Jay-Z’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, faced criticism from a New York Judge Analisa Torres after filing multiple court documents that attacked the alleged victim and her attorney in a lawsuit accusing him and Sean “Diddy” Combs of raping a 13-year-old girl at a 2000 VMAs after-party.
The judge ruled that Jane Doe can remain anonymous for now, but reserved the right to revisit the decision. In her ruling, Torres called out Spiro’s previous motions as “inappropriate, a waste of judicial resources, and a tactic unlikely to benefit his client.” The judge noted that court pleadings are no place for inflammatory language and repeated filings.
Experts say that Jay-Z’s lawyer needs to adopt a more nuanced and professional tone in his court filings. Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani explained that the aggressive strategy used by Spiro is “bare-knuckle litigation” that may backfire. Orange County criminal defense lawyer Lauren Johnson-Norris added that courts typically disfavor repeated filings and “outright demands.”
The judge noted that the victim’s privacy interests outweigh the public’s interest at this stage of the case. However, disclosure of the victim’s identity will be inevitable as the case progresses. The ruling is not uncommon in sexual assault cases involving minors.
Jay-Z has vehemently denied the allegations, stating that he believes the case should be filed as a criminal complaint rather than a civil one. Diddy has also denied the allegations against him.
Source: https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/jay-z-handed-bench-slap-scathing-ruling-sends-powerful-message-lawyers-expert