Jay-Z dismisses child rape lawsuit as extortion ploy

NEW YORK (AP):

Jay-Z says a rape allegation made against him is part of an extortion attempt.

A woman who previously sued Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, alleging she was raped at an awards show after-party in 2000 when she was 13, amended the lawsuit Sunday to include a new allegation that Jay-Z was also at the party and participated in the 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 Roc Nation, one of his companies.

He also revealed that he had anonymously sued the woman’s lawyer, Tony Buzbee, last month, alleging he was trying to blackmail the rapper by threatening to make the rape allegation public if he didn’t agree to a legal settlement. He said Buzbee sent a letter to his lawyer appearing to seek a settlement, but that the letter had the “opposite effect” on him.

“It made me want to expose you for the fraud you are in a VERY public fashion,” Jay-Z’s statement read. “So no, I will not give you ONE RED PENNY!!”

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

The unnamed woman says she was hanging around Radio City Music Hall during the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards and managed to talk a limousine driver into bringing her to a celebrity-studded party at 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, the lawsuit said, she took a drink that made her feel “woozy and lightheaded” and went into a bedroom to lie down.

She said that Combs and Jay-Z, whose legal name is Shawn Carter, then barged into the room along with another unnamed celebrity and raped her. The woman said she eventually escaped the room, fled the house and called for a ride from a nearby gas station.

Buzbee, a personal injury lawyer in Houston, said the notion that he was trying to blackmail Jay-Z is “stupid and laughable,” and that his letter simply sought confidential mediation in the litigation.

“What he fails to say in his recent statement is that my firm sent his lawyer a basic demand letter on behalf of an alleged victim and that victim never demanded a penny from him,” he said in an emailed statement. “Since I sent the letter on her behalf, Mr Carter has not only sued me, but he has tried to bully and harass me and this plaintiff. His conduct has had the opposite impact. She is emboldened. I’m very proud of her resolve.”

Jay-Z’s attorney, Alex Spiro, filed court paperwork Monday asking a judge to require his accuser, who is only identified as Jane Doe, to reveal her identity if she wants to continue the lawsuit. Spiro said the woman hasn’t provided any evidence to justify her anonymity and that her “vague assertions of potential harm fall far short of the stringent requirements” under the law.

Spiro asked for an urgent hearing on the matter.

“Mr Carter deserves to know the identity of the person who is effectively accusing him – in sensationalised, publicity-hunting fashion – of criminal conduct, demanding massive financial compensation, and tarnishing a reputation earned over decades,” Spiro wrote. “He has never been accused of, let alone engaged in, any sexual misconduct.”

Buzbee announced at a news conference in October that he represents some 120 people – both men and women – with allegations of sexual misconduct against Combs.

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

Jay-Z, in his statement, challenged Buzbee to seek criminal charges and said his “heart and support goes out to true victims in the world.”

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

“I mourn yet another loss of innocence,” Jay-Z wrote.

Combs’ lawyers, in a statement, also dismissed Buzbee’s lawsuits as “shameless publicity stunts, designed to extract payments from celebrities who fear having lies spread about them, just as lies have been spread about Mr Combs.”

Combs was denied bail a third time last month. He’s pleaded not guilty to charges he coerced and abused women for years and faces trial in May.

Jay-Z and Combs are part of a generation of hip-hop titans who rose to prominence in the 2000s, emerging as wide-ranging entrepreneurs and two of the world’s wealthiest rappers. Earlier this year, Forbes estimated Jay-Z’s net worth to be US$2.5 billion.

The artistes have collaborated over the years, with Jay-Z being featured on Combs’ debut album, No Way Out and Combs appearing on Jay-Z’s sophomore album, In My Lifetime, Vol. 1.

While the pair has been frequently photographed together at events, they’ve also been competitors. Diddy launched his Bad Boy Records around the same time Jay-Z launched his Roc-A-Fella record label.