TLDR:
- Jay-Z was named in a lawsuit alleging he and Diddy raped a 13-year-old girl at a 2000 MTV VMAs afterparty
- The case emerged after weeks of legal battles between Jay-Z and Texas attorney Tony Buzbee
- Jay-Z filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, calling it an “extortion saga” and demanding the anonymous accuser’s identity be revealed
- The allegations are connected to broader federal sex trafficking charges against Diddy
- The case began with a demand letter from Buzbee to Jay-Z in October, leading to counter-lawsuits and public statements from both sides
In a swift response to being named in a sexual assault lawsuit, Jay-Z filed a motion on December 9 to dismiss the case and requested the court deny the plaintiff’s anonymity. The lawsuit, which was refiled Sunday in New York, alleges that Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl at an MTV VMAs afterparty in 2000.
Through his attorney Alex Spiro, Jay-Z characterized the lawsuit as an “extortion saga” aimed at forcing a financial settlement. The motion argues that the case represents a calculated attempt to extract money rather than pursue justice, leading to Jay-Z’s demand for either case dismissal or disclosure of the accuser’s identity.
The legal confrontation began in October when Texas-based attorney Tony Buzbee sent Jay-Z a demand letter.
According to court documents, this letter included an image of a ticking clock and suggested a meeting. Jay-Z responded by filing an anonymous lawsuit against Buzbee in Los Angeles.
The original lawsuit filed in October initially referred to Jay-Z as “Celebrity A.” The refiled version on Sunday explicitly named him as a defendant. According to the lawsuit, the incident occurred after a 13-year-old girl attempted to attend the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
Court documents detail that the girl approached limousine drivers outside the venue. One driver, claiming to work for Combs, allegedly told her that “Combs liked younger girls” and invited her to an afterparty, though she wasn’t allowed into the awards show itself.
The lawsuit describes the party location as a large white house with a gated U-shaped driveway. Upon arrival, the plaintiff allegedly had to sign a non-disclosure agreement but wasn’t given a copy. The court documents state that after consuming a drink mixture of orange juice, cranberry juice, and an unidentified bitter substance, she began feeling lightheaded.
Jay-Z’s company, Roc Nation, released a statement addressing the allegations directly. “My lawyer received a blackmail attempt, called a demand letter, from a ‘lawyer’ named Tony Buzbee,” Jay-Z stated through Roc Nation’s social media. “What he had calculated was the nature of these allegations and public scrutiny would make me want to settle. No sir, it had the opposite effect!”
Buzbee responded to Jay-Z’s statements, maintaining that his client never requested money. “Mr. Carter previously denied being the one who sued me and my firm,” Buzbee wrote on social media. “He filed his frivolous case under a pseudonym. What he fails to say in his recent statement is my firm sent his lawyer a demand letter on behalf of an alleged victim and that victim never demanded a penny from him.”
The lawsuit claims a close relationship between Jay-Z and Combs, noting they were “so close that Combs stated in 2023 that Carter is the only person, other than Combs’ mother, who is allowed to call him by his legal first name of ‘Sean.'”
In his motion to dismiss, Jay-Z’s legal team emphasized his reputation, stating,
“Defendant Shawn Carter (a/k/a ‘JAY-Z’) has built an impeccable reputation. He has never been accused of, let alone engaged in, any sexual misconduct.”
The case connects to broader federal charges against Combs, who faces allegations of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution. If convicted, Combs could face between 15 years to life in prison.
Federal prosecutors allege Combs operated a criminal enterprise through his businesses, including Bad Boy Entertainment, Combs Enterprises, and Combs Global. They claim he used “firearms, threats of violence, coercion and verbal, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse” to fulfill his sexual desires.
In response to the allegations, Jay-Z issued a statement through Roc Nation addressing Buzbee directly:
“I’m not from your world. I’m a young man who made it out of the project of Brooklyn. We don’t play these types of games. We have very strict codes and honor. We protect children, you seem to exploit people for personal gain.”
Buzbee countered on social media, posting a photo of himself in the Marines and stating that despite what he called a “coordinated and aggressive” effort to intimidate him, he wouldn’t back down. “I also won’t allow anyone to scare my clients into silence,” he wrote. “Sunlight is the best disinfectant and I am quite certain the sun is coming.”
The case remains active in New York courts, with Jay-Z’s legal team awaiting a response to their motion to dismiss. Representatives for Jay-Z have not provided additional comments beyond their initial statements.
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