A lawsuit accusing music moguls Sean "Diddy" Combs and Jay-Z of raping a 13-year-old girl at a 2000 MTV Video Music Awards afterparty has been voluntarily dismissed, according to a court filing submitted on Friday in New York. The case, initially filed in October 2024, was withdrawn "with prejudice," preventing it from being refiled.
The dismissal marks a significant legal victory for Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter. "Today is a victory," he said in a statement posted on Roc Nation's X account. "The frivolous, fictitious, and appalling allegations have been dismissed. This civil suit was without merit and never going anywhere. The fictional tale they created was laughable, if not for the seriousness of the claims. I would not wish this experience on anyone."
The lawsuit, filed by attorneys Tony Buzbee and Antigone Curis, alleged that Combs and Jay-Z had drugged and raped the plaintiff, identified as Jane Doe, while an unnamed female celebrity witnessed the assault. The accusations, which Jay-Z publicly denounced as false, were initially directed solely at Combs before being amended two months later to include Jay-Z.
Jay-Z's attorney, Alex Spiro, said his client had been vindicated. "The false case against JAY-Z, that never should have been brought, has been dismissed with prejudice," Spiro said in a statement. "By standing up in the face of heinous and false allegations, Jay has done what few can - he pushed back, he never settled, he never paid one red penny, he triumphed and cleared his name."
Combs' attorneys also welcomed the lawsuit's withdrawal. "Today's complete dismissal without a settlement by the 1-800 attorney is yet another confirmation that these lawsuits are built on falsehoods, not facts," Combs' legal team said. "For months, we have seen case after case filed by individuals hiding behind anonymity, pushed forward by an attorney more focused on media headlines than legal merit. Just like this claim, the others will fall apart because there is no truth to them."
Buzbee, who has filed multiple lawsuits against Combs in recent months, declined to comment on the case's dismissal.
Jay-Z previously accused Buzbee of attempting to "blackmail" him into settling the case out of court, claiming the lawyer had banked on the severity of the allegations forcing him into a settlement. "What he had calculated was the nature of these allegations and the public scrutiny would make me want to settle. No sir, it had the opposite effect! It made me want to expose you for the fraud you are in a VERY public fashion," Jay-Z wrote in December.
Jane Doe, now 38, has maintained that inconsistencies in her account do not discredit her claims. She previously told NBC News that she had "made some mistakes" when recalling details of the alleged assault but insisted that "you should always advocate for yourself and be a voice for yourself." However, multiple discrepancies emerged in her story, including contradictions regarding her whereabouts after the alleged assault and her claim that she spoke to musician Benji Madden at the afterparty-an assertion Madden refuted, stating he was not in New York at the time.
Jay-Z has criticized the legal system for allowing the lawsuit to proceed in the first place. "This 1-800 lawyer gets to file a suit hiding behind Jane Doe, and when they quickly realize that the money grab is going to fail, they get to walk away with no repercussions," he wrote in a statement following the dismissal. "The system has failed. The court must protect victims, OF COURSE, while with the same ethical responsibility, the courts must protect the innocent from being accused without a shred of evidence. May the truth prevail for all victims and those falsely accused equally."
While Jay-Z is now cleared of the allegations, Combs still faces more than 40 civil lawsuits, many of which involve allegations of sexual misconduct. He is also facing federal charges, including sex trafficking and racketeering, and has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since his indictment in September 2024. His trial is set to begin in May 2025.
Jay-Z, who has never been charged with a crime in connection to this case, said the ordeal had inflicted lasting damage. "The trauma that my wife, my children, loved ones and I have endured can never be dismissed," he said.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit rainn.org.
