A woman who accused rappers Jay Z And Sean “Diddy” Combs of sexually assaulting her when she was 13 at an awards show after-party, has acknowledged certain inconsistencies in her story, while her attorney said he will continue to investigate her claims.
The unnamed woman described being driven from Rochester, New York, to New York City for the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards and then Combs’ limousine driver offering her a ride to an after-party, NBC News reported Friday. She claimed she spoke to musicians Benji Madden and his brother at the party, and that her father picked her up after the alleged assault.
But a rep for the Maddens confirmed to NBC that they were on tour in the Midwest during the VMAs, while her father said he didn’t remember the more than five-hour drive home. The woman’s friend who reportedly took her to the awards ceremony has since died, NBC reported.
The woman first sued Combs, alleging she was raped at an after-party, then amended the lawsuit Sunday with a new allegation that Jay-Z, whose legal name is Shawn Carter, was also at the party and participated to sexual acts. raid.
Jay-Z said in a statement that the article proves that Tony Buzbee, a personal injury attorney in Houston, filed a false complaint against him because of money and fame.
“This incident did not happen and yet he filed it in court and received a lot of attention in the press,” he said. “True justice is coming. We fight FROM victory, not FOR victory. This was over before it started. This 1-800 lawyer doesn’t realize it yet, but soon he will.”
Buzbee told The Associated in an email that if someone raises a new issue that did not previously exist, it is her legal team’s job to continue gathering facts and evidence.
Jay-Z’s attorney, Alex Spiro, asked the court to dismiss the case, saying in a statement: “It is baffling that an attorney would not only file such a serious complaint without proper investigation, but make matters worse by further spreading these false rumors. story in the press.”
The woman admitted she had made “some mistakes” as she recalled that night, but said she stood by her allegations.
The lawsuit is part of a wave of… sexual abuse lawsuits levied against Combs as the hip-hop mogul remains in custody in New York awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
The unnamed woman said that while she was in the limousine, she was asked to sign a confidentiality document. Once at the party, the lawsuit said, she took a drink that left her feeling “woozy and light-headed” and went to a bedroom to lie down.
She said Combs and Jay-Z then burst into the room, along with another unnamed celebrity, and raped her. The woman said she eventually escaped the room, fled the house and requested a ride at a nearby gas station.
Jay-Z, a 24-time Grammy Award-winning rapper, producer and music mogul, anonymously sued Buzbee last month, alleging he tried to blackmail the rapper by threatening to go public with the rape allegation if he did not agree to a legal settlement . Jay-Z said Buzbee sent a letter to his lawyer appearing to push for a settlement, which had the “opposite effect” for him.
Buzbee previously said the idea that he was trying to blackmail Jay-Z is “stupid and laughable” and that his letter simply asked for confidential mediation in the lawsuit.
Buzbee announced his representation at a press conference in October about 120 peoplemen and women, with allegations of sexual misconduct against Combs.
His firm, which has set up a toll-free telephone line for prosecutors, started submitting a wave of lawsuits against the hip-hop mogul a few weeks later.
Combing laundry bail denied for the third time last month. He has denied his guilt accuses him of coercing and abusing women for years and will be tried in May.
Attorneys for Combs did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.
Jay-Z and Combs are part of a generation of hip-hop titans who rose to prominence in the 2000s, emerging as multi-talented entrepreneurs and two of the world’s richest rappers. Earlier this year, Forbes estimated Jay-Z’s net worth at $2.5 billion.
The artists have worked together over the years, with Jay-Z appearing on Combs’ debut album ‘No Way Out’ and Combs appearing on Jay-Z’s second album ‘In My Lifetime, Vol. 1.”
Although they were often photographed together at events, they were also business competitors. Diddy launched his Bad Boy Records around the same time that Jay-Z launched his record label Roc-A-Fella.