Sofia Barruti
(CNN) — An unnamed male celebrity says he is the victim of an extortion scheme and is suing a powerful Texas lawyer who is representing several people in civil lawsuits accusing Sean “Diddy” Combs of sexual assault.
The anonymous plaintiff, described in the lawsuit as “a celebrity and public figure residing in Los Angeles,” filed his lawsuit under a pseudonym “John Doe” this week in Los Angeles Superior Court. He accused Houston-based attorney Tony Buzbee and his firm of “blatantly attempting to extort exorbitant sums from him or publicly bring horrific and wildly false accusations against him.”
A spokesperson for Quinn Emanuel, the law firm representing Doe, confirms that the complaint was filed Monday.
Buzbee said he represents at least 120 of Combs’ alleged victims. In the past month, he has filed dozens of civil lawsuits against Combs, in some cases accusing the producer of drugging and sexually assaulting the plaintiffs, some of whom he alleges were minors at the time.
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Combs, who is in jail awaiting his criminal trial, denied the allegations against him.
The lawsuit filed by the anonymous celebrity claims that Buzbee’s law firm is trying to capitalize on the “explosive allegations against Sean Combs” by linking public figures who were acquaintances of Combs.
Doe’s attorneys claim that Buzbee sent a demand letter earlier this month in which his firm “threatened to unleash completely fabricated and salacious allegations of sexual assault” that included “multiple instances of rape of a minor, both man as woman” if his client “refuses to comply with his demands.”
In the demand letter, the male celebrity’s attorneys said that Buzbee characterized their famous client as “having been friends with Mr. Combs based on the fact that the two often attended similar events frequented by celebrities.”
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“These baseless allegations are nothing more than a weapon in a plot calculated to destroy plaintiff’s high-profile reputation for profit, despite the complete absence of any factual basis for such claims,” the lawsuit states.
Doe’s lawsuit claims he is filing anonymously to avoid “irreparable harm to his reputation.”
Buzbee denied the extortion allegations against him, in an Instagram post in which he wrote that his firm “will not allow the powerful and their high-cost attorneys to intimidate or silence survivors of sexual assault,” he said in a statement sent to CNN.
“If you are trying to hide your identity and say you did nothing wrong, it doesn’t seem very smart to take this approach,” Buzbee told CNN in an email on Monday. “We will address it in due time.”
“I am confident that with full public disclosure this will all resolve itself,” Buzbee wrote.
Doubts about anonymous accusations
The celebrity lawsuit applauds Combs’ whistleblowers who spoke out with their names attached to their lawsuits, but casts doubt on some of the allegations filed anonymously as “Jane Doe” or “John Doe,” saying Buzbee’s firm has ” managed to find about 120 plaintiffs” who “say they were sexually assaulted by Combs.”
The lawsuit accuses Buzbee of creating “a pocket industry that profits from the bravery of those victims who came forward to blackmail innocent celebrities, politicians and businessmen with an army of masked accusers.”
Last month, a judge ruled that one of Buzbee’s civil lawsuits against Combs could not move forward if the complainant came forward under a pseudonym, stating that Combs has the right to defend himself by investigating the plaintiff. Shortly after her “Jane Doe” status was denied, the complainant refiled her complaint under her real name.
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In an interview with CNN last month, Buzbee explained that his firm initially files cases anonymously to protect the safety of its clients. But he said each of his 120 clients is willing to testify and publicly reveal his name.
“They think (if) the person’s name is revealed, maybe they’ll go back under a rock and we won’t hear from them again,” Buzbee said. “I told all clients that when we present your case, be prepared for your identity to be revealed.”
Buzbee said he does not believe Combs acted alone in his alleged misconduct. He said at a news conference last month that his clients have shared information regarding celebrities, entertainment executives, business entities and other high-profile individuals who were complicit or participated in Combs’ alleged abuse.
In Doe’s lawsuit this week, her attorneys paint a different picture.
“This is a cynical extortion scheme disguised as vindication of victims of actual sexual abuse,” the lawsuit says. “Defendants corrupt this just cause by attempting to monetize the victimization of women who suffered at the hands of this one guy.”
How do the tactics alleged in this lawsuit reflect broader issues of accountability within the legal profession, particularly in high-stakes cases involving celebrities?
Introductory Questions:
1. Could you please provide an overview of the news article ‘Sofia Barruti’ that details an unnamed celebrity’s lawsuit against a powerful Texas lawyer, Tony Buzbee?
2. How has this lawsuit come about and what are the main allegations made against Mr. Buzbee?
Main Questions:
3. In the article, it states that the anonymous plaintiff has accused Mr. Buzbee and his firm of attempting to extort exorbitant sums from them. Could you elaborate on the nature and extent of these demands?
4. The lawsuit also alleges that Mr. Buzbee threatened to publicize completely fabricated and salacious accusations of sexual assault against the anonymous celebrity. How widespread is this practice in the legal industry, in your opinion?
5. The plaintiff in this case claims that they are filing anonymously to avoid irreparable harm to their reputation; however, the lawsuit also casts doubt on some of the allegations filed anonymously by “Jane/John Does”. How do you respond to these conflicting statements?
6. The article mentions a passage from the lawsuit which says, “This is a cynical extortion scheme disguised as vindication of victims of actual sexual abuse…” Could you expand on this statement and explain its implications?
7. What challenges do victims of sexual assault face when coming forward with their stories, particularly in high-profile cases like this one?
8. Tony Buzbee, the lawyer who is being sued, has said that he represents at least 120 individuals who have accused Sean “Diddy” Combs of sexual assault. Do you think it’s possible for one lawyer to represent so many clients without any conflicts of interest? How does the legal system handle such cases?
9. The article raises concerns about the security and fairness of allowing anonymous accusers to participate in such lawsuits. What steps can be taken to protect the identities of victims while ensuring the validity of their claims?
10. In your opinion, what is the role of prominent lawyers like Tony Buzbee in raising awareness about sexual assault
