Jay-Z’s Attorney Calls Sexual Assault Lawsuit a ‘Campaign of Extortion’

Jay-Z’s legal team alleged Tony Buzbee—the Texas-based attorney who rose to fame over the dozens of sexual misconduct lawsuits filed against Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson—has led a “campaign of extortion” against the rapper and entertainment mogul. 

Hip-hop superstar Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, is accused of raping a 13-year-old in 2000 as part of an amended complaint filed a New York federal court on Sunday. The lawsuit, originally filed against Sean Combs in October, is one of several Buzbee has filed against Diddy in the months since he was indicted by federal prosecutors in September. 

“These claims are not about justice for victims,” Jay-Z’s attorney Alex Spiro wrote in a Monday filing obtained by Front Office Sports. “Nor are they about giving victims of sexual violence a voice. Instead, they are merely the next chapter in Attorney Buzbee’s sprawling extortion saga—a saga whose aim is base and measured in dollars. Buzbee has devoted himself to the business of extracting large settlements from celebrities, high-net worth individuals, and businesses with any public ties to Sean Combs … following his indictment for sex crimes.”

In the filing, Spiro made motions to dismiss the case and for the accuser to be identified “so that Mr. Carter can adequately defend himself.” Later Monday, Spiro requested an expedited hearing due to the “high risk of irreparable injury” to Jay-Z.

In a statement posted on X on Sunday, Jay-Z denied the allegations and described Buzbee’s approach as a “blackmail attempt.” 

“What he had calculated was the nature of these allegations and the public scrutiny would make me want to settle,” Jay-Z said. “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!!”

In November, Quinn Emanuel, Spiro’s firm, sued Buzbee for extortion in California. In an X post on Sunday, Buzbee criticized the lawsuit filed by a plaintiff he claims is Jay-Z who used a pseudonym. 

“He filed his frivolous case under a pseudonym,” Buzbee wrote. “What he fails to say in his recent statement is my firm sent his lawyer a demand letter on behalf of an alleged victim and that victim never demanded a penny from him.”

Buzbee did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday. 

In Monday’s filing, Spiro called the claim that Jay-Z sexually assaulted the accuser at a New York house party after the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards “patently false.” The alleged victim was 13 at the time. 

“Because Mr. Carter called upon the courts rather than paying, he has now been sued. So be it,” Spiro wrote in the Monday filing. “One way or another, Mr. Carter is entitled and positioned to exonerate himself through the legal process. In this case, he will vigorously defend himself and expose the truth: that the allegations in the complaint are false.”

There are similarities between how Buzbee has litigated the allegations against Combs and Watson, who chose to settle with more than 20 women. Watson was never charged criminally, and last week the NFL said it ended its investigation Watson’s sexual assault allegations, saying there was “insufficient evidence” to support pursuing disciplinary action. The litigation against Combs—and now Jay-Z—has also proceeded with cases led by Buzbee including claims from anonymous accusers known only as “Jane Doe.”  

But two federal judges overseeing Combs’s lawsuits have already denied the pseudonyms, but U.S. District Court Judge Analisa Torres, the presiding judge in the case Jay-Z was added to, has allowed the accuser to remain anonymous. Torres wrote in an October order that the defendants “deserve to be heard on the issue” and could reverse the decision. 

Watson, whose allegations date back to when he played for the Houston Texans for four seasons, signed a then NFL record $230 million guaranteed deal in 2022 after he was traded to the Browns. Watson was suspended for the first 11 games of the 2022 season after an NFL investigation into the allegations against Watson. 

Buzbee filed 27 lawsuits against Watson in Texas court, including 23 where the identity of the accuser was not disclosed. All but one of those lawsuits have been settled, according to court records reviewed by FOS. While financial terms of those settlements were not disclosed, the first dozen totaled about $200,000, two sources with knowledge of the secret deals told FOS.

Jay-Z founded Roc Nation, the entertainment company that renewed a deal with the NFL to produce the Super Bowl halftime show in October. Roc Nation originally partnered with the NFL in 2019. 
An NFL spokesperson did not immediately respond to FOS.