Rapper Jay-Z is denying allegations that he raped a 13-year-old girl after the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards in 2000.
The accuser, known as Jane Doe, who initially filed a civil lawsuit in October against Sean “Diddy” Combs, has added Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter to the lawsuit.
Jay-Z responded to the accusations with a statement posted on X and reposted by ROC Nation’s Instagram account, addressing Tony Buzbee as a lawyer known for blackmail attempts:
“What he had calculated was the nature of these allegations and the public scrutiny would make me want to settle. No sir, it had the opposite effect! It made me want to expose you for the fraud you are in a VERY public fashion. So no, I will not give you ONE RED PENNY!!”
Jay-Z also evoked his wife Beyoncé and their three children as as he continued, expressing his concern for “yet another loss of innocence” as they would have to explain the claims made.
“These allegations are so heinous in nature that I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one!! [Whoever] would commit such a crime against a minor should be locked away, would you not agree? These alleged victims would deserve real justice if that were the case… You have made a terrible error in judgment thinking that all ‘celebrities’ are the same. 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.”
According to the lawsuit, Jane Doe says that she fell ill while drinking alcohol at the party and that Jay-Z first raped her in a bedroom. The lawsuit alleges that Combs was next to assault her, and “another celebrity stood by and watched as Combs and Carter took turns assaulting the minor,” until she hit Combs and ran away.
Buzbee has denied Jay-Z’s claim that he is blackmailing him for money.
“The pleading speaks for itself. This is a very serious matter that will be litigated in court,” Buzbee said in a statement. He also left a cryptic message on Instagram, saying:
“People will see through this effort to discredit me and my clients and the truth will be revealed. I also won’t allow anyone to scare my clients into silence. Sunlight is the best disinfectant and I am quite certain the sun is coming.”
In a strange twist of events, Buzbee has been accused of assaulting a former client when he represented her during a divorce filing. This Jane Doe says Buzbee attacked her in a “fit of rage.”
“We won’t be bullied or silenced by frivolous cases being filed against me or against my clients,” Buzbee responded. “All of this is false and I won’t tolerate defamation.”
