By Jonathan Stempel
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A woman who accused Sean "Diddy" Combs of raping her two decades ago cannot sue him without revealing her identity, a federal judge ruled in a Wednesday decision whose reasoning could apply to other civil lawsuits against the music mogul.
U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil in Manhattan said "the balance of interests at stake weighs strongly" against the plaintiff known as Jane Doe from continuing to use a pseudonym.
Vyskocil's reasoning could apply to other civil lawsuits that have been or may be filed in Manhattan federal court against the 54-year-old Combs, who also faces criminal sex trafficking charges there.
He has pleaded not guilty in the criminal case and denied wrongdoing in the civil cases.
Doe, a Tennessee resident, said Combs raped her and threatened her life at a Manhattan hotel in 2004, when she was 19.
Her lawyers argued that using a pseudonym was justified because the accusations were highly sensitive, she could face physical and mental harm if named, and Combs' alleged violent behavior "created the very conditions" that warranted anonymity.
Vyskocil, however, noted that several accusers including the singers Dawn Richard and Cassie, whose given name is Casandra Ventura, have sued Combs under their own names.
She also said the Bad Boy record label founder was entitled to investigate Doe's background and credibility, and there was an "undeniable public interest" in identifying Combs' accusers.
"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," Vyskocil wrote.
"Indeed, this is the kind of case that further (s) the public's interest in enforcing legal and social norms," she added.
Tony Buzbee and other lawyers who represent Doe did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Buzbee also represents many other male and female accusers suing Combs anonymously and has said he represents more than 150 victims.
Combs' representatives declined to comment.
In the criminal case, Combs' lawyers also want federal prosecutors to identify his alleged victims, saying it would help Combs respond to other accusers and ease preparation for the scheduled May 5, 2025 trial.
They also said Combs should not have to "play a guessing game—one made all the more challenging by the onslaught of baseless allegations that desperate plaintiffs are lodging at him (for the most part anonymously) in civil suits designed to exact a payoff."
Combs was arrested on Sept. 16 and is being jailed in Brooklyn. He is appealing his detention.