American rapper and businessman, Shawn Corey Carter, popularly known as Jay-Z
Jay-Z is suing the anonymous woman and her lawyers who accused him of sexual assault months ago, proposing three causes of action, malicious prosecution, abuse of process, and civil conspiracy.
The American rapper is suing attorney Tony Buzbee, David Fortney and their Jane Doe client over their alleged sexual assault suit that was previously dropped, as per Alabama court documents obtained by PEOPLE.
On Monday, March 3, Shawn Carter, who is widely known as Jay-Z, outlined three causes of action and also proposed a fourth in defamation against the Jane Doe.
Jay-Z is seeking assumed, actual and punitive damages and alleged in the new filing that the initial allegations of rape against him were made on purpose, being “false” and “malicious.”
The rapper further stated that the sexual assault suit was “strategically and tactically calculated to inflict maximum pain and suffering” to him.
On October 20, 2024, the previous lawsuit was originally filed, claiming Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs allegedly sexually abused a 13-year-old girl at an MTV Video Music Awards afterparty in 2000.
On February 14, Buzbee and fellow attorney Antigone Curis voluntarily dismissed the suit.
Now, Jay-Z alleges in his March 3 filing that the October 20 lawsuit was based on false information from the Jane Doe and her attorneys.
In the filing, Jay Z claims that the Jane Doe and her lawyers “launched to extort” him “through a menacing ‘private’ ‘demand letter,’ ” further saying that the “malicious” defendants made “a desperate attempt to leverage Mr. Carter into an extortionate payoff.”
The lawsuit said the Jane Doe “voluntarily admitted” to Jay-Z’s representative that “Carter did not assault her” and that Buzbee “pushed her to go forward with the false narrative of the assault by Mr. Carter in order to leverage a maximum payday.”
It also stated that the rapper “brings this lawsuit to hold Doe accountable for her willful defamation per se and her malicious prosecution of knowingly false allegations against” Jay-Z.
On Monday, March 3, Buzbee told PEOPLE in a statement: “This new case alleges the same claims as the other one they pieced together and filed in Los Angeles. Like the one in LA, this new case in Alabama also has no legal merit… she stands by her claims.”
“After speaking with Jane Doe today, it appears that the quotes attributed to her in the lawsuit are completely made up, or they spoke to someone who isn’t Jane Doe”, the statement continued.
“This is just another attempt to intimidate and bully this poor woman that we will deal with in due course. We won’t be bullied or intimidated by frivolous cases.”
Jay-Z’s recent filing comes after his December 2024 lawsuit against attorney Tony Buzbee in Los Angeles, accusing him of civil extortion, defamation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
On February 25, Judge Mark H. Epstein ruled that the defamation claim could proceed to trial but indicated he may dismiss the extortion claim, according to Rolling Stone.
The filing also comes weeks after Jay-Z alleged that Buzbee intentionally caused emotional distress by filing the lawsuit just before his daughter Blue Ivy’s Mufasa: The Lion King premiere.
Jay-Z alleges that the false allegations cost him $20 million in contracts and affected him mentally as well as his family.
