Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter is pushing back against a lawsuit that accuses him and Sean "Diddy" Combs of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl during a Video Music Awards after-party in 2000. In a legal filing on Wednesday, Carter's attorneys asked a federal judge in Manhattan to dismiss the lawsuit and impose monetary sanctions on the plaintiff's attorney, Tony Buzbee, for what they claim are glaring factual inconsistencies and a failure to conduct due diligence before filing the case.
The lawsuit, first filed in October, was later amended to include Carter, who was identified as "Celebrity A" in an updated complaint in December. Since then, the case has turned into a heated legal battle, with Carter and Buzbee exchanging accusations in court filings and public statements.
Carter's attorney, Alex Spiro, argued in the latest filing that Buzbee "fails to identify any evidence that corroborates anything his client alleged" and has engaged in reckless litigation practices. "Mr. Carter seeks only to hold Mr. Buzbee to the ethical standards that constrain any responsible attorney who would solemnly sign his name to allegations in court," Spiro wrote.
Among the alleged inconsistencies, Spiro pointed to statements made by the plaintiff's father, who reportedly told NBC News that he had no recollection of picking up his distraught daughter from the party and driving her home, as the lawsuit claims. "It strains credulity that a father-impelled to jump into his car in the middle of the night to undertake a minimum 10-hour round trip to pick up his 13-year-old daughter at a random gas station-would forget the entire episode," Carter's filing states.
Another detail that raised doubts about the credibility of the allegations, according to Spiro, is the plaintiff's claim that she spoke at the party with musician Benji Madden, whom she identified by his "The Last Supper" tattoo. Madden later told NBC that he was on tour in the Midwest at the time of the alleged incident.
The lawsuit also alleges that Combs assaulted the plaintiff while an unidentified celebrity watched. Both Combs and Carter have denied the accusations.
Buzbee, a high-profile Texas attorney known for representing clients in controversial cases, dismissed Carter's arguments as "frantic" and indicative of desperation. "With every frantic filing, the defense in this case grows more desperate. The rules apply equally to everyone, even those who wrongly think they are above the law. No one is above the law," Buzbee said in a statement.
Spiro contended that Buzbee's conduct in the case warrants court-imposed sanctions, arguing that the attorney rushed to file the lawsuit without properly investigating the allegations. "These factual discrepancies are neither isolated nor surprising. They result from Mr. Buzbee's rush to launch allegations unhindered by mandatory diligence," the filing stated.
Buzbee has countered by accusing Carter's legal team of attempting to intimidate him and his plaintiffs. He filed a separate lawsuit against Carter's Roc Nation, alleging that the company tried to pressure his firm and dissuade his clients from pursuing claims against Combs. "This conduct was specifically targeted at our firm so we would not pursue cases related to the Diddy litigation," Buzbee previously told Business Insider. "But we will not be bullied or intimidated."
The legal battle has now expanded beyond the original allegations, with both sides seeking sanctions against each other. Buzbee accused Spiro of making a "histrionic" response to the case, while Spiro argued that Buzbee has failed to seek proper admission to the New York federal court where the lawsuit was filed.