Jane Doe originally filed her complaint against Combs last October, in which she alleged that he and another anonymous “male celebrity” had both raped her at a VMA afterparty in 2000. Jay-Z was not named until the plaintiff refiled her case in December. Now, the rapper claims that Buzbee sent him an “extortionate” demand letter in between the two filings before naming him publicly. Jay-Z’s suit further characterizes a December interview Jane Doe gave to NBC News after her second filing as an extortionate attempt to bring her story “before the world in court and on global television.” At the time, Jay-Z denied her claims in a statement to the outlet, writing, “This incident didn’t happen… and yet [Buzbee] filed it in court and doubled down in the press.” He added that “true Justice is coming” and the suit “was over before it began. This 1-800 lawyer doesn’t realize it yet, but, soon.”
Jay-Z’s new filing suggests that Buzbee, Fortney, and other lawyers did not sufficiently vet Jane Doe’s story to find inconsistencies that may cast doubt on her credibility. Previously, the legal team had claimed that the allegations were vetted by a prior law firm and their own process was still ongoing. Jay-Z “does not commence this action lightly” or seek to expose Jane Doe’s identity, the filing claims. Instead, he hopes to “hold Doe accountable for her willful defamation.”
Buzbee is standing by his client. Jay-Z’s suit “has no legal merit,” he claimed in an email to Pitchfork, before continuing:
Shawn Carter’s investigators have repeatedly harassed, threatened and harangued this poor woman for weeks trying to intimidate her and make her recant her story. She hasn’t, and won’t. Instead she has stated repeatedly she stands by her claims. These same group of investigators have been caught on tape offering to pay people to sue me and my firm. 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. 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.
