The lawsuit accusing Jay-Z and the presently incarcerated Sean “Diddy” Combs of repeatedly raping a minor in 2000 after the MTV VMAs was dismissed on Valentines’ Day, however the bitter relationship between the ‘Arduous Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)’ rapper and lawyer Tony Buzbee rages on, for now.
Filed 4 days earlier than the Buzbee represented Jane Doe “voluntarily dismissed with prejudice” her months lengthy claims, Jay-Z a.ok.a. Shawn Carter dropped a declaration within the docket of LA Superior Courtroom ripping the Texas-based lawyer a brand new one. Rejecting Buzbee’s try and have the Roc Nation boss’ defamation and extortion swimsuit primarily gutted, Jay-Z’s February 10 submitting says the “career-ending” accusations of assaulting a 13-year-old lady unsurprisingly broken his enterprise and his household – the previous to the tune of $20 million a yr.
Whereas not mentioning the NFL, who Roc Nation has a lately renewed Tremendous Bowl halftime present cope with, by identify, Jay-Z’s declaration makes crystal that even when the Roger Goodell-run league was standing by him, others had been a lot much less inclined to take action:
Mr. Buzbee’s actions undermined my relationship, and my firm Roc Nation’s relationship, with different companies within the sports activities and leisure area. We have now agreements to provide leisure packages for sure sporting occasions. After Mr. Buzbee filed the lawsuit, the media reported that different companies might finish their offers with Roc Nation, and compelled one to talk out and tackle whether or not these false allegations would finish our enterprise relationship.
Instantly after Mr. Buzbee went public together with his false accusations, my firm Roc Nation additionally misplaced different contracts within the sports activities and leisure area that will have generated revenues of roughly $20 million per yr.
The rape of the then-teen Jane Doe is alleged to have occurred on the evening of September 7, 2000 throughout one in all Diddy’s drug-fueled events after that yr’s MTV VMAs. A graphic October 20-filed lawsuit from plaintiff’s lawyer Buzbee first solely named Combs, however made distinct reference to accomplices of a male “Celeb A” and a feminine “Celeb B.” Jay-Z was named as “Celeb A” in a December 8 refiling by Buzbee, which adopted separate November 18 swimsuit from a Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan-represented nameless “superstar and public determine who resides in Los Angeles” (later revealed to be Jay-Z) that went after the Texas lawyer for extortion.
After a flurry of filings, together with a number of unsuccessful hopes of dismissal, one problematic NBC Information sit-down by the now middle-aged Jane Doe, and different media duels, the entire matter was pulled on February 14 by the plaintiff, with no clarification by Buzbee. However, Jay-Z mentioned in a press release posted that day on Roc Nation’s X feed: “I might not want this expertise on anybody. The trauma that my spouse, my kids, family members and I’ve endured can by no means be dismissed.”
(L-R) Jay-Z, Beyoncé, and Blue Ivy Carter attend the Los Angeles premiere of Disney’s Mufasa: The Lion King at Dolby Theatre on December 09, 2024 (Photograph by Matt Winkelmeyer/GA/The Hollywood Reporter by way of Getty Pictures)
In actual fact, on February 10, the multi-Grammy winner additionally obtained very particular about what he considered as a really particular hit on him timingwise when he was publicly named on December 8 as allegedly the male “Celeb A” engaged within the rape of the teenager with a feminine “Celeb B” and the a lot accused Combs.
“I used to be harshly criticized by others for accompanying my daughter to the premiere of her film a day after Mr. Buzbee filed the Jane Doe lawsuit towards me,” Jay-Z mentioned final week of the total tilt LA December 9 debut of the Barry Jenkins directed Mufasa: The Lion King that he was at with Blue Ivy and partner Beyoncé. “Media retailers reported that Disney was hesitant over my attendance on the premiere due to the accusations. I really feel that Mr. Buzbee purposely filed this lawsuit on the eve of my daughter’s premiere to place me within the place of getting to decide on between supporting my daughter or hiding to keep away from the unfavourable press protection.”
“Buzbee’s assertion that there’s nothing ‘excessive and outrageous’ about his false public claims that Mr. Carter is a serial baby rapist is misguided and appalling,” states an accompanying 22-page opposition to defendant’s movement to strike.
Having mentioned that, with all of the citations of threats, alleged a number of victims, sturdy arming by Buzbee for “one thing of substance” from Jay-Z for his shoppers and attendance at large NFL video games and the Grammys by the rapper and Beyoncé in latest weeks, this might all be DOA now with the rape case towards Carter and Combs over. Although a February 25 listening to in DTLA remains to be on the books, Deadline reached out to attorneys for each Jay-Z and Jane Doe for remark and clarification on the state of affairs. This publish might be up to date in the event that they reply.
Nonetheless going through dozens and dozens of assault and abuse civil fits from Buzbee represented plaintiffs and others, Combs stays behind bars at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Middle. He has been there since his September 16 arrest. Failing on a number of events to get launched on $50 million bail and taking a look at life in jail if discovered responsible, Combs is ready to go to trial on racketeering, intercourse trafficking, and transportation to interact in prostitution expenses beginning Could 5.
Doubt that Jay-Z might be displaying up at that occasion, although there isn’t any doubt will probably be a spectacle.