Jay-Z is seeking to have a lawsuit accusing him of rape dismissed after his accuser recently admitted there are several inconsistencies in her memory of the alleged incident, which took place 24 years ago.
The lawsuit was initially filed against Sean “Diddy” Combs in October, and accused Combs of raping a 13-year-old girl at a house party after the MTV Video Music Awards in 2000. On Sunday, the complaint was amended to the United States District Court. in New York to add Jay-Z as a defendant. He alleges that he and Combs “took turns assaulting the minor.”
Both Combs and Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, have denied the allegations.
The accuser, listed as Jane Doe in the complaint, is a 38-year-old woman from Alabama. In an interview with NBC News, the woman said she stands by her allegations in general, but has “made some mistakes” when it comes to her recollection of the night.
The woman had claimed she spoke to musician Benji Madden at the after-party in New York, but a rep said neither he nor his brother Joel attended that year's VMAs, as they were touring the Midwest at the time. , NBC News reported.
She also said her father picked her up after the alleged rape. But he has told NBC News that he doesn't remember doing so.
Some photos of Carter and Combs the night of the alleged incident do not match the description of the location where the woman said the assault took place, according to NBC News.
On Friday, Carter issued a statement proclaiming his innocence and denouncing the woman's Texas-based attorney, Tony Buzbee.
“This incident did not occur and yet he [Buzbee] He presented it to the court and doubled it down in the press,” he said. “True justice is coming. We fight FROM victory, not FOR victory. This was over before it began. This 1-800 lawyer doesn’t realize it yet, but soon.”
Carter's attorney, Alex Spiro, issued a statement saying he was asking the court to dismiss the case and would seek disciplinary action against Buzbee and the other attorneys who filed the complaint.
“It is shocking that an attorney would not only file such a serious allegation without a proper investigation, but would make matters worse by further peddling this false story in the press,” Spiro said.
Buzbee told NBC News that his client continues to defend his claims and agreed to submit to a polygraph test. He also said his law firm was continuing to examine his claims and look for corroborating evidence.
He did not immediately respond to The Times' request for comment on Friday.
Buzbee has filed several lawsuits against Combs since the rapper was arrested in New York in September.
Combs has been charged with extortion, sex trafficking and transportation for prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty and is in custody in New York awaiting the start of his trial in May.
Times staff writer Richard Winton contributed to this report.
