In a stunning twist to an ongoing civil lawsuit alleging the rape of a 13-year-old girl after the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards, sources now say that Jay-Z-born Shawn Carter-has cut ties with longtime associate Sean "Diddy" Combs. They allege he is ready to shield himself from the case's fallout by distancing himself at all costs.
"Jay-Z would absolutely throw Diddy under the bus if that is what it took to clear his name and walk away from this. He has zero loyalty to Diddy," an insider told DailyMail.com. The same individual claims the 55-year-old Empire State Of Mind rapper is only concerned with avoiding a prison sentence and keeping his family safe.
Jay-Z is facing a grave accusation alongside Combs in a lawsuit filed by an unidentified woman referred to as Jane Doe. The woman asserts that, after taking a drink that "tasted like orange juice, cranberry juice, and something bitter," she felt dizzy and went to lie down in what appeared to be a bedroom. While there, she alleges Combs and Carter took turns raping her while a female celebrity, "Celebrity B," stood by.
The lawsuit also states that another celebrity was present and "did nothing to stop the assault." Combs, who awaits trial behind bars on separate charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and transporting individuals to engage in prostitution, has vehemently denied any involvement in this incident. Carter's team has similarly rejected the claims, labeling them a "blackmail attempt."
Additional sources say Carter took immediate steps to cut off Combs once Combs's earlier legal troubles surfaced. One insider explained, "The moment Diddy was arrested, Jay-Z scrubbed him from his existence. He is going after [lawyer Tony] Buzbee for himself and not for anyone else." This individual also claims Carter's decision to disconnect from Combs was solidified after disturbing footage surfaced, allegedly showing Combs physically attacking his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura. "Jay was appalled by the Cassie video which is why he is adamant that he and Diddy weren't friends as he didn't really know what he was capable of," the source said. "The video was a deciding factor for Jay when announcing that he and Diddy weren't close."
These revelations arrive as Carter's legal team moves to extricate their client from the suit, pointing to what they call glaring inconsistencies in the accuser's story. The lawyers cite a recent NBC News interview in which Jane Doe admitted, "I have made some mistakes," "I may have made a mistake in identifying," and "Not all the faces there are as clear." According to Carter's court filings, photographs, official statements, and location details contradict crucial portions of her testimony. "What is more, she admits she does not have a single corroborating witness over the last 24 years," Carter's counsel argues. Their motion also references accounts placing both Carter and Combs at nightclubs after the 2000 VMAs-rather than at the alleged house party.
Despite Carter's legal maneuvers, insiders emphasize that he is not doing this to help Combs. "Jay-Z is more than ready to throw Diddy under the bus to defend himself if that is what it takes and doesn't want anything to do with his lawsuits," a second source said. "Any notion that Jay is trying to help Diddy by going after Tony Buzbee is false. He doesn't care about Diddy." Nevertheless, according to a third insider, Combs views Carter's efforts to fight attorney Tony Buzbee as potentially advantageous: "Diddy does enjoy that Jay is fighting against the same person that is accusing him of doing any wrongdoing. Because if Jay succeeds, it will help Diddy tenfold."
Buzbee, who has made a name for himself taking on high-profile defendants including NFL player Deshaun Watson and rapper Travis Scott, now represents more than 100 accusers with allegations against Combs. Carter's legal team contends that Buzbee tried to force a settlement with an "exorbitant" demand to keep Carter's name out of the original lawsuit. When Carter refused, they claim Buzbee responded by adding him to the complaint. Buzbee denies any scheme of extortion, characterizing Carter's allegations as a "silly sideshow" designed to distract from Jane Doe's underage rape accusations.
As the legal showdown unfolds, revelations about Buzbee's own past have come to light. In 2016, he was arrested by Houston Police and charged with DWI, posting a $500 bond for his release. The case was eventually dismissed after he completed a yearlong education program in only eight months. Buzbee insists his short-lived legal trouble has no bearing on his credibility and maintains that Carter's accusations against him are baseless. Spiro, Jay-Z's attorney, has taken a different view, going so far as to suggest that Buzbee's firm may be coercing clients into leveling false accusations-an allegation Buzbee adamantly rejects.
The core of Jane Doe's lawsuit details a harrowing narrative in which she says Combs declared, "You are ready to party!" before violently shoving her. She alleges Carter stripped off her clothes while she was "growing more and more disoriented" and then raped her, with Combs and Celebrity B watching. "After [Jay-Z] finished, he stepped back toward the wall. Combs then stepped forward and vaginally raped Plaintiff while Carter and Celebrity B watched," according to the legal document. Jane Doe claims that Combs attempted to force her to perform oral sex on him, which she resisted by punching him, at which point he stopped.
The accuser says she has been tormented by the alleged attack, struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder and a seizure disorder. She "suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and a seizure disorder caused by stress and trauma," the suit states. Her lawsuit, originally filed under New York state's Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act, is seeking unspecified damages. Carter's response, however, includes statements from photography experts, law enforcement officials, and event personnel indicating that several crucial features the accuser described in her story were non-existent or inconsistent with known facts from that night.
Carter's legal team maintains that the claims are particularly suspect because the accuser has not produced any supporting witnesses who can verify her account. They add that her own father and certain musicians she claimed to have encountered are refuting her timeline.
In particular, Carter's attorneys reference NBC's finding that the musicians she mentioned were on tour in the Midwest during the VMAs, while her father contends he has no memory of picking her up for a five-hour drive following the alleged incident. Carter insists these inconsistencies "crumble under scrutiny" and bolster his position that the lawsuit is motivated by a desire for money and fame.
