Court denies Jay-Z's request to dismiss rape case
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Court denies Jay-Z's request to dismiss rape case

Jay-Z's (Shawn Carter) petition to drop a case accusing him of raping a 13 year-old alongside Sean "Diddy" Combs in 2000 has been denied.

The judge wrote in a filed order on Thursday that "Carter's lawyer’s relentless filing of combative motions containing inflammatory language and ad hominem attacks is inappropriate," and "the Court will not fast-track the judicial process merely because counsel demands it,” as reported by CNN.

Carter originally filed to dismiss the case on December 9, a day after the anonymous accuser ("Jane Doe") refiled her civil suit against Diddy to include him as well. He quickly denied Doe's allegations that he held her down, took her clothes off, and raped her, calling the claims "heinous in nature," according to his official statement. "Whomever would commit such a crime against a minor should be locked away, would you not agree?" he added.

Since then, Carter's legal team has been trying to dismiss the case. They first filed a motion on December 9 to dismiss the accuser's request to remain anonymous, claiming that her actions are a publicity stunt aimed to ruin the artist's reputation. (The judge originally ruled that Doe had "sufficient cause" to conceal her identity, according to ABC News. ) On December 14, Carter's team requested to drop the case again after his accuser spoke to NBC and admitted "I have made some mistakes" in recounting the events of 2000. She did, however, maintain that the overall accusations made against Combs and Carter are true, and she intends to continue seeking justice through the court system.

The judge ruled to maintain Doe's anonymous identity. According to the filed order reported by CNN, the judge recognized that matters of sexual assault are "highly sensitive," and that many of Diddy's other accusers have been allegedly threatened by him for speaking out, thus making the accuser's decision a matter of personal protection.

Jay-Z's legal team was also reprimanded for their behavior regarding the case, according to the filed order. The judge overseeing the case noted the team's inability to "abide by the Court's clear rules," as well as the influx of inflammatory, disparaging motions aimed to discredit the accuser's lawyer, Tony Buzbee. According to CNN, she wrote:

"Since Carter’s attorney first appeared in this case seventeen days ago, he has submitted a litany of letters and motions attempting to impugn the character of Plaintiff’s lawyer, many of them expounding on the purported ‘urgency’ of this case.”

Shawn Carter still denies any of the accusations made against him. Earlier this month, his lawyer Alex Spiro told reporters that this case is a "fantasy," and that he and Carter "expect the case to be dismissed. If it’s not, we expect this all to crumble.” Carter and his team have yet to make an official statement addressing the dismissal rejection.

Victoria Borlando

New York, NY

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