Jay-Z sues ex-rape accuser teen and lawyer Tony Buzbee over $30m-plus losses
Jay-Z has filed a lawsuit against his former rape accuser and her lawyer Tony Buzbee after claiming they conspired to falsely accuse him, leading the hip-hop icon to lose at least $A30 million.
Music
Don't miss out on the headlines from Music. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Jay-Z is suing his former rape accuser and her lawyer, Tony Buzbee, in an Alabama court, claiming they conspired to falsely accuse him of sexual assault and allegedly caused him to lose at least $A30 million.
The hip-hop icon claims the defendants, which also includes lawyer David Fortney, “were soullessly motivated by greed, in abject disregard of the truth and the most fundamental precepts of human decency,” according to a complaint obtained by The New York Post’s Page Six.
Jay-Z — who is suing for malicious prosecution, abuse of process, civil conspiracy and defamation — alleges in the court documents that the ex-rape accuser, Jane Doe, has “voluntarily admitted” that Buzbee “pushed her towards going forward with the false story against Mr Carter” after an “extortionate demand letter failed to yield the financial windfall.”
“Buzbee brought Jay-Z into it,” Doe allegedly admitted, according to the court filing.
Doe sat down with NBC News in December 2024, and alleged in an on-camera interview, in which her identity was concealed that the “Can I Get A …” rapper raped her at an MTV Video Music Awards afterparty in New York in 2000. She claimed she was just 13 at the time.
Doe alleged Sean “Diddy” Combs assaulted her as well. The embattled rapper denied those claims.
However, Jay-Z’s complaint now claims that Buzbee allegedly met Doe “for the first time at a coffee shop in Houston on the day of her maliciously false NBC News interview.”
Since the allegations became public, the “Empire State of Mind” rapper — whose real name is Shawn Carter — has vehemently denied the claims, saying he was a victim of a “blackmail attempt.”
“I have no idea how you have come to be such a deplorable human Mr. Buzbee, but I promise you I have seen your kind many times over,” he said in a statement in December 2024.
“I’m more than prepared to deal with your type. You claim to be a marine?! Marines are known for their valour, you have neither honour nor dignity.”
Doe has publicly admitted to “inconsistencies” in her NBC News lawsuit, including that she met Benji Madden at the alleged afterparty.
A spokesman for the Good Charlotte rocker has said that both he and his twin brother, Joel Madden, were on tour halfway across the country at the time of the alleged incident.
She had also claimed in the sit-down that her father picked her up from the party, but he told NBC News he didn’t recall the long drive — which would have been over 5 hours, saying that was “something that would definitely stick in my mind.”
Doe suffered from mental health issues, according to public records cited in the complaint, which Jay-Z argues should “have cast doubt on her credibility.”
The filing claims that following Doe’s admissions, her lawyers continued “to seek to hide this reality, including through further extortionate threats and demands.”
Another roadblock in Doe’s case was that Buzbee had filed her suit in New York without being admitted to Bar of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), as was required.
However, his request for SDNY admission was denied on Febuary 13 because, according to the SDNY order, he had already filed pleadings in the SDNY without being admitted to the Bar of that Court. Buzbee can still seek “pro hac vice” admission, however, within the Southern District.
The “Run This Town” rapper’s new complaint seemingly suggests that on that same day, Fortney allegedly went to Alabama on behalf of Buzbee to persuade Doe into dismissing her lawsuit against Jay-Z, 55.
“During that meeting, Fortney falsely, maliciously and manipulatively told Doe that the case against Mr Carter needed to be dismissed as Mr Carter had made threats against Doe’s life, and it was too dangerous to continue with the case,” the complaint alleges. “Of course, no such threats had ever been made.”
Doe — whom a New York judge ruled could remain anonymous — did end up dropping her rape lawsuit on Feb. 14, which Jay-Z called a “victory” at the time.
The “Hard Knock Life” rapper has filed a separate lawsuit against Buzbee in Los Angeles. Reps for Jay-Z did not immediately return Page Six’s request for comment on that filing.
However, a source explains to us exclusively that the LA suit will continue in tandem with the Alabama case, as Jay-Z is suing Buzbee for defamation in the California case and not in Alabama; only Doe is being sued for defamation in Alabama.
Jay-Z’s lawyers allege in the newest complaint that Buzbee and his team has allegedly continued to threaten the “Forever Young” rapper, stating the Texas-based lawyer would allegedly “issue a public statement by Doe that she (1) was being harassed by Mr Carter’s ‘people’ since she dropped the lawsuit; and (2) dropped the lawsuit only because she was afraid for her life and that the allegations against Mr Carter in the dropped lawsuit were all true.”
Page Six has reached out to Buzbee, Fortney and Doe via her attorneys for comment but did not immediately hear back.
Jay-Z further alleges in his complaint that this ongoing legal battle has proven very costly for him.
He claims the “false allegations” have caused him harm to his reputation and his businesses, including Roc Nation with “substantial losses in excess of A$30 million — out-of-pocket loss, and emotional harm, humiliation, and harassment.”
Reps for Jay-Z declined to comment on the latest filing.
This story was originally published in The New York Post
More Coverage
Originally published as Jay-Z sues ex-rape accuser teen and lawyer Tony Buzbee over $30m-plus losses
‘Malicious’: Rap mogul sues rape accuser
Rap superstar Jay-Z has launched a defamation lawsuit against a woman who claimed he assaulted her when she was 13.
Rockers trash America in Aussie stage rant
Green Day injected their Sydney show with Aussie flavour including a nod to Raygun, a hometown rocker and a politically-charged compliment.