Jay-Z Felt He Had ‘Gun to His Head’ After Rape Lawsuit Was Filed

Jay-Z is constant to talk out following the dismissal of the lawsuit towards himself and Sean “Diddy” Combs over the alleged rape of a 13-year-old woman.

In a declaration filed in Los Angeles on Monday, Feb. 10, the rapper, 55, said that he believes legal professional Tony Buzbee — who represented the Jane Doe who alleged that she was raped by Combs, additionally 55, and Jay-Z at a MTV Video Music Awards afterparty in 2000 — purposefully inflicted emotional misery on him by submitting the lawsuit.

The declaration added that Buzbee deliberately filed the criticism on the eve of his daughter Blue Ivy’s Mufasa: The Lion King film premiere “to place me within the place of getting to decide on between supporting my daughter or hiding to keep away from the destructive press.”

He and spouse Beyoncé share Blue Ivy, 13, and twins Rumi and Sir, 7.

Moreover, Jay-Z alleges that he misplaced $20 million in contracts as a result of false allegations in Buzbee’s lawsuit and that he has been going by deep “psychological anguish” because it was filed in October 2024.

“I felt that Mr. Buzbee was inserting a gun to my head that I both bow to his calls for or endure private and monetary damage,” the rapper, whose authorized title is Shawn Carter, wrote within the declaration.

Jay-Z first filed go well with towards Buzbee in L.A. a number of months in the past, accusing him of civil extortion, defamation and intentional infliction of emotional misery.

Within the lawsuit, initially filed on Oct. 20, 2024, an unnamed girl alleged that she was raped by Combs and Jay-Z whereas a still-unnamed feminine celeb watched throughout a celebration in a N.Y.C. residence after the 2000 VMAs. She added Jay-Z’s title to the go well with two months later.

The go well with was voluntary dismissed on Friday, Feb. 14, by Buzbee and fellow legal professional Antigone Curis, who wrote in court docket paperwork beforehand obtained by PEOPLE that the Jane Doe who accused the 2 rappers of sexual assault “hereby provides discover that the above-captioned Motion is voluntarily dismissed, with prejudice.” The go well with can’t be refiled.

Jay-Z issued a press release on Roc Nation’s X account quickly after, calling the dismissal “a victory.” In his response, the rapper additionally mentioned that these allegations triggered “trauma” for his spouse and three youngsters.

“In the present day is a victory,” he wrote. “The frivolous, fictitious and appalling allegations have been dismissed. This civil go well with was with out advantage and by no means going wherever. The fictional story they created was laughable, if not for the seriousness of the claims. I might not want this expertise on anybody,” his assertion learn. “The trauma that my spouse, my youngsters, family members and I’ve endured can by no means be dismissed.”

Jay-Z’s legal professional, Alex Spiro, additionally issued a press release, saying: “The false case towards JAY-Z, that by no means ought to have been introduced, has been dismissed with prejudice.”

“By standing up within the face of heinous and false allegations, Jay has achieved what few can — he pushed again, he by no means settled, he by no means paid 1 pink penny, he triumphed and cleared his title,” Spiro added.

The go well with was dismissed after a number of alleged inconsistencies within the Jane Doe’s allegations, per NBC Information, together with the truth that she mentioned her father picked her up after the alleged sexual assault, however he didn’t recall that.

She additionally claimed she had spoken to Benji Madden on the afterparty, although he denied being in New York on the time.

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Though the case towards Jay-Z has been dismissed, Combs nonetheless faces greater than 40 civil lawsuits.

He has been in jail on the Metropolitan Detention Middle in Brooklyn, N.Y., on expenses of racketeering and intercourse trafficking since September 2024. His trial begins in Might 2025.

Should you or somebody you already know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the Nationwide Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.