Music mogul Jay-Z’s legal team is moving to dismiss the lawsuit accusing the rapper of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl in 2000, according to his allegations in a recent NBC News interview. There are inconsistencies.
The lawsuit, initially filed in October, included allegations against Sean’ Diddy Combs, accusing him of raping the plaintiff, identified as ‘Jane Doe’, at a party after the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards . The complaint was later amended to implicate Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, alleging that he was present and participated in the attack.
Recently, in an interview with NBC News, the Alabama woman, now 38, described the alleged attack as a “devastating event” that happened 24 years ago. He claimed that he was given an intoxicating beverage and was later attacked. However, both the woman and her legal team acknowledged inconsistencies in her account, raising questions about her recollection of events. “I’ve made some mistakes,” he admitted.
Major inconsistencies include her claim that her father picked her up after the attack, a statement she does not remember. Additionally, the woman said she spoke to Benji Madden of Good Charlotte at the party, but Madden claims he was not in New York that evening, as his band was on tour in the Midwest. Photographic evidence from the night places Carter and Combs in a different location than the woman described, although their whereabouts remain uncertain throughout the evening.
In response to the NBC News report, Carter issued a statement strongly denying the allegations: “Today’s investigative report vindicates this ‘lawyer [Tony] Buzbee filed a false complaint against me for money and fame. This incident didn’t happen, and yet they filed it in court and doubled down on it in the press. True justice is coming. We fight to win, not to win. It was over before it even started. This 1-800 lawyer doesn’t realize it yet, but, soon.”
Carter’s attorney, Alex Spiro, criticized the legal process, saying, “It is astonishing that a lawyer would not only file such a serious complaint without a proper investigation, but would make things worse by pushing this false story in the press. We are asking the court to dismiss this frivolous case today and address the matter with additional discipline for Mr. Buzbee and all attorneys who filed complaints.
Spiro also filed a motion on Monday requesting that the court require the plaintiff to disclose her identity or drop the lawsuit, arguing that she has not provided enough evidence to justify remaining anonymous. “Their vague claims of potential harm fall far short of the stringent requirements,” Spiro said.
Carter had previously sued Buzbee anonymously, alleging that the attorney had attempted to blackmail him.
Buzbee defended his company’s actions in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “Jane Doe’s case was referred to our firm by another law firm, who investigated it before sending it to us. Our client firmly maintains that what he has said is true to the best of his recollection. We will continue to investigate his claims and collect corroborating data to the extent it exists. Because we have interrogated her thoroughly, she has also agreed to take the polygraph. I had never had a customer suggest this before. In any case, we always do our best to investigate every claim made, as we did in this case. This has been extremely distressing for her, to the extent that she has had seizures and has had to seek medical treatment due to the stress.”
