inappropriate, a waste of judicial resources, and a tactic unlikely to benefit his client,” she wrote. “The court will not expedite the judicial process simply because the lawyer requests it.”
Courts typically “deny” repeated claims and “straightforward requests,” according to Orange County criminal defense attorney Lauren Johnson Norris.
“Court arguments are no place for inflammatory language, and courts do not like repetitive pleadings and explicit demands,” Johnson-Norris told Fox News Digital. “Spero would likely respond this way at his client's request, but that's why lawyers need to work the way they've been trained and professionally.
“It may be difficult to deal with a famous client and his demands, but, as the judge pointed out, this is not in the client's best interest. He may do more harm than good. Whether Spiro changes his approach may depend on the limits he desires. To agree with his client, but I expect he will “It will alleviate the severity of the matter.”
Read the ruling:
Jay-Z is accused of raping a 13-year-old girl alongside Sean “Diddy” Combs. (J. Vespa/WireImage)
In this “very early stage” of The case of Jay-Z and DiddyJudge Torres noted that the victim's privacy interests outweigh the public's interest. “The balance of these factors will certainly change,” the judge noted in his December 26 order.
“Federal rules do not automatically allow victims of sexual assault or assault to remain anonymous, like many states do,” Rahmani explained. “A judge has to balance the privacy interests of the plaintiff and defendant victim against the public interest in disclosure. As a practical matter, some victims may not want to identify themselves in a very public lawsuit, so Combs and Jay-Z’s attorneys tried to ‘exit’ the case.” Victims To discourage them and others who have not come forward from moving forward.
“This is part and parcel of the defense's very aggressive strategy in attacking these allegations and the adage that the best defense is a good offense.”
Both Jay-Z and Diddy denied the allegations. (Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage for Bad Boy Entertainment)
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Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs allegedly sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl at a 2000 VMAs after-party. (Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc.)
Torres' ruling is “not uncommon” when it comes to cases of sexual abuse of a minor.
“As noted in the ruling, sexual assault cases are highly personal and place plaintiffs in a vulnerable position, particularly in light of the power dynamics and media attention of those involving celebrities,” Los Angeles Chief Prosecutor John Perlstein explained to Fox News Digital.
“Given Plaintiff’s depression and PTSD, the judge’s ruling is in the best interest of protecting Plaintiff from further damages.”
He pointed out that revealing the victim's identity would be “inevitable.”
Pearlstein explained, “Not revealing the plaintiff's identity will make it difficult for the defense team to collect the necessary evidence during the discovery stages.” “As (the judge) noted, the need for information at some point will outweigh anonymity, and disclosure of identity will be inevitable.”
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Jay-Z's legal team had asked the accused to reveal her identity in several files. (Vivian Killilea/Getty Images for Roc Nation)
Jay-Z added to the lawsuit Jane Doe filed against Combs on December 8. The amended complaint named the rap mogul as “Celebrity A,” who was mentioned in the original complaint filed in October.
The new version of the lawsuit says the 13-year-old became disoriented and found a bedroom to rest after having one drink at a VMA post-party. It appears that Jay-Z, Diddy, and the female “Celebrity B” followed the girl into the room. She said she “immediately recognized the three celebrities,” according to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital. The lawsuit states that Jay-Z raped the girl, and Diddy then allegedly raped the plaintiff, all while watching “Celebrity B.”
The “Empire State of Mind” rapper strongly denied the allegations in a statement shared on Roc Nation's social media.
Diddy and Jay-Z, who were photographed in 2000, became friends in the 1990s through the music industry. (Patrick McMullan)
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“These allegations are so heinous in nature that I am urging you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one!! Anyone who commits such a crime against a minor should be locked up, don't you agree? These alleged victims deserve true justice.” If that's the case, Jay-Z wrote.
Diddy also denied the accusations against him.
