Jay-Z's lawyers ask to dismiss rape lawsuit after accuser's interview amid 'severe' legal misconduct
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Jay-Z's lawyers asked a judge Wednesday to speedily extract the rapper from a lawsuit in which a woman alleges she was sexually assaulted by Jay-Z and Sean 'Diddy' Combs when she was 13.
The unidentified woman recently added Jay-Z, whose legal name is Shawn Carter, to her lawsuit against Combs in Manhattan federal court, alleging that she was attacked by the singers in 2000 after Combs' limo driver offered her a ride to an MTV Video Music Awards afterparty.
In their court filing Wednesday, Jay-Z's lawyers cited a recent television interview with NBC News in which his accuser acknowledged inconsistencies in her story.
Jay-Z's lawyers said in a filing obtained by Dailymail.com Wednesday: 'When pressed by NBC, [Jay-Z's accuser] was forced to admit "I have made some mistakes," "I may have made a mistake in identifying," "Not all the faces there are as clear," and even that she was "guessing" about key details, including the time it took to reach the venue.
'What is more, she admits she does not have a single corroborating witness over the last 24 years.'
Jay-Z's legal team said Wednesday that his accuser's 'unsupported allegations crumble under scrutiny, as the evidence - and lack thereof - reveals glaring inconsistencies and outright impossibilities.'
Jay-Z's lawyers asked a judge Wednesday to speedily extract the rapper from a lawsuit in which a woman alleges she was sexually assaulted by Jay-Z and Sean ' Diddy ' Combs when she was 13. Pictured December 9 in LA
In their court filing Wednesday, Jay-Z's lawyers cited a recent television interview with NBC News in which his accuser acknowledged inconsistencies in her story
Among the inconsistencies cited included 'a Jumbotron' that wasn't present, according to authorities and MTV personnel; as well as evidence that both Jay-Z and Combs were photographed at nightclubs after the award show when they were accused of being at a nearby house.
Jay-Z's legal team said that 'taken together, the factual inconsistencies, timeline impossibilities, and the lack of corroborating evidence make [his accuser's] allegations ... wholly unreliable.'
In the civil case, one of several filed against him, the woman originally asserted that she was raped by Combs at the after-party but did not mention Jay-Z.
Last Friday, NBC aired an interview in which she said she spoke with musicians Benji Madden and his brother at the party, and her father picked her up after the alleged assault.
NBC also reported that a representative of the Maddens said they were touring the Midwest during the VMAs, and her father said he does not recall what would have been a drive home of more than five hours.
Jay-Z has said the article proves that Tony Buzbee, a personal injury lawyer in Houston, filed a false complaint against him for money and fame.
Jay-Z's legal team said that the inconsistencies seen in the NBC interview 'highlight severe misconduct by her counsel, Anthony Buzbee and The Buzbee Law Firm,' saying that 'Buzbee was forced to backpedal' and distance himself from 'the very allegations he signed his name to' in the filing earlier this month.
Lawyers for the 99 Problems rapper said that 'Buzbee’s rule-breaking also extends beyond this action,' as the attorney 'has a long history of abusing the legal process and shirking ethical responsibilities' as well as a 'chronic inability to follow the rules.'
Jay-Z was supported by mother-in-law Tina Knowles, 70, wife Beyoncé, 43, and daughter Blue Ivy, 12, at the Mufasa: The Lion King premiere, a day after the suit was filed
'The allegations are flat out false,' Buzbee told Dailymail.com of the allegations made in Wednesday's filing from Jay-Z's camp. 'They will say anything no matter how reckless or false. To suggest that I have a long history of the type they suggest is ridiculous ... their filings have at this point become shrill and silly.'
Buzbee pointed to his past work representing Texas's attorney general and governor.
Attorney Teny R. Geragos, representing Combs, has said the TV interview was a part of the 'beginning of the end of this shameful money grab.'
In the newly-filed court papers, Jay-Z's lawyers wrote that the allegations 'have caused incalculable harm to Mr. Carter, his family, his businesses, his employees, and his legacy.'
The filing came before Combs appeared for a pretrial hearing in his criminal case.
After lawyers discussed evidentiary deadlines, prosecutors told Judge Arun Subramanian that any new charges against the hip-hop mogul before a May trial would require minimal new evidence to be shared among lawyers.
In the criminal case, Combs has pleaded not guilty to charges that the Bad Boy Records founder coerced and abused women for years with help from associates and employees.
Combs, who has been jailed without bail for three months, hugged his lawyers and touched his heart as he acknowledged his children among spectators.
Buzbee told The Associated Press via email that the plaintiffs' lawyers planned to respond in court to the latest filing: 'They continue to file meritless motions that are contrary to the rules and which have absolutely no merit.'
Sean 'Diddy' Combs and Jay-Z pictured at the NBA All-Star game in 2015 in NYC
Jay-Z's latest filing took aim at attorney Tony Buzbee, who was pictured in Van Nuys, California earlier this year
Buzbee, a well-known name in Texas courtrooms who has won billions of dollars in settlements for his clients, 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.
Buzbee's firm, which has set up a 1-800 number for accusers, has filed a wave of suits against the hip-hop mogul.
Buzbee's 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.
Jay-Z and Combs gained fame in the 2000s, emerging as wide-ranging entrepreneurs and two of the world's wealthiest rappers. Earlier this year, Forbes estimated Jay-Z's net worth to be $2.5 billion.
The artists have collaborated over the years, with Jay-Z featured on Combs' debut album, No Way Out and Combs appearing on Jay-Z´s sophomore album, In My Lifetime, Vol. 1.
