Judge Blasts Jay-Z over ‘Relentless’ Plot to Publicly Expose Identity of Child Rape Accuser
Jay-Z provoked outrage from a judge after the court heard of a plot by the billionaire rapper to expose the identity of a woman who accuses him of raping her as a child.
The music mogul, whose real name is Shawn Carter, faced a scathing rebuke for âwasting court resources.â
It comes amid Carterâs fight against a woman who accused him of raping her when she was 13.
Carter has made several attempts through his lawyer Alex Spiro to quash the case or force the woman to be publicly identified.
The famous rap star has also been accused of trying to intimidate those who made allegations against him and disgraced music mogul Sean âDiddyâ Combs.
On Thursday, Judge Analisa Torres sided with his accuser, granting the woman anonymity for the next stage of proceedings.
The judge also blasted Spiro in the process.
The woman, referred to only as Jane Doe, alleges Carter, along with Combs, drugged and raped her when she was 13 at an after-party for the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards in New York City.
Carter has vehemently denied the claims, calling them baseless.
In a five-page filing released on Thursday, Judge Torres condemned Spiroâs aggressive legal maneuvers.
She described them as âcombativeâ and filled with âinflammatory language and ad hominem attacks.â
The judge accused Carterâs attorney of attempting to âfast-track the judicial processâ by repeatedly filing motions to reveal the identity of Jane Doe and dismiss the case.
âCarterâs lawyerâs relentless filing of combative motions containing inflammatory language and ad hominem attacks is inappropriate, a waste of judicial resources, and a tactic unlikely to benefit his client,â Torres stated firmly.
âThe Court will not fast-track the judicial process merely because counsel demands it.â
According to the lawsuit, the alleged incident occurred after the accuser, then a teenager trying to get into the awards show at Radio City Music Hall, was invited to an after-party by a man claiming to be Combsâs limo driver.
The disturbing suit alleges how upon arriving at the party, the woman was coerced into signing a nondisclosure agreement, served a drink laced with drugs, and subsequently assaulted by Carter and Combs as a âfemale celebrityâ looked on.
In his denial, Carter has accused both the accuser and her attorney, Tony Buzbee, of fabricating a âfalse statement.â
In a crucial win for the plaintiff, the judge ruled that Jane Doeâs anonymity would be preserved for the time being.
Judge Torres emphasized that âthe weight of the factors tips in favor of allowing Plaintiff to remain anonymous, at least for this stage of the litigation.â
Buzbeeâs lawsuit against Jay-Z is part of a series of civil cases he has filed against Combs, 55, who remains jailed in New York as he awaits trial on federal charges that he coerced and abused women for years.
Jay-Z claims the lawsuit against him is part of an extortion attempt.
Buzbee is a well-known name in Texas courtrooms who has won billions of dollars in settlements for his clients.
The lawyer has said his firm is representing more than 150 people, both men and women, who allege sexual abuse and exploitation at the hands of Combs.
Buzbeeâs firm, which has set up a 1-800 number for accusers, is representing more than 100 alleged Diddy victims.
He has filed a wave of suits against hip-hop mogul Combs.
Buzbeeâs lawsuits allege that many of the people he represents were abused at parties in New York, California, and Florida where individuals were given drinks that were laced with drugs.
Combsâs lawyers have dismissed Buzbeeâs lawsuits as âshameless publicity stunts, designed to extract payments from celebrities who fear having lies spread about them.â
In the Jay-Z lawsuit, the Texas-based attorney claimed the rapper has âtried to bully and harassâ him and his client over the incident said to have happened at a 2000 VMAs afterparty.
However, this has backfired by âemboldeningâ them to take the case to court.
âRegarding the Jay-Z case and his efforts to silence my clients: Mr. Carter previously denied being the one who sued me and my firm,â Buzbee said in a statement.
âHe filed his frivolous case under a pseudonym.
âWhat he fails to say in his recent statement is my firm sent his lawyer a demand letter on behalf of an alleged victim and that victim never demanded a penny from him.
âInstead, she only sought a confidential mediation.
âSince I sent the letter on her behalf, Mr. Carter has not only sued me, but he has tried to bully and harass me and this plaintiff.
âHis conduct has had the opposite impact. She is emboldened.
âIâm very proud of her resolve,â Buzbee said of the accuser.
âAs far as the allegations in the complaint filed, we will let the filing speak for itself and will litigate the facts in court, not in the media.â
Buzbee also told The New York Times in an email that he followed proper âlegal practiceâ in âsending a basic litigation demand letterâ to Jay-Z and his camp.
The lawyer said he sought to get a âconfidential sit downâ with the rapper to protect his clientâs identity.
âWe wonât get bogged down in a silly sideshow that tries to make the lawyers the focus of what are very serious allegations brought by a courageous woman,â Buzbee told the paper.
Meanwhile, Combs, currently held without bail on federal charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution, has also denied the allegations brought forward in this case.
The Bad Boy Entertainment founderâs trial is scheduled for May 2025.
Jay-Z and Combs both gained fame in the 2000s.
They emerged as wide-ranging entrepreneurs and two of the worldâs wealthiest rappers.
Earlier this year, Forbes estimated Jay-Zâs net worth to be $2.5 billion.
The artists have collaborated over the years, with Jay-Z featured on Combsâ debut album, âNo Way Out.â
Combs also appeared on Jay-Zâs sophomore album, âIn My Lifetime, Vol. 1.â
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