Who is 'Jane'? Upcoming witness faces battle for anonymity in Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial
As Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex-crimes trial stretches on in New York, another woman is expected to take the stand to testify to abuse and coercion at the hands of the music mogul.
The witness, who is going simply by "Jane," will remain anonymous – a request granted by the judge, who has explicitly warned jurors and court attendees against sharing information that could reveal her identity.
Jane is following in the footsteps of "Mia," a former employee of Combs, who has accused the rapper of assault and also testified under a pseudonym. Jane, a single mother who prosecutors claim was roped into Combs' empire of sex parties and abuse, faces an uphill battle, though, in keeping her true identity hidden.
Diddy trial live updates: Diddy allegedly dangled woman over balcony, threatened to kill her
Who is 'Mia'? Why you won't see photos of Diddy's ex-personal assistant during trial
After her testimony wrapped up this week, several outlets published Mia's real name online, a practice generally avoided by newspapers and magazines at the urging of the courts.
Prosecutors also alerted the judge that an individual inside the courtroom this week had broadcast the proceedings into his phone, using Mia's name and later outing her again on his YouTube channel. The person was banned from the courtroom.
Discover WITNESS: Access our exclusive collection of true crime stories, podcasts, videos and more
A witness' identity can be kept private for a host of reasons but, in the case of both Mia and Jane, it is likely being done to prevent online harassment by legions of Combs' loyal fans and to avoid the shame that can sometimes accompany admitting one has been sexually assaulted.
Who is testifying in the Diddy trial? Cassie, Kid Cudi, more who have taken the stand
Especially in a high-profile case like that of Combs, who is charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution, a victim may choose to remain anonymous to protect themselves from retaliation or harassment.
Anonymity has emerged as a hot-button issue in recent years, particularly in the wake of the #MeToo movement, as one side argues that if a celebrity faces public allegations of assault, the accuser should be forced to come forward, too.
Witnesses say Sean 'Diddy' Combs broke the law for decades. Why didn't they say anything?
On the other side, advocates argue that, given the public shame that can come from revealing one has been assaulted, anonymity provides a necessary sense of security, so victims choose to come forward.
"The reason the defense wants the victims to be identified is they think, and rightfully so, that that will discourage victims from coming forward," former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani previously told USA TODAY.
"They've been victimized, (and) now they have to relive this trauma in a very public way," says Rahmani, president of personal injury law firm West Coast Trial Lawyers. "These cases draw a lot of attention. People on social media will call them liars. They'll say that this is just a money grab, that they're just seeking fame."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Mia, Jane? Meet the Diddy trial's anonymous witnesses
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Three killed in Russian attack on Ukraine's Kharkiv; Ukrainian drones injure two near Moscow
LONDON (Reuters) -Overnight missile and bomb strikes by Russia on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv left three people dead and 22 hurt, while a Ukrainian drone attack in the Moscow region wounded two people, officials from both countries said separately on Saturday. Russian forces used high-precision long-range weapons and drones to hit designated military targets in Ukraine overnight, hitting all of them, according to Russia's Defence Ministry. Separately, Ukraine has indefinitely postponed accepting the bodies of its killed soldiers and the exchange of prisoners of war, Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky said. This was counter to an agreement between the two countries at a second round of peace talks in Istanbul on Monday, where they said they would swap more prisoners and return the bodies of 12,000 dead soldiers. The northeastern city of Kharkiv, one of Ukraine's largest, is just a few dozen kilometres (miles) from the Russian border and has been under frequent Russian shelling during more than three years of war triggered by Russia's full-scale invasion. "Kharkiv is currently experiencing the most powerful attack since the start of the full-scale war," Mayor Ihor Terekhov said in a post on Telegram earlier on Saturday. Residential buildings, educational and infrastructure facilities were attacked, he said, and photos showed buildings burnt and reduced partially to rubble, as rescuers carried the wounded away for treatment. Kharkiv regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said there could still be people buried under the rubble after one civilian industrial facility was hit by 40 drones and several bombs. In the Moscow region, two people were injured after a drone attack by Ukraine overnight and on Friday, Governor Andrei Vorobyov said on Telegram, with nine drones shot down. Russia's aviation watchdog said operations had resumed at the Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo and Zhukovsky airports in the Moscow region after being suspended temporarily for flight safety reasons. The Defence Ministry said that since midnight, air defence units had intercepted and destroyed 36 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory, including the Moscow region. Ukraine's air forces also shot down a Russian Su-35 fighter jet on Saturday morning, its military said without providing further details. Russian forces have not yet commented on the matter while Reuters could not independently verify the report. A Ukrainian drone attack deep inside Russian territory last weekend likely damaged around 10% of Russia's strategic bomber fleet and hit some of the aircraft as they were being prepared for strikes on Ukraine, a senior German military official said in a YouTube podcast set for broadcast later on Saturday.
Business Insider
2 hours ago
- Business Insider
10 celebrities who lived to 100 — and how they did it
Norman Lear Iconic screenwriter and producer Norman Lear, who died in December 2023 at the age of 101, said that work (and loving his job) is what kept him going. "Some people run. I don't run. I wake up and do the things that please me. That's my present to myself. That's my prayer. That's everything," he told USA Today as he turned 100 in 2022. He reiterated this in a chat with the Los Angeles Times in 2020. "When I go to sleep at night," he said, "I have something that I'm thinking. Among other things, it's about something I'm doing tomorrow." He added, "So today is over, and we're on to the next." There's evidence to suggest that delaying retirement could add years to your life. A 2015 study that followed 83,000 adults over 65 for 15 years, published in the journal Preventing Chronic Disease, found that, compared with people who retired, people who worked past age 65 were about three times more likely to report being in good health. Jimmy Carter The 39th president lived to be 100, dying in December 2024, almost three months after his landmark birthday. He credited one person with helping him live that long: his wife, Rosalynn. They were married for 77 years before her death in 2023. "It's hard to live until you're 95 years old," he told People in 2019. "I think the best explanation for that is to marry the best spouse: someone who will take care of you and engage and do things to challenge you, and keep you alive and interested in life," he said. Research suggests that having strong social bonds can help you live longer. A 2021 meta-review published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology found that the link between social support and longevity is as strong as the link between not smoking and longevity. Bob Hope Bob Hope, known for his vaudeville, acting, comedy, and his hosting gig at the Academy Awards a record 19 times, died in July 2003, two months after his 100th birthday. Back in the '80s, when he was a spry 78, he said he made sure to walk 2 miles every day, no matter where he was, per Men's Health. He learned this lesson from his grandfather. "When he was 96 years old, he walked two miles to the local pub every day to get a drink. He died within a month of his 100th birthday, and he remained mentally sharp till the very end," said Hope. There's science to back up their method. A 2024 study published in the British Journal of Sports Science analyzed health and mortality data from the 2019 US Census, the 2003—2006 National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey, and the National Center for Health Statistics. Using a mathematical model, the authors predicted that people who walk for around 160 minutes a day live an average of five years longer than their sedentary peers. They speculated that if the least active Americans walked for an extra 111 minutes daily, they could live up to 11 years longer. Dolores Hope Bob Hope lived to be 100, but his wife, Dolores, managed to outlive him. She died in 2011 at the age of 102. While Dolores didn't publicly share theories on how she made it to triple-digits, her daughters had their own ideas. Her oldest daughter, Linda (who's now in her 90s herself), told ABC7 in 2009: "Laugh a lot. Laughter is something that's been part of our lives, and I have to think that is a large part responsible for their happiness and for their long lives." Olivia de Havilland The "Gone with the Wind" star lived to be an impressive 104 years old. She died in July 2020. De Havilland, in addition to crediting the "three Ls" (love, laughter, and light) with her longevity, told Vanity Fair in 2016 that she kept her mind sharp by doing The New York Times crossword every single day. In a 2022 study published in the journal NEJM Evidence, 107 adults with mild cognitive impairment were asked to do an intensive program of web-based crossword puzzles or games for 12 weeks, followed by booster sessions up to 78 weeks. The authors found that 37% of participants in the crossword groups improved by two points on an Alzheimer's scale. Kirk Douglas The Hollywood icon and star of films such as "Spartacus" and "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" lived to 103. He died in February 2020. Douglas wrote an essay for Newsweek in 2008, when he was 91, about growing old. "Humor helps longevity," he wrote. "Try to think of others, try to help them. You will be amazed how that lessens your depression. That satisfaction is priceless," he added. "The greatest dividend to old age is the discovery of the true meaning of love." Gloria Stuart Much like her "Titanic" character Rose, Stuart lived to become a centenarian, briefly. She turned 100 in July 2010 and died two months later. As her 1999 memoir, "I Just Kept Hoping," suggests, Stuart used her career to fuel her into her old age. "I was driven then [in the 1930s], and I'm driven now," she told SF Gate at the time. After Stuart's death in 2010, NPR host Ari Shapiro added, "Her daughter says that during her long life, her mother did not believe in illness. She paid no attention to it, and it served her well." Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother The Queen Mother died in 2002 at the age of 101. Clearly, longevity runs in the family, as her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, lived to be 96 before dying in September 2022. The Queen Mother had some frank advice for living a long life. In her official biography, she said, "'Wouldn't it be terrible if you'd spent all your life doing everything you were supposed to do, didn't drink, didn't smoke, didn't eat things, took lots of exercise, and suddenly, one day, you were run over by a big red bus and, as the wheels were crunching into you, you'd say, 'Oh my God, I could have got so drunk last night.' That's the way you should live your life, as if tomorrow you'll be run over by a big red bus." George Burns The vaudeville star and comedian knew people would be curious about how to live to 100, so he decided to write the book "How To Live To Be 100 Or More." Burns, who died in March 1996 at 100 years old, told UPI Hollywood, "You'll be happier and live longer if you find a job you love; that way you avoid stress. Never take stress to bed with you. Work on it in the morning." He also confirmed that he did 45 minutes of exercise every day before taking a "brisk 15-minute walk around the neighborhood." He also had "two or three drinks a day" and always had a cigar close by (though, according to him, he never inhaled). He steered clear of cigarettes, however. Being active is linked to living longer in better health. A 2022 study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that of 99,713 participants aged 55 to 74, those who did regular aerobic exercise and strength training were 41% less likely to die from any cause in the seven to 10 years after. "I don't believe a lot of this medical stuff. They say everything you eat and drink causes cancer. Don't pay too much attention to that," Burns added. Eva Marie Saint Saint, the oldest living and earliest surviving Oscar winner, will turn 101 in July 2025. "I continue to take walks out in the fresh air, like watching baseball — especially the Los Angeles Dodgers, and enjoy time with my family and friends," she told People ahead of her 100th birthday last year.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Skies clear for annual dairy parade in downtown Watertown
Jun. 7—WATERTOWN — Washington Street was a sea of people on Friday night as raindrops made way to sunshine just in time for the annual Dairy Parade. Among the spectators was Allan Begg, who lives in Watertown, who said he wanted to go to the dairy parade as a way of supporting the community. "It's a nice evening, (it's a) Friday night something to do," he said. Begg was at last year's dairy parade, he said, so he said he knows it's one of the larger parades in the area. "We're looking forward to (something) similar again this year," he said before the event. Sixty-four entries were expected in the parade with 6,000 to 7,000 people expected to be in attendance. Watertown Mayor Sarah V.C. Pierce renamed Washington Street to "Magic Avenue" for the duration of the parade. The parade's theme this year was the "Magic of Moo" — with a slogan of "Embrace the Moo." Kenneth Fossett, from Pulaski, said he made the roughly half hour drive to see his son march in the parade with the Pulaski Central School District marching band. "We're just here to support my son," he said. Earlier in the week, Jay Matteson, Jefferson County Agriculture coordinator, said that agriculture is a $1.7 billion industry for the north country. Leah Edwards, from Evans Mills, said she, too, was watching her son in the Indian River marching band. Besides seeing her son, Edwards said she was excited to see some of the older vehicles during the parade. "I do like looking at those," she said. Friday was Edwards' first time at the parade, she said. The parade began at 7 p.m. at Watertown High School, with the Watertown Police leading the way. The event was also broadcast on NBC Watertown and livestreamed on their YouTube channel.
