Shawn Carter, known professionally as Jay-Z, is intensifying his legal battle against a woman accusing him of sexual assault, alleging continued defamation despite her previous agreement too dismiss her lawsuit. The amended complaint, filed in Mobile, Alabama, includes new claims that the accuser has persisted in making defamatory statements.

Accusations and Initial Lawsuit

• Initial Allegations: The Jane Doe publicly accused Jay-Z of raping her alongside Sean Combs at an MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) afterparty when she was 13 years old.
• lawsuit Dismissal: The accuser initially agreed in February to voluntarily dismiss the sexual assault lawsuit that identified Jay-Z by name.
• Malicious Prosecution: Jay-Z’s lawsuit claims malicious prosecution and defamation.

New Evidence: TikTok Post

Jay-Z’s amended filing highlights a recent TikTok video posted by the Jane Doe on april 11. The video allegedly featured her lip-synching the statement:

You couldn’t pay me a million dollars to get an apology video out of me, I stand on what I said, fuck you.

Carter’s legal team argues this post demonstrates a continued “shocking and reckless disregard for the truth.”

Legal Arguments and Financial Impact

The amended lawsuit addresses challenges to Jay-Z’s initial claims, particularly regarding “special injury.” Carter now asserts that a lost $20 million payday represents the “minimum fee guarantee” of an undisclosed contract, with the full fee perhaps “many millions of dollars higher.”

Moreover, the filing alleges that the accusations led to the denial of a $55 million personal credit line and a $115 million loan for Roc Nation. The lawsuit emphasizes the close financial ties between Carter and Roc Nation, stating that they are “inextricably tied.”

Defense Response and Wikipedia Allegations

Tony Buzbee, the lawyer representing the Jane Doe, dismissed the lawsuit as “meritless and should be dismissed.” He specifically addressed a new accusation regarding alleged tampering with Wikipedia pages.

Carter’s complaint claims:

Buzbee directed his employees to edit Wikipedia pages to enhance Buzbee’s image and damage Mr. Carter’s and Roc Nation’s reputations.

The filing alleges that “users with an IP address directly linked to the Buzbee Firm made over 100 positive edits to buzbee’s Wikipedia page.”

Buzbee responded to this claim by saying, That’s a first for me and is incredibly weak.

Background of the Legal Battle

Carter initially sued the Jane Doe in March,following a November lawsuit against Buzbee and his law firm. These lawsuits claim Buzbee knowingly promoted false allegations when he added Carter to a lawsuit initially filed against Sean Combs. Carter alleges Buzbee sought a secret settlement and added him to the Combs lawsuit after he refused.

California Lawsuit and Audio Recording

A Los Angeles County judge is overseeing Carter’s California-based defamation lawsuit and has held hearings on Buzbee’s attempts to dismiss the claims. The judge ordered Carter’s team to submit an audio recording of a conversation with the Jane Doe outside her Alabama home.

A snippet of the recording reveals:

Investigator: …didn’t have anything to do with the any sexual acts towards you.
jane Doe: Yeah.
Investigator: He was the one that kind of pushed me towards going forward with him, with Jay-Z.

Buzbee has claimed his client was intimidated and her statements were being twisted. His lawyer, Samuel Moniz, argues that Carter’s claims have no merit and constitute an attack on free speech.

Defense Arguments

Moniz argued in court:

This is a well-funded powerful figure who is trying to punish lawyers for doing what lawyers do. Mr. Carter is obviously really mad and persistent to use his resources to send a message to lawyers and plaintiffs everywhere. Any fair interpretation of this case is that this is an attack on the right to free speech and the right to free petition. This is an abusive case that deserves to be dismissed.
Samuel Moniz, Attorney for Tony Buzbee

Upcoming Hearing

The next hearing in the California case is scheduled for June 12.