In a surprising turn of events, the Jane Doe plaintiff, who had accused former Grammys CEO Neil Portnow of rape in a 2023 lawsuit, has requested the judge to dismiss the case. The accuser, known only as a “foreign recording artist,” had filed the lawsuit against Portnow in November 2023, alleging that he drugged and sexually assaulted her in his New York hotel room in June 2018, following a Grammy event.
The allegations against Portnow initially came to light in January 2020 when his successor, Deborah Dugan, included them in her discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after being ousted just over a week before the 62nd Grammy Awards. At the time, Portnow vehemently denied the sexual assault accusations, deeming them “ludicrous and untrue” in the context of the Dugan lawsuit.
However, the Jane Doe plaintiff’s case was subsequently moved from a New York state court to a federal one. Portnow’s legal team, drawing parallels to previous cases involving Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey, requested that the accuser be publicly identified. As a decision regarding Jane Doe’s identity loomed, she opted to ask for the dismissal of the lawsuit altogether.
In a letter addressed to the judge, obtained by Rolling Stone, Jane Doe expressed genuine concern for her safety and emotional well-being, stating that dismissing the case would alleviate her fear and allow her to move forward without unnecessary risks. She cited the urgency of the defendant’s motion, urgent court decisions, impending deadlines, and the traumatic events that followed her attorney’s withdrawal as reasons for her inability to proceed with the case.
Jane Doe’s lawyer, Jeff Anderson, who had previously defended her right to protect her identity, also requested to withdraw from the case. He cited “irreconcilable differences” and a deteriorated attorney-client relationship as reasons for his decision, which came as a surprise to him since Jane Doe had asked to dismiss the lawsuit without his knowledge.
In her letter to the judge, Jane Doe respectfully requested the court to grant her motion for voluntary dismissal without prejudice. She believed that this course of action would be in the best interest of all parties involved and expressed her sincere appreciation for the court’s attention to the matter.
