Jay-Z accused of ‘raping’ 13-year-old girl with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs; dismisses it as ‘blackmail attempt’
A civil lawsuit has emerged accusing Jay-Z and Sean 'Diddy' Combs of raping a 13-year-old girl at a 2000 MTV Video Music Awards after-party. The allegations, dismissed by Jay-Z as a 'blackmail attempt,' have reignited discussions about celebrity accountability and the treatment of sexual assault survivors.
American rapper Jay-Z has been added to a lawsuit accusing him of raping a 13-year-old girl with the disgraced music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs at an after-party following the 2000 Video Music Awards.
According to an amended civil lawsuit filed on Sunday, Texas-based attorney Tony Buzbee named Shawn Carter, known as Jay-Z professionally, in the lawsuit initially filed in October. Carter was identified in the original complaint as Celebrity A.
According to the anonymous minor plaintiff, she was allegedly noticed by a limousine driver who invited her to an MTV Video Music Awards afterparty where Combs and Carter raped her.
"Another celebrity stood by and watched as Combs and Carter took turns assaulting the minor," the lawsuit said without naming the celebrity.
Soon after, the rapper issued a statement on the Roc Nation's X account, denying the allegations made against him in the filing. Jay-Z also went on to call the allegation an attempt of “blackmail”.
Here's what Jay-Z said:
Terming the lawsuit as “one of several anonymous complaints” by Tony Buzbee, Jay-Z claimed the Texas attorney had sent his lawyer a “demand letter” ahead of the filing.
Many of Buzbee's lawsuits were dismissed because the plaintiffs chose not to reveal their identities; however, in this instance, the judge determined that the then-13-year-old had adequate reason to proceed without being named.
“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,” Jay-Z said in his statement.
“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!!” he wrote.
He also asked why the filing was a civil lawsuit rather than a criminal filing.
“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,” Jay-Z wrote.
The rapper also addressed the fact that his family, including his children, may be affected by the filing.
“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,” he wrote.
Tony Buzbee replies:
Tony Buzbee took to his personal Instagram account on Sunday, saying he would not be "bullied or intimidated," without mentioning the specific lawsuit, Jay-Z or Diddy by name.
“People will see through this effort to discredit me and my clients and the truth will be revealed,” Buzbee wrote.
“I also won’t allow anyone to scare my clients into silence. Sunlight is the best disinfectant and I am quite certain the sun is coming,” he added.
What did Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs say?
In a statement to ABC News, Sean "Diddy" Combs' legal representatives called the lawsuit a “recent extortion” attempt by Buzbee which “exposes his barrage of lawsuits against Combs” and termed it as a “shameless publicity stunts, designed to extract payments from celebrities who fear having lies spread about them, just as lies have been spread about Combs”.
"As his legal team has said before, Combs has full confidence in the facts and the integrity of the judicial process. In court, the truth will prevail: that Combs never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone -- man or woman, adult or minor," they said.
Catch all the Business News , Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
Business NewsNewsUs NewsJay-Z accused of ‘raping’ 13-year-old girl with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs; dismisses it as ‘blackmail attempt’
First Published:9 Dec 2024, 07:57 AM IST
- Top Gainers
- Top Losers
- 52 Week High