Jay-Z has filed a defamation lawsuit today against the rape accuser who claimed he and Diddy sexually assaulted her in 2000, as well as suing her lawyer, Tony Buzbee, over false allegations.
Jay-Z Wants to Go to Trial Over False Rape Allegations
On Monday (March 3), attorneys for Jay-Z filed the defamation lawsuit in United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama Mobile Division. Alabama is where the Jane Doe lives. The suit names Buzbee as well as his firm, The Buzbee Law Firm, Jane Doe and David Fortney, the other lawyer who filed Doe’s complaint against Hov last December. The rape lawsuit was dismissed last month.
Four causes of action are listed in the suit, including malicious prosecution, civil conspiracy and abuse of process against all defendants, while defamation is solely brought against Jane Doe. Hov and his attorneys believe Jane Doe, whose identity has remained a mystery since she first came forward with the rape allegations last year, was looking for a big payday and Tony Buzbee took advantage of the situation.
“Doe appears to be suffering from personal and financial hardship,” the lawsuit reads. “She lost custody of her children, and her parents, who, on information and belief, support Doe, recently filed for bankruptcy protection. Desperate to obtain a payday, Doe hired the Buzbee law firm―which has a long history of whipping up a media frenzy with vague and sensational claims against public figures―to extort payments from Mr. Carter under the threat of devastating harm to his reputation.”
Roc Nation allegedly lost over $20 million in business due to the false rape allegations. Jay-Z claims Doe’s lies caused “harm to his personal and professional reputation, harm to his business entity, Roc Nation—which resulted in his business suffering substantial losses in excess of $20 million—out-of-pocket loss, and emotional harm, humiliation, and harassment.”
According to the rapper’s attorneys, when asked by Jay’s representative to come forward with
the truth, Jane Doe allegedly responded “What’s in it for me?”
In a statement to XXL, Tony Buzbee claims Jane Doe stands by her claims and Jay-Z’s new lawsuit includes quotes from Doe that are “completely made up.”
“This Alabama filing asserts the same claims as another case Jay Z’s team pieced together and filed in Los Angeles,” Buzbee said. “Like the case in L.A., this new case in Alabama also has no legal merit. Shawn Carter’s investigators have repeatedly harassed, threatened and harangued this poor woman for weeks trying to intimidate her and make her recant her story. She hasn’t, and won’t. Instead she has stated repeatedly she stands by her claims. These same group of investigators have been caught on tape offering to pay people to sue me and my firm. After speaking with Jane Doe today, it appears that the quotes attributed to her in the lawsuit are completely made up, or they spoke to someone who isn’t Jane Doe. This is just another attempt to intimidate and bully this poor woman that we will deal with in due course. We won’t be bullied or intimidated by frivolous cases.”
Last December, Jane Doe did a tell-all interview with NBC News about her claims and acknowledged she made mistakes in her story. She alleged she was 13 years old when a friend drove her from Rochester, N.Y., to New York City for the MTV Video Music Awards in 2000. Once outside the venue for the awards show, she claimed she spoke with Diddy’s limo driver who offered her a ride to an after-party. According to her, she spoke with Good Charlotte members Benji and Joel Madden at the party. A representative for the Maddens confirmed to NBC that they did not attend the VMAs and were on tour in the Midwest at the time.
At the after-party, Jane Doe insisted she was raped by both Jay-Z and Diddy after she was given a drink that made her feel “woozy.” She also claimed her father picked her up after the alleged sexual assault occurred, and they “rode home in silence” and “he didn’t ask me what happened.” But her father reportedly had no recollection of the incident and could not verify his daughter’s claims to the media outlet. “I feel like I would remember that and I don’t,” he said.
Buzbee and Doe dropped the rape lawsuit against Jay-Z and Diddy on Feb. 14, citing the action was voluntarily dismissed with prejudice by plaintiff Jane Doe. This means Doe cannot refile the lawsuit.
Jay-Z demands a trial by jury for his lawsuit against Tony Buzbee, his firm, Jane Doe and David Fortney.