1 day Ago By USA TODAY
Sean "Diddy" Combs ' is counting a small win in civil court after a woman's anonymously filed sexual assault lawsuit was dismissed due to her decision not to reveal her identity . On Monday, U.S.
District Court Judge Lewis J. Liman issued an order closing Jane Doe's case, according to a filing reviewed by USA TODAY. Liman noted that on March 6, he ruled that Doe could not proceed with her case anonymously and ordered for her to re-file her initial complaint using her real name.
"As of today, March 31, 2025, (Doe) has not filed a complaint in her own name, nor has she sought an extension of time to do so," Liman wrote. According to her legal team, Doe decided not to come forward due to fear of public scrutiny. "In this particular case, Jane Doe opted not to proceed.
There is a lot of fear amongst these plaintiffs. I thus can’t blame her," Texas-based attorney Tony Buzbee said in a statement to USA TODAY. He continued, "These are tough cases and they are many times re-traumatizing for those who pursue them.
Each case stands on its own merit. This woman chose not to proceed and subject herself to the media circus and the perceived danger she felt. We have to respect that.
" In her Oct. 14 lawsuit, Doe claimed that Combs had raped her at a 1995 party in New York for a Biggie Smalls music video. Combs' legal team responded to Monday's ruling by denouncing anonymous complaints against the hip-hop mogul.
"Today a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed against Mr. Combs by Texas attorney Anthony Buzbee and his local counsel Antigone Curis on behalf of an anonymized plaintiff. This is now the second case brought by these attorneys against Mr.
Combs that has been dismissed in its entirety," Combs' attorneys said in a statement. "It will not be the last." The statement continued, "For months, we have seen case after case filed by individuals hiding behind anonymity, pushed forward by attorneys more focused on media headlines than legal merit.
The other claims, like the one dismissed today, also will not hold up in a court of law." Combs' attorneys have maintained his innocence as he faces dozens of sexual assault lawsuits that date back to the 1990s, as well as his criminal sex crimes charges . Combs is currently in jail after being denied bond multiple times and is scheduled to head to trial for his sex trafficking and racketeering charges on May 5.
Several of Diddy's anonymous accusers have been ordered to identify themselves Combs' team has made efforts in various cases, including his upcoming criminal trial , to unmask his accusers. In response, some judges have cast doubt on some of Combs' anonymous accusers' arguments for proceeding with their cases without disclosing their identities. A few cases have been dismissed, while some accusers have publicly identified themselves to see their cases move forward.
Last November, a John Doe — who, like the aforementioned Jane Doe, was represented by Buzbee, local New York counsel Curis Law, PLLC, and the San Diego-based AVA Law Group — saw his case dismissed by a federal judg e a day after his lawsuit was filed because the man did not obtain authorization from the court to file the lawsuit anonymously. In October, U.S.
District Court Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil said a woman suing Combs over an alleged 2004 rape could not remain anonymous . Vyskocil cited Combs' interest in investigating the woman's credibility and the public interest in open court proceedings. The woman then re-filed the suit with her real name, Candice McCrary.
Another woman, Anna Kane, also identified herself as one of Combs' accusers last year after a federal judge said Kane "failed to demonstrate particularized harm or current vulnerabilities" that would occur if she were to name herself. Meanwhile, in December, another judge, Analisa Torres, allowed another Buzbee client to remain unnamed in her lawsuit against Combs and Jay-Z due to the sensitivity of the circumstances. That same Jane Doe voluntarily dismissed her case in February; weeks later, Jay-Z sued Jane Doe, Buzbee and another attorney for malicious prosecution, abuse of process, civil conspiracy and defamation.
Buzbee, who announced in a press conference last year that he is purportedly representing more than 100 alleged victims of Combs, has faced other roadblocks in court, including on the issue of whether he is allowed to represent clients in the Southern District of New York. If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support to survivors and their loved ones in English and Spanish at: 800.656.
HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and en Español RAINN.
org/es . This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Diddy lawsuit dismissed after accuser refuses to reveal identity.
