The high-profile lawsuit accusing Sean "Diddy" Combs and Jay-Z of raping a 13-year-old girl in 2000 has now been dismissed. In a legal filing submitted Friday, attorneys for the plaintiff, Jane Doe, confirmed the case’s voluntary dismissal with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled. The signed document by attorneys Tony Buzbee and Antigone Curis states that both defendants acknowledged. They consented to the submission. Buzbee, who is representing nearly 100 clients in cases against Combs, had originally filed the lawsuit in October, making vague references to a male “Celebrity A” and a female “Celebrity B.” A December refiling identified Jay-Z as “Celebrity A,” prompting the rapper to launch a separate legal action against Buzbee for extortion.
Jay-Z, who has consistently denied any involvement, issued a statement through Roc Nation celebrating the case’s dismissal. He condemned the accusations, calling them a baseless and damaging fabrication. “This civil suit was without merit and never going anywhere,” his statement read. “The trauma that my wife, children, loved ones, and I have endured can never be dismissed.”
Jay-Z & Diddy Sexual Assault Lawsuit
The lawsuit alleges that the assault occurred at a party hosted by Diddy on September 7, 2000. The initial filing only named Combs. The revisions implicated Jay-Z. The plaintiff, in a December interview with NBC, admitted to inconsistencies in her account. Jay-Z’s attorney, Alex Spiro, seized on those discrepancies, calling the case a reckless attempt to tarnish reputations.
Legal challenges continued in the weeks leading up to the dismissal. Bad Boy Records was removed as a defendant on February 10. The removal resulted in corporate restructuring within his business empire. The defense attorneys pushed for the plaintiff’s real name to be revealed and sought sanctions against Buzbee for what they described as a lack of diligence. After the dismissal, Spiro issued a blunt statement. “The false case against Jay-Z, which never should have been filed, has been dismissed with prejudice. Jay stood firm, never settled, never paid a cent, and cleared his name.”
[Via]
