An attorney for Marvin Gaye’s adopted son says in new court papers that a woman who alleges she was injured while trying to calm a dispute between Gaye and his wife at his home should be denied an expedited trial of her lawsuit.
The woman is identified only as Jane Doe in the Van Nuys Superior Court lawsuit brought against Marvin Gaye III that alleges assault, battery, intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress, negligence, false imprisonment, harassment and trespass to property.
However, in his court papers filed Tuesday with Judge Wendy LWilcox, Gaye attorney John Oh says Doe is Jasmine Gordy, a cousin of the plaintiff. In asking for an expedited trial, Doe’s attorney cited not his client’s health, but that of Gaye, noting that he had two strokes in September.
“While plaintiff is sympathetic to defendant’s health struggles, this disclosure underscores the urgent need to preserve testimony and expedite proceedings,” Doe lawyer Gil Arbel says in his pleadings.
Should Gaye’s health get worse, Doe would be “irreparably prejudiced,” according to Arbel’s court papers.
But according to Oh’s pleadings, Gaye is “not terminal” and therefore Doe should not be given an accelerated trial date. Gaye, 60, has had multiple strokes and has been disabled for many years, according to Oh.
“Plaintiff’s motion must fail because she failed to provide clear and convincing evidence that there is substantial medical doubt that defendant will not survive beyond six months,” according to Oh’s court papers.
A hearing on Doe’s trial preference motion is scheduled for Jan. 6.
According to the suit, Doe was called to Gaye’s home on Jan. 12, 2023, to mediate a dispute between Gaye and his now former wife, Wendy Gaye.
“Plaintiff’s intent was solely to assist in diffusing the situation,” the suit filed in December 2024 states.
But when Doe arrived, events escalated violently and Gaye III allegedly pointed a gun at Doe and Wendy Gaye and threatened their lives, the suit states.
Doe fled “in fear for her life” and on subsequent days Gaye III cut the brakes on her car and had people surveil her home, the latter of which prompted Doe’s son to relocate in fear for his safety, according to the suit.
Gaye also showed up without permission at a Father’s Day event in 2022, worsening Doe’s emotional trauma and fear, the suit further alleges.
Doe has suffered severe emotional distress, including anxiety, depression, panic attacks and insomnia, the suit states. She also has incurred medical expenses and involuntarily lost up to 30 pounds, according to the suit.
Doe also says she needs security for family events and lives in constant fear for herself and her family.
Gaye III was adopted by Marvin Gaye and Anna Gordy shortly after his birth in November 1965.
Marvin Gaye was a legendary soul singer who was shot and killed by his father at age 44 at their Los Angeles home in April 1984.