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Jay-Z is asking a California appeals court to take another look at his extortion and defamation case against attorney Tony Buzbee after the woman who previously accused the rapper of rape formally recanted her allegations.
The rapper’s legal team filed a petition seeking a rehearing after the California appeals court upheld the dismissal of his claims earlier this month. His attorneys now argue that the woman’s new sworn declaration provides important evidence that warrants another review of the case.
Jay-Z points to accuser’s dramatic reversal
The legal dispute stems from a 2024 lawsuit filed by a woman identified as Jane Doe.
She previously accused Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs of sexually assaulting her at a 2000 MTV Video Music Awards after-party when she was 13. Jay-Z denied the allegations.
However, in a declaration filed Sept. 25, the woman said she had never met or spoken with Jay-Z and stated that her allegations against him were false. She also said she was not receiving money for her new statement.
The woman also said her original lawsuit came after she responded to a Facebook advertisement seeking people who may have information about allegations involving Combs.
According to her declaration, she later developed doubts about her account involving Jay-Z. She said her former attorneys filed the case without conducting sufficient independent investigation or giving her an opportunity to review the complaint before filing.
Jay-Z wants the court to reconsider
Jay-Z’s latest filing argues that the recantation changes the evidentiary picture surrounding his claims against Buzbee and his law firm.
His attorneys are asking the appeals court to grant a rehearing and allow additional discovery related to what Buzbee and his firm knew when they pursued the allegations against Jay-Z.
The request comes shortly after the California appeals court rejected Jay-Z’s previous attempt to revive the case.
In that ruling, the court found that the existing record did not establish that Buzbee knowingly made false accusations or acted with reckless disregard for whether the allegations were true. The court also upheld the exclusion of recordings obtained by private investigators.
Tony Buzbee disputes the recantation
Buzbee has pushed back against the woman’s new account.
His side has questioned the circumstances surrounding her recantation and has disputed the suggestion that his firm knowingly pursued false allegations. Attorneys for Buzbee have also challenged the credibility of the new statement.
That disagreement remains central to the legal battle.
The appeals court’s previous decision focused on whether the evidence available when Buzbee represented the woman supported Jay-Z’s claims. Jay-Z’s new petition argues that her subsequent recantation provides a reason to revisit that conclusion.
The original lawsuit was later withdrawn
The original sexual assault lawsuit against Jay-Z and Combs was eventually withdrawn.
Jay-Z then pursued legal action against Buzbee and others, alleging that the attorney attempted to pressure him into a financial settlement through threats of litigation and reputational damage. Buzbee has denied wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, the woman’s recantation has already affected Jay-Z’s separate legal case in New York. His attorneys said they would drop her as a defendant from that lawsuit following her new declaration.
Jay-Z’s legal fight continues
The latest filing does not mean the California court has reopened Jay-Z’s case.
Instead, the rapper is asking the appeals court to reconsider its previous ruling based on the new declaration.
The court will now have to decide whether the recantation provides sufficient grounds for a rehearing.
For Jay-Z, the filing represents another effort to challenge the legal consequences of allegations he has consistently denied. For Buzbee, the dispute remains centered on whether his conduct and pre-lawsuit communications were legally protected and supported by what he understood to be true at the time.
The latest development adds another significant turn to a legal battle that began nearly two years ago.
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Source: Reuters, Billboard, CBS News, Rolling Stone
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