Jay-Z files defamation lawsuit against former accuser after sexual assault case was dropped

The rapper takes legal action against Jane Doe and her attorneys, alleging false claims were made to extort him.

Jay-Z has filed a defamation lawsuit against an anonymous woman who previously accused him of sexual assault but later withdrew her claims.

The rapper, whose real name is Shawn Carter, submitted the lawsuit in an Alabama federal court on Monday, March 3, naming attorney Tony Buzbee, lawyer David Fortney, and Jane Doe as defendants.

The lawsuit accuses them of malicious prosecution, civil conspiracy, abuse of process, and defamation. Jay-Z’s legal team claims that Jane Doe admitted to his representatives that her allegations were false and that her attorneys pressured her to pursue the lawsuit for financial gain.

According to Jay-Z’s filing, the initial sexual assault lawsuit, which was voluntarily dismissed in February, was a “strategically calculated” attempt to force him into an extortion settlement. The complaint alleges that Buzbee and his team “launched a menacing demand letter” to leverage a payout.

However, in a new Los Angeles court filing, Jane Doe maintained that she stands by her original claims but dropped the lawsuit out of “fear of intimidation and retaliation” from Jay-Z’s team and fanbase. She also alleged that private investigators, purportedly working for the rapper, had approached her and her family, pressuring them to retract the accusations.

In response, Buzbee dismissed Jay-Z’s lawsuit as “baloney”, claiming that the rapper’s investigators have been harassing and intimidating Jane Doe to make her recant. “This is just another attempt to bully this poor woman, and we will deal with it in due course,” Buzbee stated.

Jay-Z’s legal team argues that the allegations severely damaged his reputation, business ventures, and personal life, allegedly costing him over $20 million in losses. The rapper is seeking damages through a jury trial, aiming to clear his name and “restore his lifetime-earned character.”

The case continues to spark heated debate as both sides present conflicting narratives, with the lawsuit poised to unfold in court in the coming months.