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Shawn Carter, known professionally as Jay-Z, has filed a defamation lawsuit against a woman identified as “Jane Doe” and her attorneys, alleging that they knowingly made false accusations against him for financial gain. The lawsuit follows the withdrawal of a complaint in which the woman had accused both Jay-Z and Sean Combs of sexual assault when she was 13 years old.
Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama, the lawsuit names attorneys Tony Buzbee, David Fortney, and Buzbee’s law firm as defendants. Jay-Z asserts that the allegations were baseless and that the defendants acted with reckless disregard for the truth, causing reputational and personal harm. The lawsuit describes their conduct as motivated by greed and lacking any foundation in fact.
The original complaint was filed in federal court in New York, with Jay-Z added as a defendant in December. The plaintiff claimed the alleged assault occurred at an after-party following the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards. However, the lawsuit was voluntarily dismissed with prejudice last month, barring it from being refiled.
Jay-Z’s complaint highlights inconsistencies in the woman’s account, including statements that conflict with witness testimony and documented evidence. It also alleges that Buzbee encouraged the plaintiff to pursue false claims in hopes of securing a financial settlement. The filing further contends that one of the attorneys told the woman her case had to be dismissed due to threats allegedly made against her—an assertion Jay-Z’s legal team categorically denies.
Despite withdrawing the lawsuit, the plaintiff recently stated in a separate filing that she stands by her allegations. Jay-Z, however, has maintained his innocence from the outset, calling the accusations “a fictional tale” that inflicted lasting harm on him and his family. His lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and a jury trial, alleging that the defendants acted maliciously and with intent to cause harm.
In response, Buzbee dismissed the defamation claims as an attempt to intimidate his former client, vowing to fight what he characterized as a baseless legal action.
