Jay-Z calls lawsuit alleging rape at Sean Combs-hosted party a ‘blackmail attempt’
An amended lawsuit filed in federal court on Sunday alleges that rap mogul Jay-Z raped a 13-year-old girl along with Sean (Diddy) Combs during a party in 2000.
Jay-Z denied the allegations on social media through his Roc Nation company and blasted the lawsuit, calling it part of a “blackmail attempt” by the plaintiff’s lawyer. Lawyers for Jay-Z did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The lawsuit was originally filed in October in the Southern District of New York and at that time did not name Jay-Z as a defendant, though the amended lawsuit says that Jay-Z, also known as Shawn Carter, was identified as “Celebrity A” on the original complaint.
Combs has denied all allegations against him, including this one, in October. He is currently in jail on federal sex trafficking charges, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
The lawsuit alleges that the unnamed girl was drugged and raped by both Jay-Z and Combs at a party hosted by Combs following the MTV Music Awards in 2000, held in New York.
Read response posted to Roc Nation account:
Combs in jail awaiting trial
Tony Buzbee, the Texas lawyer representing the girl who filed Sunday’s lawsuit, has filed at least 20 civil lawsuits against Combs accusing him of sexual misconduct.
In an email to Reuters, Buzbee said the Jay-Z lawsuit “speaks for itself.”
“This is a very serious matter that will be litigated in court,” Buzbee wrote.
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Buzbee, in his amended lawsuit, says his legal firm had previously sent Jay-Z a letter seeking to mediate a settlement.
Jay-Z, the lawsuit says, responded to that letter by filing a lawsuit against Buzbee, and by “orchestrating a conspiracy of harassment” against Buzbee and other lawyers in his firm, which the lawyer said was an intimidation tactic meant to silence his client.
In a post on social media, Buzbee said the alleged rape victim he is representing “never demanded a penny” from Jay-Z, writing that “she only sought a confidential mediation.”
Jay-Z in his statement expressed “heartbreak for his family,” which includes wife Beyoncé and their three children.
“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 statement read. He referred to Buzbee as “an ambulance chaser.”
Buzbee last week filed a lawsuit against law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, whose lawyers represent Combs and Jay-Z, accusing the firm’s legal team of harassing his colleagues, his clients and his family.
Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan did not respond to requests for comment.
WATCH l Witnesses felt intimidated, prosecuting attorney says:
Damian Williams, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, says the investigation into the music mogul is ongoing and encouraged anyone with information about the case to come forward.
Combs, 55, has been denied bail multiple times in his criminal case, with judges citing a risk he might tamper with witnesses. He pleaded not guilty on Sept. 17 to charges that he used his business empire, including his record label Bad Boy Entertainment, to sexually abuse women.
Prosecutors said the abuse included having women take part in recorded sexual performances called “freak offs” with male sex workers who were sometimes transported across state lines.
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