- A judge dismissed a sex assault lawsuit against Sean "Diddy" Combs over anonymity issues.
- The accuser's lawyer, Tony Buzbee, said he's not worried about the other anonymous suits against Combs.
- Combs' legal team said they expect more lawsuits against the hip-hop mogul to be tossed.
Sean "Diddy" Combs scored a win this week when a New York federal judge dismissed one of the sexual assault lawsuits against him after the anonymous accuser did not reveal her identity.
Tony Buzbee, one of the accuser's attorneys, told Business Insider that even though the lawsuit was tossed, he's not worried about the success of the rest of the lawsuits his firm initially brought in the same court on behalf of a slew of "Jane Doe" and "John Doe" plaintiffs alleging sex abuse.
Prior to the judge's Monday dismissal of the lawsuit, Buzbee had been forced to formally withdraw from that case and the more than a dozen other federal cases he filed against Combs in the Southern District of New York after it became clear the Texas-based attorney was not allowed to practice law in that court.
Buzbee previously told BI that his firm is still representing the plaintiffs in the federal lawsuits against Combs, but that his co-counsel will handle any formal appearances in the cases.
In the case of the anonymous woman whose lawsuit was thrown out this week, US District Judge Lewis Liman wrote in his order that on March 6 he denied the plaintiff's motion to proceed with the case anonymously and ordered her to re-file a complaint using her real name by March 20 — or the case would be dismissed.
"As of today, March 31, 2025, Plaintiff has not filed a complaint in her own name, nor has she sought an extension of time to do so," Liman wrote. "Accordingly, the case is dismissed."
The plaintiff's lawsuit alleged that Combs attacked and raped her at a 1995 promotional party for a music video by the rapper Biggie Smalls.
Buzbee told BI on Tuesday that the move by the judge was "expected."
"In this particular case, Jane Doe opted not to proceed. There is a lot of fear amongst these plaintiffs. I thus can't blame her," Buzbee said in an email.
"These are tough cases and they are many times re-traumatizing for those who pursue them. Each case stands on its own merit," he said. "This woman chose not to proceed and subject herself to the media circus and the perceived danger she felt. We have to respect that."
Buzbee added, "I don't worry," when asked whether he's concerned his other clients' anonymous lawsuits against Combs will ultimately be dismissed on similar grounds.
New York federal judges overseeing at least two other cases against Combs brought by Buzbee and his team have ordered that the anonymous plaintiffs file amended complaints this month with their real names.
Combs remains locked up pretrial at a Brooklyn jail on federal sex trafficking charges. He has vehemently denied the charges, as well as all sexual abuse allegations against him.
The rapper's legal team said in a statement that they expect more of the lawsuits brought by Buzbee and fellow attorney Antigone Curis to be tossed.
"This is now the second case brought by these attorneys against Mr. Combs that has been dismissed in its entirety. It will not be the last," Combs' attorneys said. "For months, we have seen case after case filed by individuals hiding behind anonymity, pushed forward by attorneys more focused on media headlines than legal merit."
Combs' lawyers said that the other claims, like the one that was dismissed on Monday, "also will not hold up in a court of law."
In addition to the New York federal lawsuits Buzbee has filed against Combs, he has also filed several suits in New York state court where he says he is licensed.
