Jay-Z claims lawsuit accusing him of child rape is extortion scheme

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NEW YORK – Rapper Jay-Z says the rape allegations against him are part of an extortion attempt.

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A woman who previously sued Sean “Diddy” Combs, alleging she was raped at an awards show in 2000 when she was 13, amended the lawsuit Sunday to include a new allegation that Jay-Z was also present at the party and participated in it. sexual assault.

The 24-time Grammy Award-winning rapper, producer and music mogul called the allegations “idiotic” and “heinous in nature” in a statement released by one of his companies.

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He also revealed that he had anonymously sued the woman’s attorney, Tony Buzbee, in California, alleging that Buzbee was trying to blackmail him by threatening to make the rape allegation public if he did not agree to a settlement legal.

Jay-Z said a letter his lawyer received from Buzbee appeared to seek a settlement but had “the opposite effect.”

“This made me want to call you out on the fraud you are committing in a VERY public way,” his statement read. “So no, I won’t give you A RED PENNY!!”

The litigation is part of a wave of sexual assault lawsuits filed against Combs as the hip-hop mogul remains in custody in New York awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.

The woman, who is not named in the complaint, says she was hanging out at Radio City Music Hall during the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards and managed to convince a limo driver to take her to a packed party of celebrities in a private residence after the event. .

She said that while she was in the limousine, she was asked to sign a nondisclosure document. Once at the party, according to the lawsuit, she had a drink that made her “dizzy and dizzy” and went to a bedroom to lie down.

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She said Combs and Jay-Z, whose legal name is Shawn Carter, then burst into the room with another unnamed celebrity and raped her.

Buzbee, a personal injury attorney in Houston, Texas, announced at a news conference in October that he represented some 120 people — men and women — with allegations of sexual misconduct against Combs.

His company, which set up a 1-800 number for accusers, began filing a wave of lawsuits against the hip-hop mogul a few weeks later.

Combs’ lawyers at the time denied the allegations and criticized the news conference and hotline as “clear attempts to gain publicity.”

Buzbee said the allegation that he was trying to blackmail Jay-Z was “stupid and laughable” and that his letter was simply seeking confidential mediation in the dispute.

“What he fails to say in his recent statement is that my office sent his lawyer a basic demand letter on behalf of an alleged victim and that victim never asked him for a cent,” he said in an emailed statement. “Since I sent the letter on his behalf, Mr. Carter has not only sued me, but he has also attempted to intimidate and harass me and this plaintiff. His conduct had the opposite impact. She is emboldened. I am very proud of his determination.

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Emails seeking additional comment were sent to Jay-Z’s representatives on Monday.

In his statement posted to X, formerly Twitter, the rapper challenged Buzbee to press charges and said his “heart and support goes out to the real victims of the world.”

He also lamented that he and his wife Beyonce will likely have to address the claims with their three children and “explain the cruelty and greed of people.”

The statement concluded that only conspiracy theorists would believe “the idiotic allegations you have made against me which, without the severity of the harm caused to children, would be laughable.”

In a statement, Combs’ lawyers dismissed Buzbee’s lawsuits as “blatant publicity stunts, designed to extort payments from celebrities who fear lies will be spread about them, just as lies have been spread about Mr. Combs.”

Combs was denied bail a third time last month as he awaits trial in May. He has pleaded not guilty to charges that he coerced and abused women for years.

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Jay-Z and Combs are part of a generation of hip-hop titans who rose to prominence in the 2000s, becoming numerous entrepreneurs and two of the richest rappers in the world. Earlier this year, Forbes estimated Jay-Z’s net worth at $2.5 billion.

The artists have collaborated over the years, with Jay-Z appearing on Combs’ debut album, “No Way Out,” and Combs appearing on Jay-Z’s second album, “In My Lifetime, Vol. 1.”

Although the two have been frequently photographed together at events, they have also been competitors. Diddy launched his Bad Boy Records around the same time Jay-Z launched his Roc-A-Fella label.

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