Anonymous celebrity lawsuit asks court to declare sexual assault accuser’s allegations untrue — before she’s even sued

An anonymous plaintiff who describes themselves as “a celebrity and public figure who resides in Tennessee” is urging a federal court in Mississippi to declare a sexual assault accuser’s allegations untrue and stop her from further publicizing them.

In a highly unusual legal battle, an anonymous plaintiff who describes themselves as “a celebrity and public figure who resides in Tennessee” is urging a federal court in Mississippi to declare a sexual assault accuser’s allegations untrue and stop her from further publicizing them — before she’s even filed a lawsuit — claiming that she is attempting to extort and defame him with “false allegations” that would “irreparably harm” his reputation and career. The plaintiff’s lawsuit, which was filed in mid-September, prompted his accuser to fire back this week, opposing the celebrity’s efforts to stay anonymous. The female accuser, identified in the filings as “Jane Roe,” is asking the court to deny the request from the high-profile “John Doe” to proceed under a pseudonym, arguing in her filing that he is an “alleged sexual assault predator” who should not receive special treatment. “Mr. Doe believes that he is entitled to the same protection victims receive – not to prevent unnecessary re-traumatization, but rather, to maintain his celebrity ‘reputation,’” the accuser’s attorney wrote in a response brief this week, which was obtained by CNN. “Our civil court system is designed to resolve disputes and provide injured parties a means of redress,” Roe’s filing states. “It is supposed to be a level playing field. The system is not in place to allow wealthy wrongdoers the ability to run work-arounds on sexual assault victims who attempt to hold perpetrators accountable. This is precisely what Mr. Doe is asking the court to help him do.” An attorney for John Doe did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.