Approximately ten weeks ago, Jay-Z took a stand against the ‘false and heinous’ accusation that he raped a 13-year-old girl back in 2000.
Since making his stance known, Jay-Z has faced intense scrutiny, which he claims has led to a loss of $20 million in potential income.
The plaintiff, identified as Jane Doe, accused the 24-time Grammy Award winner of committing the act against her during an afterparty for the MTV Video Music Awards in 2000. She also accused Diddy, whose legal name is Sean Combs, of drugging and raping her as well.
Initially, the lawsuit targeted only Combs, but Jay-Z’s name was added in December.
However, on February 14, Doe, represented by attorney Tony Buzbee, decided to ‘voluntarily dismiss with prejudice’ the allegations.
Just four days before this dismissal, Jay-Z submitted a declaration to a Los Angeles court concerning Buzbee and The Buzbee Law Firm.
The declaration, spanning six pages, elaborates on the impact of the allegations on Jay-Z’s family life, career, and overall reputation, even though Doe later admitted that ‘not all the facts are clear’ from her memory of the night.
The document notes: “Mr. Buzbee’s actions undermined my relationship, and my company Roc Nation’s relationship, with other businesses in the sports and entertainment space. We have agreements to produce entertainment programs for certain sporting events.
“After Mr. Buzbee filed the lawsuit, the media reported that other businesses could end their deals with Roc Nation, and forced one to speak out and address whether these false allegations would end our business relationship.
“Immediately after Mr. Buzbee went public with his false accusations, my company Roc Nation also lost other contracts in the sports and entertainment space that would have generated revenues of approximately $20 million per year.”
Jay-Z further stated that he has been subjected to a flood of harassment and death threats directed at his family. He also mentioned criticism for attending the premiere of Mufasa: The Lion King, featuring his 13-year-old daughter Blue Ivy.
“I feel that Mr. Buzbee purposely filed this lawsuit on the eve of my daughter’s premiere to put me in the position of having to choose between supporting my daughter or hiding to avoid the negative press coverage,” Jay-Z explained.
This development comes as Diddy was indicted by a grand jury following his arrest at the Park Hyatt hotel in Manhattan last September.
Combs is facing charges of racketeering and sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, which he continues to deny.
The indictment asserts that Combs and others in his group ‘wield[ed] the power and prestige of Combs’ role at the Combs Business to intimidate, threaten and lure female victims into Combs’ orbit, often under the pretence of a romantic relationship’.
With the ‘assistance of members and associates’, it is alleged that Combs ‘transported commercial sex workers across state lines and internationally’ and ‘then used force, threats of force, and coercion, to cause victims to engage in extended sex acts with male commercial sex workers that Combs referred to as, among other things, ‘freak offs’.’
If you or someone you know is affected by the issues discussed in this article, consider reaching out to The National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Alternatively, online support is available at online.rainn.org.