Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs were accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl in the early 2000s.
In an amended lawsuit filed Sunday, an Alabama woman known only as Jane Doe claims the billionaire music mogul, born Shawn Carter, and Combs drugged and raped her at an after-party following the MTV Video Music Awards in September 2000.
The woman filed a lawsuit against Combs in October over the alleged assault.
Doe also claims that an unidentified celebrity “stood by and watched as Combs and Carter took turns assaulting” her. NBC News was the first to report the news.
“Combs has been allowed to conduct himself in this manner for years without any consequences,” reads the lawsuit filed by Texas-based attorney Tony Buzbee.
“He believes that he is above the law. He isn’t. Shawn Carter, a close friend of Combs, has been with him on numerous occasions. Both perpetrators must face justice.
In a statement issued Sunday, Jay-Z vehemently denied the allegations leveled against him.
Combs, who was arrested in September on charges of racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution, is currently facing additional legal issues.The hip-hop mogul is being held at the Special Housing Unit in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center before his trial on May 5.
In a 14-page federal indictment, Combs was accused of transforming his “multi-faceted business empire” into a “criminal enterprise” involving kidnapping, arson, physical violence, sex trafficking, and forced labor, among other crimes.
Jay-Z statement blasts lawsuit as ‘blackmail attempt’
Jay-Z’s representative, Jana Fleishman, described Buzbee’s lawsuit as a “blackmail attempt.”
“What he had calculated was that the nature of these allegations and the public scrutiny would make me want to settle,” Jay-Z said of Buzbee in his statement. “No, sir; it had the opposite effect! It made me want to expose you as a fraud in a very public way. So, no, I will not give you a single red penny!!”
Jay-Z, who is married to pop star Beyoncé, added that his “only heartbreak is for my family.” The couple has three children: daughter Blue Ivy (12), and fraternal twins Rumi and Sir (7).
“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,” the hip hop artist stated.
“I mourn another loss of innocence. Children should not have to go through this at such a young age. It is unfair to have to attempt to comprehend inexplicable levels of malice intended to destroy families and the human spirit.”
He wrapped up: “My heart and support go out to true victims in the world, who have to watch how their life story is dressed in costume for profitability by this ambulance chaser in a cheap suit.”
In the fall of 2000, around the time of Jane Doe’s alleged sexual assault, Jay-Z was preparing to release his fifth album, “The Dynasty: Roc La Familia.” The album, released in October of that year, sold 2 million copies and produced the No. 1 hip-hop single “I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me).”
Woman sues Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs for allegedly raping her as teen
According to the woman’s original lawsuit, Doe was attempting to attend the MTV VMAs when she met Combs’ limousine driver, who allegedly told her that the record label founder “liked younger girls” and that she “fit what Diddy was looking for.”
The driver then reportedly told her to return later that night, and when she did, she was taken to an after-party at Combs’ home. She was then asked to sign a nondisclosure agreement.
Jane Doe claimed she was drugged after taking one “bitter” drink. She claimed she entered an empty bedroom to lie down when Combs and two celebrities arrived; one is now believed to be Jay-Z, while the other remains unidentified.
She claims Combs told her she was “ready to party” and threw her at Jay-Z, who she claims removed her clothes and held her down as he raped her while Combs and an unnamed female celebrity looked on. Then Combs raped her while Jay-Z and a female celebrity looked on.
Combs allegedly attempted to force the girl to perform oral sex on him, but when she hit him, he stopped. According to the suit, the girl grabbed her clothes and eventually found an exit before heading to a gas station, where she called her father and confessed her whereabouts.
Jay-Z’s friendship with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs
Jay-Z and Combs rose to prominence in the East Coast hip-hop scene in the mid-1990s, with Combs establishing Bad Boy Records in 1993 and Jay-Z co-founding Roc-A-Fella Records in 1994.
Over the years, the two have collaborated on a number of tracks, including Mary J. Blige’s “Love & Life Intro,” a remix of 50 Cent’s “I Get Money,” and the Diddy – Dirty Money hit “Coming Home” featuring Skylar Grey, which Jay-Z co-wrote and produced.
Both attended DJ Khaled’s Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony in 2022.
Combs reportedly revealed some details about his relationship with Jay-Z during an appearance on James Corden’s “Carpool Karaoke” series in April 2023, according to The Independent and People. In the now-deleted video, Combs tells Corden that the rapper is the only person, aside from his mother, who can address him by his first name, Sean.
Tony Buzbee sued for extortion by unnamed ‘high-profile’ celebrity
Buzbee was sued in November by an anonymous “John Doe” for “shamelessly attempting to extort exorbitant sums from him” with the threat of litigation containing “entirely fabricated and malicious allegations of sexual assault,” according to court documents obtained by USA TODAY.
The attorney, who has helped bring several sexual assault cases against Combs, allegedly sent correspondence to John Doe, describing the man as a friend of Combs “based on the fact that the two often attended similar events frequented by celebrities.”
The alleged extortion demand stated that the man raped several minors, both male and female, who had been drugged at Combs’ parties.
According to the filing, John Doe’s attorneys portrayed the allegations as “nothing more than a weapon in a calculated plot to destroy (his) high-profile reputation for profit, despite the complete absence of any factual basis for such claims.”
Buzbee described the complaint as a “frivolous lawsuit” brought against his firm and a “aggressive attempt to intimidate or silence me and, ultimately, my clients.”
In an interview with USA TODAY, Jay-Z mentioned Buzbee’s extensive legal history. “This lawyer, who I have done a bit of research on, seems to have a pattern of these type of theatrics,” he told me.
“You have made a terrible error in judgement thinking that all ‘celebrities’ are the same,” according to Jay-Z. “I am a young man who has made it out of Brooklyn’s projects. We don’t play these kinds of games. We follow very strict codes of honor. We protect children. “You appear to exploit people for personal gain.”
Buzbee announced his massive civil lawsuit against Combs in October, telling a press conference that 120 accusers planned to file claims against the Grammy-winning rapper for “violent sexual assault or rape,” “facilitated sex with a controlled substance,” “dissemination of video recordings,” and “sexual abuse of minors,” among other offenses.