Rapper Jay-Z has been accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl at a party in 2000 alongside Sean “Diddy” Combs, according to an updated lawsuit filed in federal court on Sunday.
Jay-Z has denied the allegations, labelling the lawsuit a “blackmail attempt” orchestrated by the plaintiff’s legal team.
The amended lawsuit, filed Sunday in the Southern District of New York, alleges that the girl was drugged and raped during a party hosted by Combs following the MTV Music Awards in New York. The initial complaint, filed in October, referenced Jay-Z as “Celebrity A” but did not name him as a defendant.
Tony Buzbee, the Texas lawyer representing the plaintiff, has filed numerous lawsuits against Combs for alleged sexual misconduct. In a statement, Buzbee said the lawsuit “speaks for itself” and described it as “a very serious matter that will be litigated in court.”
Jay-Z, in response, denied the allegations in a social media post and criticised Buzbee’s actions. “This is nothing more than a blackmail attempt,” the rapper said.
The lawsuit also claims Jay-Z retaliated by filing a countersuit against Buzbee and orchestrating harassment against the plaintiff’s legal team.
Buzbee has separately filed a lawsuit against Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, the law firm representing Jay-Z and Combs, accusing its lawyers of harassing his colleagues and family. Quinn Emanuel has not responded to requests for comment.