Trigger Warning: This article contains mention of rape and sexual assault.
Shawn Carter, popularly known as Jay-Z, has recently filed a motion to dismiss a rape case in which he and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs have been accused of raping a 13-year-old girl about two decades ago. Alternatively, the Empire State of Mind rapper asked the judge to require the plaintiff to reveal her identity. The motion, filed in New York federal court, marked the first legal response from Carter.
Filed in New York on October 20 under New York’s Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act, the complaint alleges the assault occurred at one of Combs‘ infamous post-2000 MTV Video Music Awards parties. Although it is Combs who serves as the principal defendant, the lawsuit does name “Celebrity A” and “Celebrity B” as other individuals involved. As per Deadline, amended on December 8, it specifically reveals Carter as an assailant.
Carter’s lawyers have termed the accusations baseless and very damaging to his reputation. His attorneys argued that allowing the plaintiff to be anonymous should not be permissible, mainly because the charges against Carter are so severe and the amounts of damages he is alleged to owe the plaintiff are huge.
As per Deadline, Jay’s lawyer Alex Spiro stated, “Mr. Carter deserves to know the identity of the person who is effectively accusing him—in sensationalized, publicity-hunting fashion—of criminal conduct, demanding massive financial compensation, and tarnishing a reputation earned over decades.”
The lawyer for Jane Doe, Tony Buzbee, has now accused Carter of trying to intimidate him and the plaintiff both through legal and public statements.
Buzbee slammed the rap mogul, saying he “has not only sued me, but he has tried to bully and harass me and this plaintiff.”
The lawsuit comes when Sean Diddy Combs is facing his own legal woes, including charges of racketeering and sex trafficking, with a trial set for May 2025. The hearing date for Jay-Z’s motion has not been set yet.
