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After being accused of sexual assault by a woman who claims she was 13 years old at the time, Jay-Z has filed his own lawsuit for defamation against the anonymous woman’s lawyer, Tony Buzbee, according to Rolling Stone. Shortly after the news broke, Jay filed an extortion lawsuit against Buzbee, calling the rape lawsuit and subsequent story seeding in the media a shakedown; on Friday, he added a charge of defamation, saying that by going to the media before he admittedly finished vetting the woman’s story, he’d intentionally defamed the rapper-turned-businessman in order to force a settlement.
The documents filed Friday read, “Viewed in the context of Buzbee’s prior statements threatening to file criminal complaints against, and publicly shame, a ‘long list’ of celebrities, the message in the Extortion Demands was clear: pay up, or face a criminal investigation and extraordinary reputational harm.” According to Jay’s attorney, Alex Spiro, and his firm, Buzbee’s initial demand letter gave a two-week window for response, seeking material settlement and threatening further action.
“In short,” the docs claim, “Defendants placed a gun to Mr. Carter’s head. They were demanding that Mr. Carter either: (a) pay ‘something of substance’ to stop Defendants from making public the wildly false allegations of sexual assault that would subject Mr. Carter to opprobrium and irreparably harm his reputation, family, career and livelihood, or (2) endure that financial and personal ruin. Defendants’ statements and correspondence made clear the immediate and extensive threat of exposure if Mr. Carter failed to pay.”
Buzbee denied the defamation claims, replying via a press statement, “The new claim is patently frivolous and will be dismissed. I’ve never said a word about him. This is just another attempt to bully and intimidate me. It just won’t work.” Jay had previously denied the alleged victim’s accusations, asking the court to dismiss the suit. During a recent interview, Jay’s accuser acknowledged that her story had “inconsistencies” but maintained it to be true.
