Jay-Z’s attorney is trying to dismiss a lawsuit accusing the rapper of raping a 13-year-old girl after the Jane Doe acknowledged inconsistencies in her allegations in a brand new NBC News report.
Within the lawsuit, originally filed in October, a girl identified only as “Jane Doe” sued Sean “Diddy” Combs for allegedly raping her at a celebration following the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards. The criticism was amended on Sunday to incorporate the allegation that Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, was also present and took part within the assault.
In a brand new interview with NBC News, the Alabama woman, who’s now 38, recounted what she called a “catastrophic event” 24 years ago, alleging that she was given a spiked drink and subsequently assaulted. Nevertheless, she and her lawyers also recognized some inconsistencies in her recollection of that night in response to the outlet’s questions. “I even have made some mistakes,” she said.
The inconsistencies include the girl claiming her father picked her up after the alleged sexual assault, but he says he doesn’t remember doing that. The Jane Doe also says she spoke to a different celebrity on the afterparty where the sexual assault took place, but that celebrity (Good Charlotte’s Benji Madden) says he was not in Recent York that night because the band was on tour within the midwest during this time period. Images from that evening in 2000 also show Carter and Combs at a distinct location than the ladies described, but their location for the whole night is unclear.
Carter wrote in an announcement in response to the NBC News report, “Today’s investigative report proves this ‘attorney’ [Tony] Buzbee filed a false criticism against me within the pursuit of cash and fame. This incident didn’t occur and yet he filed it in court and doubled down within the press. True Justice is coming. We fight FROM victory, not FOR victory. This was over before it began. This 1-800 lawyer doesn’t know it yet, but, soon.”
The rapper’s attorney Alex Spiro added, “It’s stunning that a lawyer wouldn’t only file such a serious criticism without proper vetting, but would make things worse by further peddling this false story within the press. We’re asking the Court to dismiss this frivolous case today, and can take up the matter of additional discipline for Mr. Buzbee and all of the lawyers that filed the criticism.”
In a filing on Monday, Spiro argued that the girl accusing Carter must reveal her identity or drop the lawsuit altogether, saying she has not provided substantial evidence to justify her anonymity, adding her “vague assertions of potential harm fall far in need of the stringent requirements.”
Carter also previously shared that he had anonymously sued Buzbee, claiming that the lawyer was attempting to blackmail him.
Buzbee shared in an announcement with The Hollywood Reporter, “Jane Doe’s case was referred to our firm by one other law firm, who vetted it prior to sending it to us. Our client stays fiercely adamant that what she has stated is true, to the perfect of her memory. We are going to proceed to vet her claims and collect corroborating data to the extent it exists. Because we’ve got interrogated her intensely, she has even agreed to undergo a polygraph. I’ve never had a client suggest that before. In any event, we all the time do our greatest to vet each claim made, just as we did on this case. This has been extremely distressing for her, to the purpose she has experienced seizures and needed to seek medical treatment attributable to the stress.”
