Music
Jay-Z has been accused of raping a 13-year-old girl along with Sean “Diddy” Combs at a MTV Video Music Awards afterparty in 2000.
The music mogul and entrepreneur, born Shawn Carter, was named in a civil lawsuit that was refiled by Texas-based attorney Tony Buzbee on Sunday, according to court documents obtained by Page Six.
The original rape complaint, which had been filed by an anonymous accuser in October, had only listed Combs as a defendant.
NBC News was the first to report on the amended lawsuit.
The accuser, identified only as Jane Doe, claims in the lawsuit that both Jay-Z and Combs raped her at a house party in New York on Sept. 7, 2000, when she was 13.
She claims she was offered a drink that made her feel “woozy” and “lightheaded” before she went into a bedroom to lie down for a moment.
Shortly after, the woman claims, the two rappers entered the room, with the Bad Boy Records founder allegedly saying, “You are ready to party!”
She claims Jay-Z then removed her clothes and held her down and raped her while Combs and an unidentified female celebrity looked on. Combs allegedly also raped her as Jay-Z and the woman watched.
In a lengthy statement obtained by Page Six on Sunday, Jay-Z vehemently denied the “heinous” allegations and slammed “deplorable” lawyer Buzbee for his “pattern … of theatrics.”
“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,” the Grammy winner, 55, began.
“No sir, it had the opposite effect! It made me want to expose you for the fraud you are in a VERY public fashion. So no, I will not give you ONE RED PENNY!!
“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.”
“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. I’m more than prepared to deal with your type,” Jay-Z continued.
The Brooklyn-born emcee also shared that his “only heartbreak” was for his wife, Beyoncé, and their three children: Blue Ivy, 12, and twins Rumi and Sir, 7.
“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,” Jay-Z wrote.
“I mourn yet another loss of innocence. Children should not have to endure such at their young age. It is unfair to have to try to understand inexplicable degrees of malice meant to destroy families and human spirit.”
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Jay-Z also warned Buzbee that he had “made a terrible error in judgement thinking that all ‘celebrities’ are the same.”
“I’m not from your world,” he continued. “I’m a young man who made it out of the project of Brooklyn. We don’t play these types of games. We have very strict codes and honor. We protect children, you seem to exploit people for personal gain.”
“I look forward to showing you just how different I am,” he concluded.
Combs’ legal team also responded to the updated filing in a statement obtained by Page Six.
“The amended complaint and the recent extortion lawsuit against Mr. 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,” they wrote.
“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, 55, is currently detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, NY, as he awaits trial scheduled for May 2025.
He was arrested in September on sex trafficking and racketeering charges. He has pleaded not guilty.
The disgraced rapper was denied bail for a third time in November after prosecutors argued he poses too much of a threat to victims if released from prison.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-330-0226.