The lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs and Jay-Z over allegations of sexual assault involving a 13-year-old girl in 2000 is officially over, according to a court filing made Friday in New York.
Variety reports that the voluntary dismissal was filed by attorneys Tony Buzbee and Antigone Curis on behalf of the Jane Doe accuser, closing the case “with prejudice.”
Source: Kevin Mazur / Getty
As previously reported, the lawsuit was originally filed against Diddy in October 2024, with Jay-Z added to the complaint two months later. The accuser alleged that the two music moguls assaulted her at a VMA afterparty in 2000. The accuser was seeking unspecified damages.
In December, the accuser’s credibility was questioned when she admitted in an NBC News interview that “not all the facts are clear” and acknowledged that she “may have made a mistake in identifying.” The accuser’s father also expressed doubt about the claims, noting that he did not remember picking her up after the VMA afterparty, as Jane Doe stated in her lawsuit.
“I feel like I would remember that, and I don’t. I have a lot going on, but I mean, that’s something that would definitely stick in my mind,” he told the new outlet.
Jay-Z adamantly denied the claims and said he was a victim of an extortion attempt and released a fiery statement slamming Attorney Buzbee.
“My lawyer received a blackmail attempt, called a demand letter, from a “lawyer” named Tony Buzbee,” wrote Jay Z. “What he had calculated was the nature of these allegations and the public scrutiny would make me want to settle. 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!!”
He went on to call Buzbee a “deplorable human” and questioned his integrity.
Buzbee fired back, however, and said he wouldn’t be bullied or intimidated.
“People will see through this effort to discredit me and my clients and the truth will be revealed. I also won’t allow anyone to scare my clients into silence,” wrote Buzbee. Sunlight is the best disinfectant and I am quite certain the sun is coming.”
Jay-Z Issues Statement On The Lawsuit Dismissal
Source: Kevin Mazur / Getty
Variety reports that on Friday, Jay-Z issued a statement via Roc Nation, calling the dismissal a “victory” and noting the emotional toll it took on his family.
“The frivolous, fictitious, and appalling allegations have been dismissed,” said Jay Z. “This civil suit was without merit and never going anywhere. The fictional tale they created was laughable, if not for the seriousness of the claims. I would not wish this experience on anyone. The trauma that my wife, my children, loved ones, and I have endured can never be dismissed.”
His attorney, Alex Spiro, also commented on the case’s resolution.
“The false case against Jay-Z, that never should have been brought, has been dismissed with prejudice,” said Spiro in a statement. “By standing up in the face of heinous and false allegations, Jay has done what few can – he pushed back, he never settled, he never paid one red penny, he triumphed, and cleared his name.”
While Jay-Z’s case has been dismissed, Diddy still faces a multitude of legal battles. He remains incarcerated at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, on charges of racketeering and sex trafficking. He is scheduled to stand trial on May 5, 2025, where he could face life in prison.
