American rapper, Shawn Carter, better known as Jay-Z, has filed a court case against Jane Doe and her attorneys, Tony Buzbee and David Fortney, alleging defamation and extortion following previously withdrawn rape case.
In October 2024, Jane Doe, accused the artistes, Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs of sexual assault at an afterparty following the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards when, to her, she was thirteen at the time, as given by BBC reports.
The two artistes denied the allegations. Jane Doe also withdrew the case, and it became discharged in February 2025.
Jay-Z has filed a defamation lawsuit in a federal court in Alabama, alleging that his accuser, identified as Jane Doe, admitted to his representatives that the alleged assault never occurred. The lawsuit further claims that Doe’s lawyers coerced her into making the false allegations in an attempt to secure a substantial financial settlement.
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According to the filing, these actions amounted to “malevolent efforts to assassinate the impeccable and lifetime-earned character” of the rapper and business mogul. The lawsuit also points to inconsistencies in Doe’s statements, including claims of interactions with musicians who were confirmed to be elsewhere at the time. Additionally, Doe’s father reportedly stated that he does not recall events she described following the alleged assault.
In response, Doe’s attorney, Tony Buzbee, dismissed the lawsuit as baseless, asserting that his client stands by her allegations. Buzbee also accused Jay-Z’s investigators of engaging in intimidation tactics, stating, “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.”
Jay-Z argues that the false accusations have inflicted significant personal and professional damage. He claims his company, Roc Nation, has suffered business losses amounting to approximately $20 million annually, while his family—especially his children—has endured emotional distress as a result of the allegations.
