Renowned rapper and music mogul, Shawn Corey Carter alias Jay Z has filed a motion to dismiss the civil lawsuit that accuses him of raping a 13-year-old girl alongside Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs in 2000. This lawsuit, which has garnered significant media attention, was filed on Sunday and claims that the alleged assault took place at a party following the MTV Video Music Awards in New York City.
Legal Maneuvering
In response to the lawsuit, Jay-Z’s legal team has taken swift action. His attorneys filed motions in federal court in New York on Monday, seeking either the dismissal of the allegations or the public revelation of Jane Doe’s true identity. The plaintiff has been going by the pseudo-name Jane Doe.
The memorandum accompanying the motion, prepared by attorney Alex Spiro from the law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, argues that it is only fair for Jay-Z to know the identity of someone making such serious allegations against him. The memorandum states: “Defendant is respectfully seeking either dismissal of the allegations or disclosure of the Plaintiff’s identity. Fair is fair.” It further emphasizes that Jay-Z’s reputation, built over decades in the music industry, is being tarnished by what they describe as sensationalized and publicity-driven accusations.
The memo continued: ‘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. ‘The memorandum asserts: “Mr. Carter should not have to defend himself in the brightest of spotlights against an accuser who hides in complete darkness while leveling allegations.” This statement highlights Jay-Z’s concern about being publicly accused while the plaintiff remains anonymous.
‘This Court has recognized that the nearly identical claims brought by other Plaintiffs represented by Attorney Buzbee do not meet the criteria to proceed anonymously.’ ‘Here, the balance of the equities afford all the more reason why this Plaintiff should be proceeding under her true name, if she wishes to proceed at all’ the memorandum further reads
Criticism of Plaintiff’s Attorney
Jay-Z’s legal team has also directed criticism at Jane Doe’s attorney, Tony Buzbee. They argue that Buzbee has a history of bringing similar claims against high-profile individuals and that these claims often do not meet the criteria necessary to proceed anonymously. The memorandum notes: “This Court has recognized the nearly identical claims brought by other Plaintiffs represented by Attorney Buzbee do not meet the criteria to proceed anonymously.”
Attorneys for Carter also described Buzbee as having ‘devoted himself to the business of extracting large settlements from a multitude of celebrities, high net worth individuals, and businesses with any public ties to Sean Combs.
Furthermore, the motion claims that Buzbee has ‘a history of targeting celebrities by making false allegations of misconduct’ and alleges that the case against Carter is about retaliating against the rare target who would not pay.’
Allegations of Extortion
The motion says that Buzbee has engaged in extortionate practices. According to Jay-Z’s legal team, Buzbee contacted Jay-Z with demands for an out-of-court settlement, implying that failure to comply could lead to serious legal repercussions against the music mogul. When Jay-Z declined to settle, his name was added to this lawsuit, when he was previously referred to only as “Celebrity A.” This situation suggests a pattern where Buzbee may be using connections to high-profile individuals like Diddy to leverage financial gain through litigation.
The lawsuit, initially filed in New York’s Southern District this past October against Combs, on Sunday added Jay-Z which raises suspicion, and the defendant team was influenced by Jay-Z’s refusal to ”settle out of court”
Essentially Jay-Z’s lawyers are meaning that the plaintiff’s lawyer is using the Diddy situation to extract money from any single celebrity with ties to Diddy or who is thought to have attended his parties, using courts as blackmail. Jay-Z said in a release that he was contacted by this lawyer compelling him to settle out of court, as an act of extortion. When Jay-Z declined his name was added to this suit’s list, yet before he was only identified as Celebrity A. Hence this lawyer is allegedly using people with ties to Diddy, to make himself rich.
