Jay-Z Files Defamation Lawsuit Against Former Rape Accuser, Lawyer Tony Buzbee

Jay-Z is reportedly suing his former rape accuser and her lawyer, Tony Buzbee.

According to court docs obtained by Us Weekly on Monday, March 3, that Jay-Z, 55, is suing his accuser — referred to in court documents as Jane Doe — and Buzbee for abuse of process, malicious prosecution, civil conspiracy and defamation.

The lawsuit was reportedly filed in an Alabama court and alleged that Jay-Z’s accuser and Buzbee conspired to falsely accuse him of sexual assault, allegedly causing him to lose $20 million. Lawyer David Fortney is also named as a defendant in the suit.

In his complaint, the rapper (real name Shawn Carter) claims that the defendants “were soullessly motivated by greed, in abject disregard of the truth and the most fundamental precepts of human decency,” per court documents.

Court documents also reportedly claim that Doe “voluntarily admitted” that Buzbee, her lawyer, “pushed her towards going forward with the false story against Mr. Carter” after an “extortionate demand letter failed to yield the financial windfall.”

Doe allegedly admitted that “Buzbee brought Jay-Z into it,” according to his filing, which also claimed that Buzbee had met Doe “for the first time at a coffee shop in Houston on the day of her maliciously false NBC News interview.”

“This new case alleges the same claims as the other one they pieced together and filed in Los Angeles,” Buzbee said in a statement to Us Weekly. “Like the one in LA, this new case in Alabama also has no legal merit. Shawn Carter’s investigators have repeatedly harassed, threatened and harangued this poor woman for weeks trying to intimidate her and make her recant her story. She hasn’t, and won’t. Instead she has stated repeatedly she stands by her claims. These same group of investigators have been caught on tape offering to pay people to sue me and my firm. After speaking with Jane Doe today, it appears that the quotes attributed to her in the lawsuit are completely made up, or they spoke to someone who isn’t Jane Doe. This is just another attempt to intimidate and bully this poor woman that we will deal with in due course. We won’t be bullied or intimidated by frivolous cases.”

In a December 2024 on-camera interview with NBC News where her identity was concealed, Doe alleged that Jay-Z had raped her in 2000 at an afterparty for the MTV Video Music Awards. She claimed to be 13 at the time of the alleged assault. Doe also alleged Sean “Diddy” Combs sexually assaulted her as well, though the disgraced mogul has denied those claims.

Jay-Z has repeatedly denied the allegations against him since they were made public. Jay-Z’s lawsuit comes after Jane Doe’s lawsuit accusing him of rape was officially dismissed “with prejudice,” per docs obtained by Us on February 14.

“The false case against Jay-Z, that never should have been brought, has been dismissed with prejudice,” Jay-Z’s attorney Alex Spiro said in a statement to Us at the time. “By standing up in the face of heinous and false allegations, Jay has done what few can – he pushed back, he never settled, he never paid 1 red penny, he triumphed and cleared his name.”

Jay-Z, for his part, released a statement celebrating his “victory” via his company, Roc Nation.

“Today is a victory. The frivolous, fictitious and appalling allegations have been dismissed. This civil suit was without merit and never going anywhere,” he wrote via X. “The fictional tale they created was laughable, if not for the seriousness of the claims. I would not wish this experience on anyone. The trauma that my wife, my children, loved ones and I have endured can never be dismissed.”

He continued, “The court must protect victims, OF COURSE, while with the same ethical responsibility, the courts must protect the innocent from being accused without a shred of evidence. May the truth prevail for all victims and those falsely accused equally.”

In January, Buzbee insisted in a statement to Rolling Stone that he would not be “bullied or intimidated” by the “desperation” of Jay-Z’s legal team.

“He and his team think the laws and rules don’t apply to them. They are flat wrong,” Buzbee’s statement read. “They also think they can bully or intimidate counsel for victims by filing meritless and frivolous pleadings full of lies and half-truths. Again, they are dead wrong. … We will address the utter lack of merit with his filing with the Court, rather than with the press.”

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).