Rapper and entrepreneur Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter, along with music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, has been accused of raping a 13-year-old girl in 2000, according to a federal lawsuit filed on Sunday.
The anonymous accuser, identified only as “Jane Doe,” claims the assault took place after she was driven to an MTV Video Music Awards after-party. Originally filed in October in the Southern District of New York with Combs as the sole defendant, the lawsuit was refiled this week to include Carter, NBC reports.
In bold response to the lawsuit, Jay-Z released a statement rejecting the allegations and accusing Tony Buzbee, the attorney representing the accuser, of attempting blackmail.
The rapper claimed that Buzbee’s “demand letter” was an attempt to exploit the public scrutiny surrounding the case and pressure him into settling. Jay-Z denounced Buzbee’s actions, asserting that the allegations were so “heinous” that he urged the accuser to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one.
“This lawyer, who I have done a bit of research on, seems to have a pattern of these type of theatrics!” Jay Z told Variety.
“My only heartbreak is for my family. 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. 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.”
Buzbee has previously filed several lawsuits against Combs, all of which have kept the complainants’ identities anonymous, accusing him of assault and rape. This is the first case in which Buzbee has named another high-profile figure as a defendant.
Combs has consistently denied the allegations. In September, federal prosecutors in New York charged him with racketeering, sex trafficking, and other offences.
He is currently incarcerated at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center after being denied bail for a third time last month. His trial is scheduled for May 5. Prosecutors have also suggested that additional charges could be filed against Combs in a superseding indictment.
Before the lawsuit was refiled, Buzbee noted in court documents that Carter had received a letter from the plaintiff’s counsel seeking mediation to resolve the case. In response, Carter filed his own lawsuit against the accuser’s attorneys.
The lawsuit claims that, in 2000, after the MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall, Combs and Carter raped a 13-year-old woman at a house party in New York.
According to the suit, the woman was dropped off at the VMAs by a friend, but she did not have a ticket. She is said to have approached several limousine drivers in an attempt to gain entry to the event or an after-party.
According to the lawsuit, one of the limousine drivers allegedly told the woman he was employed by Combs and that she “fit what Diddy was looking for,” before offering her a ride to the after-party.
The suit claims the driver later returned to pick her up, transporting her and the two men to a house where the assault allegedly occurred. Upon arriving, the woman is said to have signed a document she believed was a nondisclosure agreement, though she did not receive a copy. The lawsuit further describes the party as being attended by celebrities, with guests using marijuana and cocaine.
