Anonymous celebrity files lawsuit asking court to dismiss sexual assault accuser's allegations as false – before even suing her CNN

Editor's note: Additional information on this story and the identity of the celebrity involved in the allegations have been released Next case Thursday

In a highly unusual legal battle, an anonymous plaintiff who describes himself as “a celebrity and public figure living in Tennessee” is asking a federal court in Mississippi to declare the plaintiff's sexual harassment allegations untrue and prevent them from being further publicized — before even filed a lawsuit – claiming that he was trying to extort and defame her with “false allegations” that would cause “irreparable damage” to her reputation and career.

The plaintiff's lawsuit, which was filed in mid-September, prompted his accuser to be dismissed this week, contradicting the celebrity's efforts to remain anonymous.

The female accuser, identified in the filing as “Jane Roe,” is urging the court to reject a high-profile “John Doe” request to proceed under a pseudonym, arguing in her filing that she is an “alleged sexual assault victim” who should not receive special treatment.

“Mr. “Doe believes he is entitled to the same protections that victims receive — not to prevent unnecessary re-traumatization, but to maintain his celebrity 'reputation,'” the accuser's attorney wrote in a response brief this week, obtained by CNN.

“Our civil court system is designed to resolve disputes and provide a means of redress to injured parties,” Roe's filing states. “It's supposed to be a level playing field. The system is not in place to empower wealthy wrongdoers to prosecute sexual assault victims who try to hold perpetrators accountable. That's what Mr. Doe is asking the court to do to help him.”

An attorney for John Doe did not respond to CNN's request for comment.

'A celebrity and public figure'

Other than describing him as a “celebrity and public figure living in Tennessee” in his complaint, no other details about John Doe have been released. In Jane Roe's filing, she described Doe as having “millions of fans.” and “Multi-Millionaire Resources.”

Rowe, in her filing, described herself as a “professional make-up artist and hair stylist who has worked in the music industry for over three decades”. He claimed to have worked “on and off” for Doe for more than 15 years and did her hair and make-up, as well as his wife's.

In her memorandum, Roe said she plans to publicly file her complaint this week — in which she will name the celebrity as a defendant — under California's sexual harassment and cover-up accountability laws.

In his complaint, Doe claims Roe's attorney sent him a “confidential” demand The letter “alleged sexual misconduct by defendant ranging from sexual 'grooming,' creating a sexually hostile work environment, unwanted sexual touching, and sexual harassment,” after Roe's request for paid employment and medical benefits was denied.

In her filing, Roe alleged that Doe shared her sexual fantasies with her, grabbed her breasts, once got out of the shower naked and forced her to touch him, and raped her during a 2019 work trip to Los Angeles.

Doe said Roe tried to extort millions of dollars from her through “false, obscene allegations” and “outrageous conduct.”

“Defendant's allegations are not true,” Doe's lawsuit states. “Defendant is well aware, however, of the substantial, irreparable damage such false allegations will cause to Plaintiff's well-earned reputation and the inevitable loss to his family and the irreparable loss to his career and livelihood to Plaintiff's reputation as a decent and caring person. If he makes good on his threat to 'publicly file' his bogus case, there will be consequences.”

The celebrity plaintiff also claims in her lawsuit that her accuser allegedly “planned to hire someone to kill her,” which she denied.

Doe's lawsuit asks the court to declare Roe's sexual misconduct allegations untrue, award compensatory and punitive damages, and prevent the claims from being further publicized.

According to Rowe's filing, the celebrity filed her lawsuit after she learned her accuser was planning to publicly file her own lawsuit, which came after she tried to settle it privately.

“Mr. Doe initiated this frivolous action when he learned that Ms. Roe wanted to hold him accountable for his behavior and sexual assault,” the filing said, with Roe's attorney writing that the celebrity filing her own complaint in advance was a “clear attempt at further control.” and bullies his sexually assaulted victims.”

“Mr. “Doe is desperate to prevent his millions of fans from learning about the horrible things he did to a junior female employee who did nothing to deserve such treatment,” his attorney said in court documents this week.

A plaintiff's request to proceed pseudonymously requires court approval.

Legal experts say the celebrity plaintiff is unlikely to prevail in this case, noting that the reputational harm argument is not strong enough, as most cases involve some element of embarrassment or humiliation.

“Courts generally err on the side of transparency and prefer not to hide litigation from public view—absent compelling circumstances,” said CNN legal analyst Joey Jackson. “Shielding allegations from public view is highly objectionable. Therefore, a court may reject any attempt to compel litigants to fight anonymously. Courts may require further legal filings or hearings before making a final decision, but here the celebrity faces a major hurdle in keeping it out of the public domain.”

Jackson added that any accused person could counterclaim for defamation.

“That's the remedy for anyone facing false accusations — it's not hidden from the public,” he said.

When contacted by CNN, the woman's attorney, Douglas H. Wigdor said the preliminary indictment was an “unprecedented attempt to game the justice system” to avoid being named publicly.

“Our justice system is designed to be transparent, and it's been my experience that filing a sexual assault complaint often results in other victims suffering in silence,” Wigdor told CNN. “I have been fortunate over the years to represent brave survivors who have taken the first step in holding powerful people accountable for their actions by filing a public complaint, and in this case, we intend to do just that.”