Warning: This article discusses sensitive topics pertaining to rape that some readers may find distressing.
All accusations against Jay-Z have been withdrawn by a woman who claimed that the rapper raped her when she was 13 years old.
The accuser, referred to as Jane Doe, alleged that the 24-time Grammy-winner committed the act at an afterparty following the MTV Video Music Awards in 2000. She also accused Diddy, also known as Sean Combs, of drugging and raping her during the same incident.
After initially filing the lawsuit against Combs in October, she subsequently included Jay-Z in December. However, her credibility was questioned following an interview where she admitted that “not all the facts are clear” regarding her recollection of the incident. She even implicated a female celebrity as having witnessed the event, later saying: “I have made some mistakes. I may have made a mistake in identifying.”
The 55-year-old artist, whose wife Beyoncé recently broke the record for Grammy wins with 35 awards, responded with a statement from his record label, Roc Nation.
“Today is a victory. The frivolous, fictitious and appalling allegations have been dismissed. This civil suit was without merit and never going anywhere. The fictional tale they created was laughable, if not for the seriousness of the claims,” Jay-Z stated.
“I would not wish this experience on anyone. The trauma that my wife, my children, loved ones and I have endured can never be dismissed.
“This 1-800 lawyer gets to file a suit hiding behind Jane Doe, and when they quickly realize that the money grab is going to fail, they get to walk away with no repercussions. The system has failed.”
He further expressed: “The court must protect victims, OF COURSE, while with the same ethical responsibility, the courts must protect the innocent from being accused without a shred of evidence. May the truth prevail for all victims and those falsely accused equally.”
While the allegations against Jay-Z have been dismissed, Combs remains incarcerated awaiting his trial, which is scheduled for May 5.
This follows his grand jury indictment and arrest at the Park Hyatt hotel in Manhattan last September.
Combs is facing charges of racketeering and sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, all of which he denies. A 14-page federal indictment details accusations that he organized events known as ‘freak offs’.
The indictment claims that Combs and his associates used “the power and prestige of Combs’ role at the Combs Business to intimidate, threaten and lure female victims into Combs’ orbit, often under the pretense of a romantic relationship.”
It further alleges that, with the help of his associates, 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 need support regarding any issues mentioned in this article, contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. You can also chat online via online.rainn.org