Disclosure: State of Alabama-based writer. This article is a work from cited sources for informational purposes and is used with permission. No affiliate links are included.
According to MSN News, a federal judge has ruled that a woman who accused Sean “Diddy” Combs of sexual assault must proceed with her lawsuit under her real name. In a recent opinion, U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil emphasized that Combs has the right to defend himself in court, which includes the ability to investigate the allegations against him.
“The fundamental question is whether Plaintiff has a ‘substantial privacy’ interest that ‘outweighs the customary and constitutionally-embedded presumption of openness in judicial proceedings,” Judge Vyskocil wrote. She added, “Defendants have a right to defend themselves, including by investigating Plaintiff, and the people have a right to know who is using their courts.”
The Tennessee woman, who filed her lawsuit earlier this month as “Jane Doe,” claims that Combs sexually assaulted her in 2004 when she was 19 years old. Her decision to file under a pseudonym was likely an attempt to protect her privacy, but the judge determined that the public’s right to transparency in judicial proceedings must take precedence.