NEW YORK – JAY-Z and his legal team are pushing to uncover the identity of the Jane Doe accusing him of sexually assaulting her when she was 13 years old, according to court documents obtained by AllHipHop.
The Roc Nation mogul and his attorney, Alex Spiro, have filed a motion demanding the plaintiff’s anonymity be revoked, labelling her allegations as part of an extortion attempt.
The lawsuit, initially filed in October with Sean “Diddy” Combs as the sole defendant, was amended on December 8 to include JAY-Z. The accuser claims both men assaulted her at a 2000 MTV after-party.
Legal Arguments Against Anonymity
In court filings submitted on December 9, JAY-Z’s legal team accused the plaintiff and her attorney, Tony Buzbee, of engaging in a calculated campaign to coerce a financial settlement under the guise of anonymity.
“For months, an extortionate campaign has been targeting this named Defendant under cover of darkness,” the documents read. “That campaign was cynical and calculated to force payment of an exorbitant sum of money—Defendant would have to pay X millions of dollars irrespective of the truth, or else.”
The filings also argue that the plaintiff’s anonymity is unjustified, claiming it prevents JAY-Z from mounting a fair defense.
“It is not consistent with justice, fairness, or the rules governing federal proceedings for the Plaintiff and her counsel to smear Defendant’s good name in ways that are calculated to feed media coverage and inflict maximum public-relations damage while the core fact of Plaintiff’s identity, revelation of which stands to discredit her entire case, remains wholly hidden from view,” the documents state.
JAY-Z’s legal team has requested either the dismissal of the lawsuit or the disclosure of the plaintiff’s identity.
Allegations and Response
The lawsuit alleges that JAY-Z and Diddy “drugged and raped” the accuser at the after-party, with Diddy currently in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn on unrelated charges.
JAY-Z, however, has categorically denied the allegations, asserting they are part of a blackmail scheme.
“My lawyer received a blackmail attempt, called a demand letter, from a ‘lawyer’ named Tony Buzbee,” JAY-Z stated. “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!”
JAY-Z’s legal filings also emphasize his clean record regarding sexual misconduct, with Spiro noting, “[JAY-Z] has built an impeccable reputation. He has never been accused of, let alone engaged in, any sexual misconduct.”
Legal Implications
The case highlights the tension between protecting alleged victims’ anonymity and ensuring a fair legal process for defendants. If JAY-Z’s motion is successful, it could set a precedent for similar high-profile lawsuits involving public figures.
As the case unfolds, both sides remain locked in a legal battle that raises questions about extortion, justice, and accountability in the entertainment industry.
Source: AllHipHop
