Last Updated on January 10, 2025 by Ayoko Ahite

In a dramatic turn, Jay-Z has been dragged into Diddy’s legal woes. While Diddy remains in jail pending trial on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution, Tony Buzbee, a Texas-based lawyer representing 120 alleged victims of Diddy, has amended an October lawsuit to include Jay-Z as a defendant. The lawsuit claims that the two billionaires, Diddy and Jay-Z, took turns raping a 13-year-old girl while an unnamed female celebrity watched during an after-party following the 2000 MTV VMAs.

The lawsuit shook the internet and quickly made TV headlines. Whereas Diddy has been the target of a multitude of lawsuits, this is the first Sexual Assault accusation against Jay-Z. He promptly responded in a statement, vehemently denying the allegations and promising to “expose” Buzbee in a “very public fashion” for the “extortionist” he is.

Despite Jay-Z’s strong response, Tony Buzbee doubled down, claiming that Jay was trying to silence the victims with PR statements. Jay-Z’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, quickly filed a motion requesting that the accuser’s identity be revealed, or if not, the lawsuit should be dismissed. Buzbee opposed the request, arguing that the victim should remain anonymous because of the subject’s sensitivity and because she may face retaliation from the moguls. Jay’s lawyer disagrees, saying he cannot defend himself if he does not know who is accusing him of such a heinous crime. The Judge has yet to rule on the matter.

On December 14, 2024, NBC News published an investigative report and an interview with the alleged victim. While they let her share her story, they also cross-examined some of her claims, contacted witnesses she cited, and found many inconsistencies. For example, she claimed in her lawsuit that during the after-party where the alleged rape occurred, she spoke to musician Benji Madden, but a representative for Madden said that the musician didn’t attend that year’s VMAs and was not even in New York at the time; he was on tour in the mid-west. She also stated in the lawsuit that her father picked her up after the alleged incident, but her dad told NBC he doesn’t recall any such occurrence.

Following the viral interview, Tony Buzbee stated that another law firm vetted the accuser’s claims before referring her to his firm. He claimed he was still vetting the alleged victim’s allegations and would work to find corroborative evidence to present in court. Jay-Z and his lawyer also released two additional statements accusing Buzbee of knowingly filing a “bogus” lawsuit. They again promised that “true justice” would come, alluding to seeking sanctions against Buzbee and his law firm once the legal battle is resolved.