The public naming of Jay-Z as the mysterious celebrity accused in an anonymous civil lawsuit of raping a 13-year-old girl with Sean “Diddy” Combs came after weeks of behind-the-scenes battling between the star’s lawyer and the Texas attorney representing the woman.
Since Combs was charged by federal prosecutors in a salacious sex trafficking probe, numerous civil lawsuits have been filed from people claiming they were victimized by the entertainer. There have also been suggestions that other big names will be swept into the scandal.
But the Jay-Z case offers a window into the machinations and big money behind such cases that could be a preview of the potential fallout involving other civil litigation that’s been filed against Combs.
In October, Jay-Z received a demand letter from Texas-based attorney Tony Buzbee making allegations of misconduct and suggesting a meeting. Legal experts said such letters are a common way to begin settlement discussions.
But this letter included picture of a ticking clock and Jay-Z came out swinging.
The music mogul responded by filing his own anonymous lawsuit against the attorney in Los Angeles. On Sunday, Jay-Z’s name was made public as the celebrity in the suit, and he responded by blasting Buzbee on social media as a “deplorable human” and an “ambulance chaser in a cheap suit.” Jay-Z has denied any wrongdoing, calling the claims “idiotic.”
Buzbee told The Times on Monday that he “won’t be deterred or intimidated,” but wouldn’t commit to whether other celebrities might be named. Jay-Z’s attorney, Alex Spiro, on Monday sent a letter to a judge in the case asking to either dismiss the allegations against his client or disclose the accuser’s identity.
Federal prosecutors have not named any co-conspirators. However, they have repeatedly emphasized their investigation remains ongoing.
In a sprawling indictment unsealed earlier this year, they allege Combs for decades used his empire to coerce his victims into sex in gatherings known as “freak-offs.” Combs, who has denied any wrongdoing, was arrested in September after nearly a year of investigation by federal authorities.
Legal experts said it’s hard to assess the claims without knowing more about the evidence the plaintiffs have and how Jay-Z and any other celebrities ultimately named can rebut the allegations.
“I think [Buzbee] knew there was going to be a fight,” added Laurie L. Levenson, a professor at Loyola Law School. “By the time he names them, he better have all of his witnesses, all of the evidence in order because the minute that the name goes out the fight really escalates.”
The war between Jay-Z and Buzbee began in October when the attorney filed a lawsuit in New York on behalf of a woman, identified only as Jane Doe, who says she was 13 when she was raped by Combs and an anonymous male celebrity at a party after the MTV Video Music Awards in 2000.
The woman, who had been outside Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Sept. 7, 2000, trying to talk her way into the awards ceremony, was invited to an afterparty hosted by Combs. A driver took her to a large white house with a gated U-shaped driveway and, once inside, she was told to sign a nondisclosure agreement, the suit says. A luxurious party was unfolding inside. Waitstaff carried trays of drinks, loud music blasted throughout the house and partygoers were snorting cocaine and using marijuana, according to the lawsuit.
After finishing one drink — a concoction of orange juice, cranberry juice and something bitter — she says she began to feel lightheaded and found an empty bedroom to rest. Combs walked into the room with two celebrities, a man and a woman. He approached her “with a crazed look in his eyes, grabbed her and said ‘You are ready to party!’” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit alleges the male celebrity — dentified Sunday by Buzbee as Jay-Z— raped the girl, while Combs and an unidentified female celebrity allegedly watched. Combs then raped the girl as the other two celebrities watched, according to the lawsuit.
Before filing the lawsuit, Buzbee wrote Jay-Z a demand letter in which he accused the celebrity of raping “multiple minors, both male and female, who had been drugged at parties hosted by Combs,” according to a lawsuit filed by Jay-Z. The lawyer said that if Jay-Z did not agree to a confidential mediation then he would “take a different course,” according to a lawsuit.
Jay-Z responded by filing his own anonymous lawsuit against the attorney last month alleging the lawyer tried to extort a payout in return for not identifying him as a sexual abuser tied to Combs. Attorneys representing Jay-Z said the demand letters included “wildly false horrific allegations.”
Buzbee fired back by amending his October civil complaint on Sunday to add Jay-Z, whose given name is Shawn Carter, as a defendant. Jay-Z’s attorney then sent a memo to the judge asking her to either dismiss the case or disclose the accuser’s identity.
“Mr. Carter deserves to know the identity of the person who is effectively accusing him — in sensationalized, publicity-hunting fashion — of criminal conduct, demanding massive financial compensation, and tarnishing a reputation earned over decades,” Spiro wrote in the memo.
David Ring, a lawyer who has represented victims of sexual assault in high-profile civil cases including against Harvey Weinstein, said it’s not unusual for attorneys to send letters as a way to negotiate with a defendant before filing a case.
“Jay-Z here called the lawyer’s bluff and so the victim’s attorney named him in the court filing,” Ring said.
Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor, said Buzbee either tried to leverage his belief that Jay-Z would want to keep the allegations private or his client didn’t want to be the first person to accuse such a high profile public figure.
“This is why I don’t like demand letters in these types of cases and prefer to immediately file a lawsuit. Don’t bark if you’re not going to bite,” Rahmani said.
Still, Rahmani said celebrities with connections to Combs are likely on edge.
“If I were a celebrity who attended one of Diddy’s ‘freak-offs,’ I would … have my lawyer on speed dial,” Rahmani said.
In a statement issued Sunday by Roc Nation, Jay-Z’s entertainment company, he addressed Buzbee directly saying that the attorney had “made a terrible error in judgment thinking that all celebrities are the same.”
“I’m not from your world. 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,” he wrote.
Buzbee responded on Instagram by posting a picture of himself in the Marines, saying that despite what he called a “coordinated and aggressive” effort to intimidate and harass him by people following him and his family, and contacting his clients and former employees, he won’t be backing down.
“I also won’t allow anyone to scare my clients into silence,” he wrote. “Sunlight is the best disinfectant and I am quite certain the sun is coming.”
