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Authored by Melanie Sun via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
American rapper Jay-Z, 55, denied sexual assault accusations on Dec. 8 after his name was added to a civil lawsuit alongside Sean “Diddy” Combs for allegedly drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl more than two decades ago.
The lawsuit, amended on Dec. 8 and viewed by The Epoch Times, lists Jay-Z by his legal name, Shawn Corey Carter, alongside Combs, who was criminally charged in September with racketeering, sex trafficking, and other offenses.
The case was first filed in October in the Southern District of New York, naming Combs as the only defendant.
According to the updated complaint, the plaintiff, identified only as “Jane Doe,” alleges she was drugged and sexually assaulted by both men at an after-party following an MTV Video Music Awards night in 2000.
Carter responded to the claims Sunday night, saying in a statement that the plaintiff’s attorney, Tony Buzbee, had sent him a letter demanding a settlement. The rapper accused Buzbee of trying to force him to settle given “the nature of these allegations and the public scrutiny.”
The rapper said he would not pay anything and would “expose” what he said were fraudulent claims to the public in court.
“These allegations are so heinous in nature that I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one!! Whomever would commit such a crime against a minor should be locked away, would you not agree?” Carter said.
“These alleged victims would deserve real justice if that were the case.”
Buzbee responded on the social media platform X on Sunday to Carter’s comments, saying that since he sent the letter on behalf of his client, Carter has “filed his frivolous case under a pseudonym” and “tried to bully and harass” him and the plaintiff.
Buzbee was sued in November by California-based law firm Quinn Emanuel for alleged extortion and threats of “publicizing false information for financial gain” that targeted “high profile individuals.”
Carter hasn’t publicly commented on his alleged lawsuit against Buzbee as of publication time, and it is unclear if Buzbee’s post regarding Carter was referring to the Quinn Emanuel suit.
Buzbee said that while Carter claims the lawsuit is after his money, the plaintiff hadn’t asked Carter for money in the settlement offer.
“What he fails to say in his recent statement is my firm sent his lawyer a demand letter on behalf of an alleged victim and that victim never demanded a penny from him. Instead, she only sought a confidential mediation,” the lawyer posted on X.
Buzbee said that Jay-Z’s response to the settlement has not intimidated his client but “had the opposite impact.”
“She is emboldened. I’m very proud of her resolve,” he wrote.
Buzbee said he would comment no further on the allegations and the case. “[W]e will let the filing speak for itself and will litigate the facts in court, not in the media,” he said.
Lawyers for Combs told media outlets that the multiple claims filed by Buzbee against their client in recent months are “designed to extract payments from celebrities who fear having lies spread about them.”
“Mr. Combs has full confidence in the facts and the integrity of the judicial process,” they said in a statement. “In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr. Combs never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone—man or woman, adult or minor.”
Combs was arrested in September for the sex trafficking charges and has pleaded not guilty. He is currently being held in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center without bail. His trial is scheduled for May 5.
The Epoch Times has contacted attorneys for Carter, Combs, and Doe for comment.
