Ten weeks ago Jay-Z opted to speak out publicly against the ‘false and heinous’ allegation that he raped a 13-year-old girl in 2000.
Since then he has fallen under immense scrutiny, which the rapper believes has cost him $20 million in lost income.
Plaintiff Jane Doe alleged that the 24-time Grammy winner carried out the heinous act on her at an afterparty for the MTV Video Music Awards back in 2000, and claimed Diddy, whose real name is Sean Combs, also drugged and raped her.
The lawsuit was initially just against Combs before she added Jay-Z’s name in December.
Jay-Z, with wife Beyoncé, has filed a court document against Tony Buzbee and his law firm (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
However, on February 14, Doe – who was represented by attorney Tony Buzbee – ‘voluntarily dismissed with prejudice’ the allegations.
Four days earlier, Jay-Z filed a declaration to an LA court against Buzbee and his business, The Buzbee Law Firm.
The six-page document goes into detail about how the allegations, that were dropped by Doe who conceded that ‘not all the facts are clear’ of her recollection of the night in question, affected Jay-Z’s family, work and reputation as a whole.
Part of the filing read: “Mr. Buzbee’s actions undermined my relationship, and my company Roc Nation’s relationship, with other businesses in the sports and entertainment space. We have agreements to produce entertainment programs for certain sporting events.
“After Mr. Buzbee filed the lawsuit, the media reported that other businesses could end their deals with Roc Nation, and forced one to speak out and address whether these false allegations would end our business relationship.
Jay-Z was criticized for attending his daughter Blue Ivy Carter’s premiere of ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ (LISA O’CONNOR/AFP via Getty Images)
“Immediately after Mr. Buzbee went public with his false accusations, my company Roc Nation also lost other contracts in the sports and entertainment space that would have generated revenues of approximately $20 million per year.”
The rapper went on to claim he had been inundated with a barrage of abuse and even death threats towards his family, adding that he was criticized for attending the premiere of Mufasa: The Lion King, which his 13-year-old daughter Blue Ivy starred in.
“I feel that Mr. Buzbee purposely filed this lawsuit on the eve of my daughter’s premiere to put me in the position of having to choose between supporting my daughter or hiding to avoid the negative press coverage,” he added.
It comes as Diddy was indicted by a grand jury following his arrest at the Park Hyatt hotel in Manhattan back in September.
Combs has been charged with racketeering and sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, charges he’s continued to deny.
The indictment accuses Combs and others in his enterprise of ‘wield[ing] the power and prestige of Combs’ role at the Combs Business to intimidate, threaten and lure female victims into Combs’ orbit, often under the pretence of a romantic relationship’.
With the ‘assistance of members and associates’, the document claims Combs ‘transported commercial sex workers across state lines and internationally’ and ‘then used force, threats of force, and coercion, to cause victims to engage in extended sex acts with male commercial sex workers that Combs referred to as, among other things, ‘freak offs’.’
If you’ve been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7.
