On Monday, Jay-Z sued an Alabama woman who, last month, voluntarily withdrew a rape lawsuit against him and Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, also sued the anonymous woman’s lawyers, Tony Buzbee and David Fortney. Carter has claimed the woman and her attorneys filed the lawsuit against him in October even though they knew the allegations were false, according to The New York Times.
The 37-year-old accuser, only known as “Jane Doe,” claimed Combs also participated in the sexual assault, which allegedly occurred at an MTV Video Music Awards afterparty. She said she felt “woozy” after having a single drink — leading Combs to grab her and say, “You are ready to party!”
The woman said Combs and the male celebrity — who she later identified as Carter — undressed her before the male celebrity raped her in front of Combs and a female celebrity. Combs allegedly also raped the victim while the two celebrities watched. She said Combs tried to force her to perform oral sex on him but stopped after she hit him in the neck.
The woman initially filed the lawsuit against Combs in October — but she refiled it in December to include Carter.
Weeks before the woman voluntarily dropped her lawsuit, Carter’s attorney cited an NBC News interview from December in which the accuser said she made “some mistakes” with her claims. At that time, Carter sought to have the lawsuit dismissed, and to fine the accuser’s lawyer and his law firm for failing to vet the accusations against him.
The woman dropped the lawsuit on February 14. In a declaration filed on her behalf following the suit, Bubzee stated his client was “frightened by the reaction of Jay-Z and his supporters,” according to Variety.
“After speaking with Jane Doe today, it appears that the quotes attributed to her in the lawsuit are completely made up, or they spoke to someone who isn’t Jane Doe,” Bubzee said in a statement issued to The New York Times. “This is just another attempt to intimidate and bully this poor woman that we will deal with in due course. We won’t be bullied or intimidated by frivolous cases.”
Carter is suing for malicious prosecution, abuse of process, civil conspiracy, and defamation. He is seeking punitive, assumed, and actual damages.
[Feature Photo: AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File]
