Jay-Z is speaking out after the dismissal of a rape lawsuit filed against him and Sean “Diddy” Combs, accusing the attorney who represented the plaintiff of inflicting emotional distress.
The lawsuit, filed in October 2024 by an unnamed woman, alleged that Jay-Z and Combs raped her during a party after the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards.
In a declaration filed on February 10, 2025, Jay-Z revealed that attorney Tony Buzbee intentionally filed the lawsuit on the night of his daughter Blue Ivy’s premiere of Mufasa: The Lion King in December 2024.
The rapper claimed that Buzbee’s timing left him facing a choice between supporting his daughter at a significant family event or hiding to avoid negative media coverage.
“I felt like Mr. Buzbee was placing a gun to my head,” Jay-Z wrote in his legal filing. “Either I bow to his demands or endure personal and financial ruin.”
He added that the lawsuit caused him significant mental anguish and resulted in the loss of $20 million in business contracts.
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The allegations were dismissed on February 14, 2025, when Buzbee and his co-counsel voluntarily dropped the lawsuit.
In a statement following the dismissal, Jay-Z called the decision “a victory,” declaring that the allegations were “frivolous” and caused undue trauma for his wife, Beyoncé, and their three children.
Jay-Z’s legal team also issued a statement, praising his persistence in fighting the false accusations.
“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 one red penny, he triumphed and cleared his name,” said Jay-Z’s lawyer, Alex Spiro.
