A lawsuit against Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs over the alleged rape of a 13-year-old girl at a party in 2000 has been dismissed by the lawyer representing the Jane Doe, according to court filings.
In December, the unidentified woman added Jay-Z, whose legal name is Shawn Carter, to a lawsuit she had filed against Combs in Manhattan federal court, alleging she was attacked by the singers in 2000 after Combs’ limo driver offered her a ride to an MTV Video Music Awards afterparty.
The court document submitted by the woman’s lawyers announcing the voluntary dismissal did not include any reasons or explanation for the withdrawal. The lawsuit was voluntarily dismissed with prejudice, which means the plantiff cannot refile the some complaint in court.
Jay-Z, who vehemently denied the claims and tried to get extracted from the lawsuit, called the woman’s decision to withdraw her claim “a victory” and said the “fictional tale” she and her lawyers created was “laughable.”
“The frivolous, fictitous and appalling allegations have been dismissed,” he said in a statement posted on social media. “This civil suit was without merit and never going anywhere.”
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“The trauma that my wife, my children, loved ones and I have endured can never be dismissed,” Jay-Z added. “The 1-800 lawyer gets to file a suit hiding behind Jane Doe, and when they quickly realize that the money grab is going to fail, they get to walk away with no repercussions. The system has failed.”
Jay-Z said that the court “must protect victims” but the court also has the “same ethical responsibility” to “protect the innocent from being accused without a shred of evidence.”
“May the truth prevail for all victims and those falsely accused equally,” he concluded.
Jay-Z’s lawyer Alex Spiro issued an individual statement, writing: “The false case against Jay-Z, that never should have been brought, has been dismissed with prejudice. By standing up in the face of heinous and false allegations, Jay has done what few can — he pushed back, he never settled, he never paid 1 red penny, he triumphed and cleared his name.”
On Mon., Feb. 10, Jay-Z filed a declaration in Los Angeles stating he believed the plaintiff’s lawyer, Tony Buzbee, purposefully inflicted emotional distress on him by filing the lawsuit.
According to People, the declaration said that Buzbee intentionally filed the complaint on the night of his daughter Blue Ivy’s Mufasa: The Lion King movie premiere “to put me in the position of having to choose between supporting my daughter or hiding to avoid the negative press.”
The Empire State of Mind rapper also claims that he lost $20 million in contracts due to false allegations in Buzbee’s lawsuit. He also says that he has been going through deep “mental anguish” since it was filed.
“I felt that Mr. Buzbee was placing a gun to my head that I either bow to his demands or endure personal and financial ruin,” Jay-Z reportedly wrote in the declaration.
Diddy has been in a Brooklyn federal jail since his September arrest on racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges. He also faces a wave of sexual assault lawsuits, many of which were filed by Buzbee. The Texas lawyer claims his firm represents more than 150 people, both men and women, who allege sexual abuse and exploitation by Diddy.
Lawyers for Diddy said the dismissal of the lawsuit without a settlement confirm that the other allegations against him are also built on falsehoods.
“For months, we have seen case after case filed by individuals hiding behind anonymity, pushed forward by an attorney more focused on media headlines than legal merit. Just like this claim, the others will fall apart because there is no truth to them,” they said in a statement, adding that Diddy “has never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone — man or woman, adult or minor.”
Buzbee’s firm, which has set up a 1-800 number for accusers, has filed a wave of lawsuits against Diddy. Buzbee’s lawsuits allege that many of the people he represents were abused at parties in New York, California and Florida, where individuals claim they were given drinks laced with drugs.
Earlier this month, Buzbee filed a lawsuit in New York County Supreme Court, concerning an as-yet-unnamed aspiring male singer, who claims he was drugged and sexually assaulted by Diddy in 2015. The man, who is suing Diddy for sexual battery, is seeking a series of damages to address the physical and emotional distress he allegedly suffered. He is seeking an amount to be determined at trial.
— With files from The Associated Press
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