US rapper Jay-Z has responded to a lawsuit that claims he and Sean “Diddy” Combs drugged and sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl at a party in 2000.
The lawsuit accuses the duo of attacking the girl at a house party following the MTV Video Music Awards in New York, with an unnamed female celebrity also present.
Jay-Z, legally named Shawn Carter, has labeled the lawsuit as a “blackmail attempt” in a public statement.
Sean Combs, currently in jail on charges including sex trafficking, has rejected the accusations against him.
Initially filed in October, the lawsuit was updated on Sunday to include Mr. Carter as a co-defendant.
Filed under New York’s Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act by Texas lawyer Tony Buzbee, the lawsuit seeks justice for the accuser. Tony Buzbee, the accuser’s attorney, has recently brought several other legal actions against Mr. Combs.
In a social media statement, Mr. Carter said, “My lawyer received a blackmail attempt, called a demand letter, from a ‘lawyer’ named Tony Buzbee.”
“He calculated that the nature of these allegations and the public scrutiny would make me want to settle.”
He added, “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!!”
Mr. Combs’s legal team described the revised lawsuit as part of ongoing attempts to extort money from celebrities by threatening their public image.
They expressed confidence that the legal system would ultimately vindicate Mr. Combs of all charges, as he contends with numerous other lawsuits.
The complainant, referred to only as Jane Doe, recounted being dropped off at the VMAs at Radio City Music Hall when she was 13.
She spoke to limousine drivers outside the venue, hoping to get into the show, as detailed in the lawsuit. The lawsuit states that one driver, who worked for Mr. Combs, remarked that she “fit what Diddy was looking for.”
That night, she was driven to a party at a white house, where she was allegedly asked to sign what she believes was a non-disclosure agreement. At the party, she noted the presence of many celebrities and widespread drug use.
After feeling unwell from a drink given to her, she went to a room to rest.
Shortly thereafter, the lawsuit notes, Mr. Combs, Mr. Carter, and a female celebrity, identified as Celebrity B, entered the room. The plaintiff recognized each of them immediately, the document claims.
According to the lawsuit, Mr. Combs then approached her with a wild expression, seized her, and exclaimed, “You are ready to party!”
The legal document alleges that Mr. Carter then restrained her and assaulted her, followed by Mr. Combs, while Celebrity B observed the entire incident.
The lawsuit details how Jane Doe resisted the attack, and when Mr. Combs retreated in astonishment, she managed to flee.
The legal filing, demanding unspecified damages, states that the plaintiff continues to endure post-traumatic stress disorder and depression from the alleged assaults.
In a public statement, Mr. Carter, who is married to Beyoncé and the father of three children, expressed, “My only heartbreak is for my family.”
“My wife and I will have to sit our children down, one of whom is at the age where her friends will surely see the press and ask questions about the nature of these claims, and explain the cruelty and greed of people.”
