A woman who sued Sean “Diddy” Combs for rape will have to identify herself if she wants her case to move forward.
U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil ruled on Wednesday that the “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.”
Typically, alleged victims of sexual violence can keep their names private during legal proceedings. In her civil suit, the Jane Doe in question alleges that, when she was 19 in 2004, she met Diddy at a photoshoot in New York City. She says he invited her and a friend to a party at his hotel, but when they arrived, according to her lawsuit, his security detail shut them in a room with the rapper and locked the door. Diddy then forced alcohol and drugs on them, her complaint claims.
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Doe alleges that Diddy “fondled, molested, and ultimately raped her” while threatening her life and her friend’s. Hers was among the first complaints filed by Tony Buzbee, the Texas lawyer who—shortly after Diddy’s arrest for his alleged orchestration of an elaborate sex-abuse and sex-trafficking scheme—threatened a barrage of 120 new lawsuits against the disgraced rapper. Diddy unilaterally denies the allegations against him.
In recent weeks, his lawyers have lobbied for the release of his accusers’ names, claiming that the unchecked “torrent” of “swirling allegations” will destroy his chance at a fair trial. Although Doe‘s lawyers argued that a pseudonym would protect both her physical and mental well-being, Vyskocil noted that several of Diddy‘s accusers—namely, Cassie Ventura, whom Diddy was seen brutally assaulting in leaked security footage, and Danity Kane’s Dawn Richard—have put their names on their lawsuits.
Diddy, Vyskocil said, should have the opportunity to examine Doe‘s background, citing “undeniable public interest” in the alleged victims’ identities, Reuters reports. “This is the kind of case that further[s] the public’s interest in enforcing legal and social norms.”
Diddy’s criminal trial is expected to begin in May.
