NEW YORK — The rapper contends that a rape accusation against him constitutes an extortion attempt.
A woman, who previously filed a lawsuit alleging rape at a 2000 awards show after-party when she was 13, amended her claim on Sunday. The amended suit alleges Jay-Z’s presence and participation in the assault.
Jay-Z denounced the allegations as “idiotic” and “heinous” in a statement released by one of his companies. He also disclosed that he had filed an anonymous lawsuit against the woman’s attorney, Tony Buzbee, in California, alleging attempted blackmail through threats to publicize the rape allegation unless a settlement was reached.
Jay-Z stated that a letter from Buzbee to his lawyer, ostensibly seeking a settlement, had the “opposite effect.”
“It made me want to expose you for the fraud you are in a VERY public fashion,” his statement read. “So no, I will not give you ONE RED PENNY!!”
This legal action is part of a series of lawsuits filed against Combs, as the hip-hop mogul remains in New York custody awaiting trial.
The woman, unnamed in the suit, claims she was near Radio City Music Hall during the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards and persuaded a limousine driver to take her to a celebrity party after the event.
She alleges that she was asked to sign a nondisclosure agreement while in the limousine. The lawsuit states that at the party, she consumed a drink that made her feel unwell and went to a bedroom to rest.
She alleges that Combs and Jay-Z (Shawn Carter) along with another unnamed celebrity, forcibly entered the room and raped her.
Buzbee, a Houston, Texas personal injury lawyer, announced at an October press conference that he represents numerous individuals—both men and women—with sexual misconduct allegations against Combs.
His firm, which established a hotline for accusers, saw a surge in lawsuits against the hip-hop mogul weeks later.
Combs’ attorneys at the time denied the allegations, criticizing the press conference and hotline as “clear attempts to garner publicity.”
Buzbee dismissed the blackmail allegation as “stupid and laughable,” stating that his letter merely sought confidential mediation.
“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.”
Emails seeking further comment were sent Monday to Jay-Z’s representatives.
“My only heartbreak is for my family,” he said in the statement posted on social media by his entertainment company, Roc Nation. “My wife and I will have to sit our children down, one of whom is at the age where her friends will surely see the press and ask questions about the nature of these claims, and explain the cruelty and greed of people.”
“`
