Judge Rules Justin Bieber Can Subpoena Twitter To Identify Users Who Accused Him Of Sexual Assault
A Los Angeles judge ruled on Thursday that Justin Bieber can subpoena Twitter to identify women who anonymously accused him of sexual assault, NBC reports. Bieber filed a defamation lawsuit last month, claiming that he has “indisputable documentary evidence” that the allegations are “outrageous, fabricated lies.”
A tweet by a woman calling herself Danielle alleged that Bieber sexually assaulted her at a hotel in Austin in March 2014, and a second woman named Kadi claimed that Bieber assaulted her at a New York Hotel in May 2015. Both women are referred to as Jane Doe in Bieber’s complaint and cannot be served until they are identified.
“We just want to uncover who is behind these two accounts and it may be the same person,” Bieber’s lawyer said, arguing that the allegations can be disproven by eyewitnesses and paparazzi shots showing that Bieber was not where the accusers said he was on the days in question.
Before issuing his ruling, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Terry Green mispronounced Bieber’s last name and asked if he should know who the plaintiff was. When Bieber’s attorney replied that Bieber is a recording artist well-known to certain demographics, the judge responded, “I gather demographics not 73 and over.”