Sean ‘P Diddy’ Combs has been told by a judge he has the right to investigate a woman who has accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 19 years old.

The 54-year-old rapper had a civil lawsuit filed against him by the Tennessee woman. She claimed the alleged assault happened when she was a college student in Brooklyn, which Combs has denied.

Federal judge Mary Kay Vyskocil ruled on Wednesday that the woman cannot proceed with her case anonymously. The judge described the woman’s allegations as “wholly meritless”. “Simply put, allegations of sexual assault, by themselves, are not sufficient to entitle a plaintiff to proceed under a pseudonym,” Judge Vyskocil wrote in the filing.

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Diddy’s accuser had alleged she could be harmed if her name was published. However, the judge wrote: “Combs has had no contact with Plaintiff for the approximately 20 years since the alleged rape and Combs is currently detained pending trial.

“As such, counsel has not identified any present threat of physical harm to Plaintiff.” The judge also said Combs has the right to investigate his accuser and her credibility.

The judge explained: “The Court appreciates that Combs is a public figure and, therefore, Plaintiff is likely to face public scrutiny if she proceeds in her own name. The Court is not oblivious to the potential toll of such scrutiny on any litigant.

“However, 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.”

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The Tennessee woman alleged in court documents obtained by The Mirror US that she was invited to a party by Diddy in 2004. The woman claimed a man, who she believed to be a security guard, “suddenly grabbed” her and her friend and took them into a private room.

The alleged victim claimed the man told them: “You know what you are here for.” She then alleged she and her friend were forced to take cocaine.

She alleged Diddy then started to “forcibly touch” them. The woman claimed her friend escaped, but alleged she was pinned down by Combs.

This is one of several lawsuits which have been brought against the rapper. Diddy has denied all allegations against him. In a statement shared with The Mirror US, Diddy’s attorneys said: “The press conference and 1-800 number that preceded todays barrage of filings were clear attempts to garner publicity.

“Mr. Combs and his legal team have full confidence in the facts, their legal defenses, and the integrity of the judicial process. In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted anyone  adult or minor, man or woman.”

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