Jay-Z Files Lawsuit in Mobile, Alleges Multi-Million Dollar Extortion Plot Tied to Diddy Probe

MOBILE, AL (BuzzReport) – Billionaire rap mogul Shawn Carter, professionally known as Jay-Z, has filed a federal lawsuit in Mobile, Alabama, alleging that a multi-million dollar extortion attempt was “hatched” from South Alabama using false rape accusations.

According to the lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama, Mobile Division, Carter claims a famed Texas trial attorney and a 38-year-old Alabama woman conspired to extort an eight-figure sum from him. The suit connects the alleged scheme to the ongoing criminal investigation into Sean “Diddy” Combs.

The complaint, first reported by news outlet Lagniappe, was filed in March against “Jane Doe,” identified as the Alabama woman, and attorneys Anthony Buzbee and David Fortney of The Buzbee Law Firm.

The Alabama woman was reportedly interviewed by NBC News last year, where she claimed Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs raped her after the MTV Music Awards in 2000, when she was 13 years old. These claims were subsequently detailed in a demand letter sent to Jay-Z in November, just two months after Combs’ widely reported arrest in a sex trafficking and racketeering indictment.

However, Jay-Z’s lawsuit points to inconsistencies discovered during NBC News’ vetting of the woman’s claims. According to the suit, alleged witnesses identified by “Jane Doe” were not in New York for the 2000 awards, and her father reportedly contradicted her account of him driving from Rochester, NY, to pick her up after the alleged incident.

The lawsuit states that when confronted with these discrepancies, “Jane Doe” admitted to “some mistakes” but initially continued with her case.

Attorneys for Jay-Z assert in the suit that the claims were “false, malicious, strategically and tactically calculated,” and that the defendants were “soullessly motivated by greed, in abject disregard of the truth and the most fundamental precepts of human decency.”

The plaintiffs further allege that after an attempt to extort Carter failed to produce the desired “financial windfall,” “Jane Doe” eventually admitted that Jay-Z never assaulted her. The lawsuit claims attorney Anthony Buzbee pushed “Jane Doe” to come forward and that she met the Texas lawyer for the first time in Houston on the same day as the NBC interview.

Jay-Z’s attorneys suggest the woman was in need of money, having lost custody of her children and facing her parents’ bankruptcy filings. The suit also alleges that less than three months before the lawsuit was filed, she was arrested for assault and had her bail revoked after failing a drug test – details presented by the plaintiff to suggest motive.

Despite the alleged admission by “Jane Doe” that she was not sexually assaulted by Jay-Z, the lawsuit claims members of the Buzbee firm continued to “perpetuate the lies and hold out hope for an unwarranted payment.”

The complaint accuses Buzbee of eventually sending attorney David Fortney to Alabama not to admit the falsity of the claims, but to convince “Jane Doe” the case needed dismissal because Jay-Z had allegedly made threats against her life – a claim Jay-Z’s attorneys deny was ever made.

The lawsuit also references a suit filed by the Buzbee firm against Jay-Z in the Southern District of New York, which it calls “presumptuous” because, according to the complaint, the law firm had not gained admission to that court’s Bar. While “Jane Doe” has filed for a voluntary dismissal of that New York case, Jay-Z’s attorneys claim her team threatened them with harassment allegations if they filed anything in Jay-Z’s separate pending case against the Buzbee firm in California.

The Buzbee Law Firm’s website highlights its work in high-profile lawsuits and notes Anthony Buzbee’s “aggressive tactics” against “powerful opponents.” Reached for comment on previous occasions regarding the allegations, Buzbee has denied claims of extortion, stating he was simply representing his client.

In the Mobile lawsuit, Jay-Z’s attorneys are seeking assumed and actual damages, punitive damages, legal fees, court costs, and interest for claims including malicious prosecution, abuse of process, and civil conspiracy. They are also seeking a defamation claim specifically against the woman identified as “Jane Doe.”

The backdrop to the allegations includes Sean “Diddy” Combs facing his own separate criminal and civil proceedings related to accusations in New York.