Lawsuit that claimed rappers Jay-Z and Sean 'Diddy' Combs allegedly raped girl, 13, has been dismissed

A new legal filing, submitted in New York on Friday, February 14, shows that Tony Buzbee, the attorney representing the unidentified woman and who is representing dozen of women in separate actions against Combs, had voluntarily withdrew the claims. The document stated that lawsuit had been “voluntarily dismissed, with prejudice”, meaning that the claim would not be able to be filed again in its current form.

The lawsuit claimed that a woman, identified only as Jane Doe in the document, had been assaulted by both Jay-Z and Diddy when she was just 13 years old in 2000. The alleged assault took was said to have taken place at an MTV Video Music Awards afterparty.

Jay-Z, who strongly denied all allegations when they were filed, called the development a “victory” in a statement released by his entertainment company Roc Nation and signed under the rapper’s real name, Shawn Carter. The statement said: “Today is a victory.

“The frivolous, fictitious and appalling allegations have been dismissed. This civil suit was without merit and never going anywhere. The fictional tale they created was laughable, if not for the seriousness of the claims.

“I would not wish this experience on anyone. The trauma that my wife, my children, loved ones and I have endured can never be dismissed.”

He added: “This 1-800 lawyer gets to file a suit hiding behind a Jane Doe, and when they quickly realize that the money grab is going to fail, they get to walk away with no repercussions. The system has failed.

“The court must protect victims, OF COURSE, while with the same ethical responsibility, the courts must protect the innocent from being accused without a shred of evidence. May the truth prevail for all victims and those falsely accused equally.”

The case began to fall apart for Jane Doe and her lawyer after she gave an interview in December 2024 in which she admitted to making “some mistakes” in her statements and that “not all the facts are clear”, leading to some questioning the credibility of her account. Carter formally requested to have the lawsuit dismissed in January 2025 citing the inconsistencies in the woman’s account of the alleged assault.

While the dropping of the lawsuit means that Carter will no longer face legal action, Combs still faces dozens of other civil lawsuits. In response to the Jane Doe lawsuit being dropped, his legal team said in a statement: "For months, we have seen case after case filed by individuals hiding behind anonymity, pushed forward by an attorney more focused on media headlines than legal merit.

“Just like this claim, the others will fall apart because there is no truth to them. This is just the first of many that will not hold up in a court of law."

He also is currently being held in custody in New York after being charged with sex trafficking and racketeering crimes following an investigation by the Department of Homeland Security. His trial is set to begin on May 5, 2025.