Jay-Z shifts legal strategy after judge allows rape accuser to stay anonymous

Jay-Z is switching gears in his legal defense after a judge ruled that his anonymous accuser, "Jane Doe," could remain unnamed in her lawsuit against him.

According to Rolling Stone and Deadline, the rapper’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, has now filed paperwork challenging the case on a different front, arguing that the claims fall outside the scope of New York’s gender-motivated violence statute.

In his December 30 filing, Spiro contended that the alleged assault, which Jane Doe says occurred in September 2000, predates the December 2000 enactment of the Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act.

“Plaintiff cannot recover for her sole claim... because the statute does not have retroactive effect,” Spiro wrote, emphasising that the law cannot apply to incidents that occurred before it was established.

The lawsuit, filed earlier this month, alleges that Jay-Z and Sean "Diddy" Combs raped Doe at an MTV Video Music Awards afterparty when she was 13 years old. Both men have denied the accusations.

Jay-Z’s previous motion sought to have the case dismissed and Doe’s identity revealed. However, Judge Analisa Torres recently allowed her to remain anonymous for now, though she left the door open to revisiting the issue if the case progresses.