A federal lawsuit filed on Sunday alleges that rappers Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl at a party in 2000 following the MTV Music Awards in New York. The lawsuit, which was originally filed in October and later amended to specifically name Jay-Z, claims the girl was drugged and raped by both celebrities.
Jay-Z has strongly denied the allegations, calling the lawsuit a “blackmail attempt” on social media. His legal team has not yet publicly commented on the specific claims. Combs, who is currently in jail on unrelated federal sex trafficking charges to which he has pleaded not guilty, has also denied all allegations against him.
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The lawsuit was filed by Texas lawyer Tony Buzbee, who has previously filed at least 20 civil lawsuits against Combs alleging sexual misconduct. A Reuters report cited Buzbee saying the lawsuit “speaks for itself” and is a “very serious matter that will be litigated in court.”
According to the lawsuit, Buzbee’s legal firm initially attempted to mediate a confidential settlement with Jay-Z. However, Jay-Z reportedly responded by filing a lawsuit against Buzbee and allegedly “orchestrating a conspiracy of harassment” against Buzbee and his colleagues, which Buzbee claims was an intimidation tactic to silence his client.
Buzbee said via social media that the alleged victim “never demanded a penny” from Jay-Z and only sought confidential mediation. He has also filed a separate lawsuit against Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, the law firm representing Combs and Jay-Z, accusing their legal team of harassing his colleagues, clients, and family.
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