Jay-Z is seeking to have a lawsuit accusing him of rape dismissed after the accuser recently admitted there are several inconsistencies in her recollection of the alleged incident, which took place 24 years ago.
The lawsuit was initially filed against Sean “Diddy” Combs in October, and accused Combs of raping a 13-year-old girl at a house party after the MTV Video Music Awards in 2000. On Sunday, the complaint was amended in U.S. District Court in New York to add Jay-Z as a defendant. It alleges he and Combs “took turns assaulting the minor.”
Both Combs and Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, have denied the allegations.
The accuser, listed as a Jane Doe in the complaint, is a 38-year-old woman from Alabama. In an interview with NBC News, the woman said that she stands by her allegations overall, but has “made some mistakes” when it comes to her memory of the night.
The woman had claimed she spoke with musician Benji Madden at the New York after-party, but a representative said neither he nor his brother, Joel, attended that year’s VMAs, as they were touring the Midwest at the time, NBC News reported.
She also said that her father picked her up after the alleged rape. But he has told NBC News he has no recollection of doing so.
Some photos of Carter and Combs on the night of the alleged incident do not match the description of the location where the woman said the assault took place, according to NBC News.
On Friday, Carter issued a statement proclaiming his innocence and denouncing the woman’s Texas-based attorney, Tony Buzbee.
“This incident didn’t happen and yet he [Buzbee] filed it in court and doubled down in the press,” he said. “True Justice is coming. We fight FROM victory, not FOR victory. This was over before it began. This 1-800 lawyer doesn’t realize it yet, but, soon.”
Carter’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, issued a statement saying he was asking the court to dismiss the case and will seek discipline against Buzbee and the other attorneys who filed the complaint.
“It is stunning that a lawyer would not only file such a serious complaint without proper vetting, but would make things worse by further peddling this false story in the press,” Spiro said.
Buzbee told NBC News his client continues to stand by her claims and has agreed to submit to a polygraph test. He also said his law firm was continuing to vet her claims and track down corroborating evidence.
He did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment Friday.
Buzbee has filed several lawsuits against Combs since the rapper was arrested in New York in September.
Combs has been charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty and is in custody in New York awaiting the start of his trial in May.
Times staff writer Richard Winton contributed to this report.
