Jay-Z's lawyer has been reprimanded for “wasting judicial resources” in his current legal battle.
Earlier this month, Jay-Z - real name Shawn Corey Carter - was named in a civil lawsuit in which he was accused of raping a teenager in 2000 alongside fellow rapper Sean Diddy Combs, 55, while an unnamed female celebrity watched. Jay-Z has strongly denied the accusations, and had made efforts to force his accuser to waive her anonymity.
Judge Analisa Torres allowed ‘Jane Doe’ to remain anonymous on Thursday, and criticised Jay-Z's lawyer, Alex Spiro, for his conduct thus far. “Carter's lawyer's relentless filing of combative motions containing inflammatory language and ad hominem attacks is inappropriate, a waste of judicial resources, and a tactic unlikely to benefit his client,” she said. “The Court will not fast-track the judicial process merely because counsel demands it.”
On December 14, Jay-Z released a new statement attacking Tony Buzbee, who’s representing Doe and multiple other accusers against Diddy. On his Roc Nation Instagram page he said: "Today's investigative report proves this 'attorney' Buzbee filed a false complaint against me in the pursuit of money and fame.
“This incident didn't happen and yet he filed it in court and doubled down in the press. True Justice is coming. We fight FROM victory, not FOR our victory. This was over before it began. This 1-800 lawyer doesn't realize it yet, but, soon."
Jay-Z's lawyer Alex Spiro - who has previously represented big names such as Alec Baldwin and Elon Musk - told PEOPLE magazine: "It's stunning that a lawyer would not only file such a serious complaint without proper vetting, but to make things worse by further peddling this false story in the press.
"We are asking the Court to dismiss this frivolous case and will take up the will take up the matter for additional discipline with Mr Buzbee and all the lawyers that filed the complaint."
In US court papers, Jay-Z's lawyers reportedly call the plaintiff's allegations "a sham" and claim that "basic facts in [Doe's] narrative - the who, what, where and when - are wrong." It comes after the woman in question, who is now 38 years old, admitted she had "made some mistakes" in her recollection of the events of the night the alleged rape took place - but insists she stands by her story and says it doesn't mean it isn't true.
Tony Buzbee said in a statement to NBC News: "Our client remains fiercely adamant that what she has stated is true, to the best of her memory. We will continue to vet her claims and collect corroborating data to the extent it exists. Because we have interrogated her intensely, she has even agreed to submit to a polygraph. I've never had a client suggest that before."
He added: "We continue to do our best to vet each claim made, just as we did in this case. This has been extremely distressing for her, to the point where she has experienced seizures and had to seek medical treatment due to the stress." A statement issued via Diddy's legal team said he also denied the claim against him. It said: "A lawyer admitted that over 50 people falsely claimed to be victims. Today, for the second time this week, a Buzbee plaintiff has been exposed. This is the beginning of the end of this shameful money grab."
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