Jay-Z's legal team has moved to withdraw a request for sanctions against attorney Tony Buzbee, who filed a lawsuit accusing the rapper and music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl at a party in 2000. The unexpected move, revealed in a court filing this week, comes as the lawsuit against Jay-Z remains ongoing, while Combs faces mounting legal troubles.
In a letter submitted to U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres, Jay-Z's attorney Alex Spiro requested that the motion for sanctions be withdrawn "without prejudice," meaning it could be refiled at a later date. "We have discussed this matter with counsel for Plaintiff who consents to this submission and agrees the withdrawal is without prejudice," Spiro wrote. The move follows weeks of contentious exchanges between Spiro and Buzbee, who represents multiple plaintiffs accusing Combs of sexual misconduct over several decades.
The decision to pull back on the sanctions request marks a shift in Jay-Z's legal strategy after Spiro had previously accused Buzbee of failing to conduct due diligence before filing the lawsuit. "Without such guardrails on litigation, there is obvious, worrisome risk: Someone in Mr. Buzbee's position could level reputation-destroying allegations indiscriminately in court," Spiro argued in a January 29 filing, claiming Buzbee had not properly investigated the allegations.
Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, has denied any involvement in the alleged assault. The lawsuit, initially filed in October 2023, named Combs as the primary defendant but referred to two unnamed celebrities, "Celebrity A" and "Celebrity B," as accomplices. A subsequent refiling in December identified Jay-Z as "Celebrity A." The allegations stem from an incident said to have occurred on September 7, 2000, during a party following the MTV Video Music Awards.
Combs, 55, faces a separate criminal case with charges including racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. If convicted, he could face a life sentence. His legal team has denied all allegations, calling them baseless. "Mr. Combs and his legal team have full confidence in the facts and the integrity of the judicial process," his attorneys said in a recent statement.
The lawsuit against Jay-Z has seen multiple legal maneuvers, with Spiro aggressively seeking its dismissal. In a new motion filed February 4, he argued that the claim under New York City's Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act (GMVPA) is invalid because the law was enacted three months after the alleged incident. "Nothing in its text or legislative history reflects any intent at all to extend the statute's reach to conduct predating its enactment," Spiro wrote, adding that allowing such a retroactive application "would violate the Due Process and Ex Post Facto Clauses of the Constitution."
Judge Torres has previously reprimanded Spiro for his combative filings, stating that his "relentless" motions attacking Buzbee were "a waste of judicial resources." She also denied a request to fast-track the case, despite Spiro's insistence on urgency.
While Jay-Z remains entangled in the lawsuit, he has continued making high-profile public appearances. He attended the Grammy Awards on February 2, where his wife, Beyoncé, secured multiple wins, including Album of the Year. He is also expected to be present at this weekend's Super Bowl in New Orleans, where Kendrick Lamar-whose halftime show is being produced by Jay-Z's company Roc Nation-will take center stage.
Meanwhile, the legal pressure on Combs is intensifying. On February 4, two additional women filed lawsuits in Manhattan, alleging they were drugged and sexually assaulted at Trump Tower under Combs' watch. "As we've said before, Mr. Combs cannot respond to every new publicity stunt, even in response to claims that are facially ridiculous or demonstrably false," his attorneys stated.
