A lawsuit alleging the rape of a 13-year-old girl against Sean "Diddy" Combs and Jay-Z has been dismissed as of Friday. The anonymous plaintiff, referred to as Jane Doe, voluntarily withdrew her case according to court records in New York. Lawyer Tony Buzbee, who represents a number of plaintiffs in cases against Mr. Combs, submitted the filing stating that the case was dismissed "with prejudice," meaning it cannot be refiled in its current form.
Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, released a statement through his entertainment company Roc Nation calling the dismissal a "victory." He stated that the "frivolous, fictitious and appalling allegations have been dismissed," emphasizing that the civil suit was baseless. Jay-Z shared the emotional toll the allegations had on his family, asserting that "the trauma that my wife, my children, loved ones and I have endured can never be dismissed." He advocated for protecting the innocent from unfounded accusations, hoping for justice for both true victims and those wrongly accused.
In his defense, Jay-Z’s attorney, Alex Spiro, described the claim as a lawsuit that "never should have been brought." He praised Jay-Z for not settling or paying off the accuser and for standing up against "heinous and false allegations."
The lawsuit was initiated by Jane Doe against Mr. Combs in October 2023, with Jay-Z's name added later in December. She claimed the two men assaulted her following an afterparty for the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards. Jay-Z has staunchly denied the allegations, asserting that his legal counsel received attempts to extort a settlement from the accuser.
In an interview earlier this year, Jane Doe acknowledged doubts about her credibility, saying, "not all the facts are clear," and admitted she might have made errors in her identifications.
While Jay-Z is no longer facing legal issues in this matter, Mr. Combs continues to contend with multiple civil lawsuits. His legal team responded to the dismissal confirmation, declaring Combs’ innocence, and criticized the focus on media attention rather than legal merit. Meanwhile, Combs faces significant allegations related to racketeering and sexual trafficking for which he has been held without bail at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, awaiting trial set for May 2025.
