Jay-Z Denies Sexual Assault Allegations Linked to Diddy Lawsuit
Hip-hop mogul Jay-Z has issued a statement vehemently denying allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman alongside Sean “Diddy” Combs at a party when she was just 13 years old. The allegations emerged after the woman amended her lawsuit against Combs to include Jay-Z as a defendant.
New Allegations Surface in Diddy Lawsuit
The lawsuit, initially filed in October against Combs, took a dramatic turn on Sunday when Jane Doe, the alleged victim, added Shawn Carter, famously known as Jay-Z, to her legal complaint. Doe claims that both Combs and Carter assaulted her during an afterparty following the 2000 Video Music Awards.
According to the lawsuit, Doe alleges she began feeling disoriented after consuming a drink at the party. She claims she wandered into a bedroom, where Carter allegedly assaulted her first, followed by Combs. She managed to escape after striking Combs and running out of the party.
Jay-Z Responds to Allegations in Diddy Lawsuit
Carter, who was initially referred to in the lawsuit as “Celebrity A,” broke his silence in a strongly-worded statement directed at Doe’s attorney, Tony Buzbee. He dismissed the allegations as baseless and accused the attorney of attempting to extort him through what he described as a “blackmail attempt.”
“My lawyer received a blackmail attempt, called a demand letter, from a “lawyer” named Tony Buzbee. What he had calculated was the nature of these allegations and the public scrutiny would make me want to settle. No sir, it had the opposite effect! It made me want to expose you for the fraud you are in a VERY public fashion. So no, I will not give you ONE RED PENNY!!,” Jay-Z said in a statement.
He urged the alleged victim to pursue criminal charges rather than a civil lawsuit if the claims were genuine.
“These allegations are so heinous in nature that I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one!! Whomever would commit such a crime against a minor should be locked away, would you not agree? These alleged victims would deserve real justice if that were the case,” Jay-Z added.
Carter’s statement also included sharp criticism of Buzbee, whom he accused of engaging in a pattern of questionable legal tactics.