Jay-Z has been accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl alongside Sean “Diddy” Combs in the early 2000s.
In an amended lawsuit filed Sunday, an Alabama woman — identified anonymously as Jane Doe — claims the billionaire music mogul, born Shawn Carter, and Combs drugged and raped her at an after-party following the MTV Video Music Awards in September 2000. The woman brought a lawsuit against Combs in October for the alleged assault.
Doe also alleges that another unnamed celebrity “stood by and watched as Combs and Carter took turns assaulting” her. NBC News was the first to report the news.
“Combs has been allowed for years to conduct himself in this manner without any consequences,” reads the lawsuit, filed by Texas-based attorney Tony Buzbee. “He believes he is above the law. He is not. His close friend Shawn Carter has been with Combs during many such instances. … Both perpetrators must face justice.”
Jay-Z, who was 30 at the time of the alleged assault and is now 55, vehemently denied the allegations against him in a statement Sunday.
The claims against Jay-Z come amid an avalanche of legal woes for Combs, who was arrested in September on charges of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. The embattled hip-hop mogul has been held in custody at the Special Housing Unit in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center ahead of his upcoming May 5 trial.
Jay-Z denies rape allegation, says he and Beyoncé will have to ‘sit our children down’
In his 14-page indictment filed in federal court, Combs was accused of turning his “multi-faceted business empire” into a “criminal enterprise” in which he and his associates engaged in kidnapping, arson and physical violence, sex trafficking and forced labor, among other crimes.
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Jay-Z statement blasts lawsuit as ‘blackmail attempt’
In a statement provided by his representative Jana Fleishman, Jay-Z called Buzbee’s lawsuit a “blackmail attempt.”
“What he had calculated was the nature of these allegations and the public scrutiny would make me want to settle,” Jay-Z said of Buzbee in the statement. “No sir, it had the opposite effect! It made me want to expose you for the fraud you are in a very public fashion. So no, I will not give you one red penny!!”
Jay-Z, who is married to pop superstar Beyoncé, went on to say that his “only heartbreak is for my family.” The couple shares three children: daughter Blue Ivy, 12, and fraternal twins Rumi and Sir, 7.
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“My wife and I will have to sit our children down, one of whom is at the age where her friends will surely see the press and ask questions about the nature of these claims, and explain the cruelty and greed of people,” the rapper said.
“I mourn yet another loss of innocence. Children should not have to endure such at their young age. It is unfair to have to try to understand inexplicable degrees of malice meant to destroy families and human spirit.”
He concluded: “My heart and support go out to true victims in the world, who have to watch how their life story is dressed in costume for profitability by this ambulance chaser in a cheap suit.”
In the fall of 2000, around the time of the Jane Doe’s alleged sexual assault, Jay-Z was gearing up for the release of his fifth album “The Dynasty: Roc La Familia.” The album, released in October of that year, went on to sell 2 million copies and spawned the No. 1 hip-hop single “I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me).”
Jay-Z’s rape lawsuit response shocked. Our reaction matters, too.
Woman sues Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs for allegedly raping her as teen
According to the woman’s original lawsuit, Doe was attempting to get into the MTV VMAs when she met Combs’ limousine driver, who allegedly told her the record label founder “liked younger girls” and that she “fit what Diddy was looking for.”
The driver then reportedly told her to return later in the night, and when she did, she was taken to an after-party at a home, presumably belonging to Combs. She was then instructed to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
The Jane Doe said she accepted one “bitter” drink when she began to feel woozy and claims she was drugged. She said she entered an empty bedroom to lie down when Combs and two celebrities entered; one is now alleged to be Jay-Z, while the other remains unnamed.
She alleges Combs told her she was “ready to party” and threw her toward Jay-Z, who she says removed her clothes and held her down as he raped her while Combs and the unnamed female celebrity watched. Then Combs raped her while Jay-Z and the female celebrity looked on.
Combs allegedly tried to force Doe to perform oral sex on him, but after the teen hit him, he stopped. The girl grabbed her clothes, eventually found an exit and left for a gas station, where she called her father and confessed her whereabouts, according to the suit.
Jay-Z’s friendship with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs
Jay-Z and Combs both rose to prominence in the East Coast hip-hop scene in the mid-1990s, with Combs launching Bad Boy Records in 1993 and Jay-Z co-founding Roc-A-Fella Records in 1994.
The two have collaborated on numerous tracks over the years, including “Love & Life Intro” by Mary J. Blige, a remix of 50 Cent’s “I Get Money,” and the Diddy – Dirty Money hit “Coming Home” featuring Skylar Grey, which Jay-Z co-wrote and co-produced.
Both were guests at DJ Khaled’s Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony in 2022.
Combs reportedly gave some insight into his closeness with Jay-Z during an appearance on James Corden’s “Carpool Karaoke” series in April 2023, per The Independent and People. In the since-removed clip, Combs told Corden that the rapper is the only person besides his mother who can address him by his first name, Sean.
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Tony Buzbee sued for extortion by unnamed ‘high-profile’ celebrity
In November, Buzbee was sued by an anonymous “John Doe” for “shamelessly attempting to extort exorbitant sums from him” with the threat of litigation containing “entirely fabricated and malicious allegations of sexual assault,” according to court documents obtained by USA TODAY.
The attorney, who’s been instrumental in bringing several cases of sexual assault against Combs, allegedly sent correspondence to John Doe, describing the man as a friend of Combs “based on the fact that the two often attended similar events frequented by celebrities.” The alleged extortion demand stated the man raped several minors, both male and female, who were purportedly drugged at parties hosted by Combs.
John Doe’s attorneys called the allegations “nothing more than a weapon in a calculated plot to destroy (his) high-profile reputation for profit, despite the complete absence of any factual basis for such claims,” per the filing. Buzbee called the complaint a “frivolous lawsuit” filed against his firm and an “aggressive attempt to intimidate or silence me and ultimately my clients.”
In his statement to USA TODAY, Jay-Z alluded to Buzbee’s prolific litigation. “This lawyer, who I have done a bit of research on, seems to have a pattern of these type of theatrics,” he said.
“You have made a terrible error in judgement thinking that all ‘celebrities’ are the same,” Jay-Z continued. “I’m a young man who made it out of the project of Brooklyn. We don’t play these types of games. We have very strict codes and honor. We protect children. You seem to exploit people for personal gain.”
In October, Buzbee announced his whopping series of civil lawsuits against Combs, sharing at a press conference that 120 accusers were planning to bring forth allegations of “violent sexual assault or rape,” “facilitated sex with a controlled substance,” “dissemination of video recordings” and “sexual abuse of minors” involving the Grammy-winning rapper, among other offenses.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support to survivors and their loved ones in English and Spanish at: 800.656.HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and en Español RAINN.org/es.
This story was updated to add new information.
Contributing: Taijuan Moorman and Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jay Z accused of raping 13-year-old girl with Diddy in 2000
