Jay-Z Sues Former Accuser and Lawyer Tony Buzbee for Defamation and Malicious Prosecution

Entertainment
Alexis N. Crockett
March 4, 2025
9 minutes read

Brooklyn-born rapper Jay Z is now worth a reported $2.5 billion. (Kevin Mazur | Getty Images)

Jay-Z has filed a lawsuit against his former rape accuser and her attorney, Tony Buzbee, in a legal battle that has quickly escalated. The lawsuit, filed in an Alabama court, accuses the defendants of “abuse of process, malicious prosecution, civil conspiracy, and defamation.”

According to court documents obtained by ABC News on March 3, the rapper—real name Shawn Carter—alleges that the accusations against him were false and led to a financial loss of $20 million. The lawsuit further claims that Jay-Z’s accuser, identified as Jane Doe, and her lawyer conspired to “falsely accuse” him of sexual assault.

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Carter argues that their actions were “soullessly motivated by greed, in abject disregard of the truth and the most fundamental precepts of human decency.” The legal filing also states that Jane Doe “voluntarily admitted” that her attorney, Tony Buzbee, pressured her into proceeding with the allegations after their “extortionate demand letter failed to yield the financial windfall” they sought.

“Tony brought Jay-Z into it,” the lawsuit states, also alleging that Buzbee first met Jane Doe at a coffee shop in Houston on the day she gave what Jay-Z’s legal team calls a “maliciously false NBC News interview.” In response, Buzbee dismissed the lawsuit as baseless, likening it to a previous case filed in Los Angeles.

“This new case alleges the same claims as the other one they pieced together and filed in Los Angeles. Like the one in LA, this new case in Alabama also has no legal merit,” Buzbee told US Weekly in a press statement. He went on to claim that Carter’s team had engaged in intimidation tactics.

“Shawn Carter’s investigators have repeatedly harassed, threatened, and harangued this poor woman for weeks trying to intimidate her and make her recant her story. She hasn’t, and won’t. Instead, she has stated repeatedly she stands by her claims,” Buzbee stated.

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The attorney further alleged that Carter’s investigators had attempted to bribe individuals to bring lawsuits against him and his firm. “These same group of investigators have been caught on tape offering to pay people to sue me and my firm,” he added.

Buzbee vowed to fight the lawsuit, stating, “This is just another attempt to intimidate and bully this poor woman that we will deal with in due course. We won’t be bullied or intimidated by frivolous cases.” As the legal battle unfolds, both sides remain firm in their positions, setting the stage for a highly publicized courtroom showdown.