Jay-Z argues accuser must share name in first legal filing after rape allegations

Today, Billboard reports that Carter filed a legal motion of his own, with his lawyer Alex Spiro framing the accusations as “extortionate” and arguing that the Jane Doe accuser must have her name revealed. “Mr. Carter deserves to know the identity of the person who is effectively accusing him — in sensationalized, publicity-hunting fashion — of criminal conduct, demanding massive financial compensation, and tarnishing a reputation earned over decades,” the filing reads, in part. 

“Mr. Carter now is entitled to defend himself against these allegations with benefit of all the protections and mechanisms available to defendants,” Spiro writes elsewhere in the motion. “To be sure, attorney Buzbee’s game has been to prevent Mr. Carter from defending himself while punching below the belt. Today, that game is at an end and Mr. Carter’s defense has begun — starting with plaintiff’s unmasking.”

Billboard notes that while accusers can sometimes remain anonymous out of concerns for their safety, that largely has not been the case so far in the Combs case proceedings. Judge Jessica G.L. Clarke decided in February that the Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey sexual misconduct and abuse lawsuits, which included Jane Doe and John Doe accusers, were “the exception and not the rule.” In a separate case in October, Garth Brooks outed the identity of an anonymous woman who claimed he assaulted and raped her; Brooks also argued he was being extorted by the allegations.