Jay-Z has denied allegations that he drugged and raped a 13-year-old girl along with Sean “Diddy” Combs during an MTV Video Music Awards after-party in 2000.
A federal lawsuit, which originally only named Mr Combs, was refiled in federal court on Sunday (8 December). It cites the accuser, “Jane Doe”, who alleges she was assaulted at the house party by the two music moguls and that an unnamed female celebrity was in the room at the time.
In a statement shared to social media, Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, branded the legal action as a “blackmail attempt”.
Mr Combs is in jail after being charged in September with sex trafficking and racketeering, to which he has pleaded not guilty. He has denied all allegations against him, including this latest lawsuit.
“You have made a terrible error in judgment thinking that all ‘celebrities’ are the same. I’m not from your moral world. I’m a young man who made it out of the project of Brooklyn,” Mr Carter wrote in a fiery statement addressed to lawyer Tony Buzbee posted on Sunday afternoon, Variety reports.
“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. Only your network of conspiracy theorists, fake physics, will believe the idiotic claims you have levied against me that, if not for the seriousness surrounding harm to kids, would be laughable.”
Mr Buzbee responded on social media, in part: “Mr Carter previously denied being the one who sued me and my firm. 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. Instead, she only sought a confidential mediation.
“Since I sent the letter on her behalf, Mr Carter has not only sued me, but he has tried to bully and harass me and this plaintiff. His conduct has had the opposite impact. She is emboldened. I’m very proud of her resolve.”
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Regarding the Jay Z case and his efforts to silence my clients: Mr. Carter previously denied being the one who sued me and my firm. 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…
— Tony Buzbee (@TonyBuzbee2) December 9, 2024
US media reports that the lawsuit claims Doe was dropped off at the VMAs at Radio City Music Hall by a friend and, as she did not have a ticket, proceeded to approach various limousine drivers to try and gain access.
One driver allegedly told Doe that he worked for Combs and that she “fit what he was looking for”. He then picked her up, the lawsuit alleges, and dropped her off at a white house with a u-shaped driveway, where she was made to sign a document she believed to be a non-disclosure agreement.
The legal action said she was given a drink that made her feel “woozy” so she went into a room to lie down, soon after which Mr Combs and Mr Carter allegedly entered with the unnamed female celebrity, the BBC reports.
“Plaintiff immediately recognised all three celebrities,” the lawsuit said.
Mr Carter allegedly held the plaintiff down and raped her, before Mr Combs did the same, according to the lawsuit, which said Ms Doe fought back during the alleged assault and managed to escape when Mr Combs backed away in surprise.
A statement from Mr Combs’s legal team said the amended lawsuit was the latest in a string of “shameless publicity stunts, designed to extract payments from celebrities who fear having lies spread about them, just as lies have been spread about Mr Combs.”
In his statement, Mr Carter, who is married to Beyoncé and shares three children with her, said: “My only heartbreak is for my family.
“My wife and I will have to sit our children down, one of whom is at the age where her friends will surely see the press and ask questions about the nature of these claims, and explain the cruelty and greed of people.”
The Independent has contacted Mr Carter’s representative for comment.