Lawyers for Sean "Diddy" Combs say a "Jane Doe" naming Jay-Z in a sexual assault lawsuit is an example of the "shameless publicity stunts" surrounding the "Bad Boy For Life" rapper's legal woes.
In court documents filed Monday, lawyers for Jay-Z, whose legal name is Shawn Carter, asked the judge to require that the woman claiming Jay-Z raped her at a 2000 VMAs afterparty when she was 13 identify herself in the complaint or dismiss the case.
The accuser originally filed the suit against Combs in October but refiled it on Sunday to name Jay-Z as the celebrity who allegedly raped her and Combs as "Celebrity B" watched.
In a statement to Newsweek on Monday, Combs' legal said, "This amended complaint and the recent extortion lawsuit against Mr. [Tony] Buzbee exposes his barrage of lawsuits against Mr. Combs for what they are: 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.
"As his legal team has said before, Mr. Combs has full confidence in the facts and the integrity of the judicial process. In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr. Combs never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone—man or woman, adult or minor," Combs' defense concluded.
Jay-Z argued in his motion to dismiss that he was the target of an "extortionate campaign" designed to pressure him into paying millions, regardless of the truth.
Newsweek has contacted a lawyer for Jay-Z by email for comment.
Jay-Z's Motion to Expedite
Due to "intense media scrutiny," Jay-Z wants to clear his name as fast as possible.
Alex Spiro, a lawyer for Jay-Z, also filed a motion Monday to expedite this case.
"For the avoidance of doubt, Mr. Carter is entirely innocent. This is a shakedown," Spiro wrote. "He is not mentioned, referenced, or implicated in any way in the criminal investigation of Mr. Combs. He is neither a target nor a person of interest in that investigation.
"We are available at the Court's earliest convince to provide additional briefing or to appear for a hearing on this matter."
Jay-Z Denies Rape Allegation
Jay-Z has viciously denied the rape allegation, issuing a first-person statement Sunday shortly after news of the lawsuit broke.
In a statement released through his Roc Nation social media account and representative Jana Fleishman, Carter called the lawsuit a "blackmail attempt" and criticized Buzbee directly.
"My lawyer received a blackmail attempt, called a demand letter, from a 'lawyer' named Tony Buzbee. What he had calculated was the nature of these allegations and the public scrutiny would make me want to settle," Carter stated.
"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," Carter wrote. "My heart and support goes out to true victims in the world, who have to watch how their life story is dressed in costume for profitability by this ambulance chaser in a cheap suit."
In response to the statement, Buzbee told Newsweek, "Mr. Carter previously denied being the one who sued me and my firm. He even 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."
Buzbee added, "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. As far as the allegations in the complaint filed today, we will let the filing speak for itself and will litigate the facts in court, not in the media."
Doe alleges that the assault occurred after being driven to an MTV Video Music Awards after-party. According to the lawsuit, she was taken to a white house with a U-shaped driveway where she was required to sign what she believed was a non-disclosure agreement.
"These allegations are so heinous in nature that I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one!! Whomever 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," Carter wrote in his Sunday statement.
"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. I mourn yet another loss of innocence."
Jay-Z shares three children with his wife Beyoncé: Blue Ivy, 12, and 7-year-old twins Sir and Rumi.
Meanwhile, Combs is the subject of at least 20 civil lawsuits with allegations of sexual misconduct and other illegal activity. Jay-Z is the first fellow celebrity to be accused of wrongdoing in the complaints against Combs.
Combs also denied any wrongdoing. He is currently behind bars at the notoriously rough Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn as he awaits his May 2025 sex trafficking trial.
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