In a year where Diddy was public enemy No. 1 for his allegations, lawsuits, and eventual arrest, JAY-Z also found himself in the mix via a rape lawsuit filed in December 2024. The 55-year-old rapper has been hellbent on tearing down Tony Buzbee’s, the lawyer representing his alleged victim, credibility and he continued that this week.
Earlier in January, Hov attempted to get his case dismissed and he recently filed a memo to add some more details. HipHopDX obtained documents where the Brooklyn rapper and his attorney Alex Spiro claimed that Buzbee “got basic facts wrong” in the case.
Specifically, they say that the unnamed victim’s father confirmed that he had no recollection of the rape story playing out how she told it; Jane Doe originally said her father picked her up from a gas station, but he said the gas station in question would have been a 10-hour drive roundtrip. They also cited how she claimed she spoke with a celebrity that evening at the 2000 Video Music Awards, but said celebrity was not even in New York City at the time.
“Mr. Carter seeks only to hold Mr. Buzbee to the ethical standards that constrain any responsible attorney who would solemnly sign his name to allegations in court,” Alex Spiro wrote. He is arguing that Tony Buzbee should be held liable for either not doing his due diligence, or having proper information and still going through with a false claim.
Buzbee, however, claims that he ran a background check on Jane Doe and collaborated with a retired police detective to do thorough research on her. However, Spiro countered and said these claims were not enough. “[N]one of those individuals has even been named, let alone produced as a declarant,” he wrote. “Nor does the Opposition specify which ‘aspects’ of Plaintiff’s complaint were ‘fact-checked.'”
Buzbee remains confident in the case, telling HipHopDX: “With every frantic filing the defense in this case grows more desperate. The rules apply equally to everyone, even those who wrongly think they are above the law. No one is above the law. The ‘basic fact’ that is obvious to everyone is that the defendant’s motion is frivolous.”
JAY-Z was accused of raping a teenager alongside Diddy in 2000. She allegedly was transported to one of the Bad Boy founder’s after-parties by one of his limo drivers following the 2000 VMAs. Upon arrival, she signed what she believed to be an NDA and then allegedly had her drink spiked. She claims that the rappers then entered the room and Hov pinned her down and had sex with her while Puff and another celebrity watched.