Hip-hop megastar Jay-Z has categorically denied court charges that he and fellow rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs raped a 13-year-old girl more than two decades ago.
The complaint was amended Sunday in U.S. District Court in New York to add Jay-Z as a defendant after initially being filed against Combs in October. He alleges they “took turns assaulting the minor” at a party after the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards.
In a statement released Sunday by Roc Nation, Jay-Z’s entertainment company, he attacked Tony Buzbee, the lawyer for the anonymous accuser.
“These allegations are so heinous in nature that I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one! » said the press release. “Anyone who commits such a crime against a minor should be locked up, don’t you agree?” »
The statement called the lawsuit’s allegations “idiotic” and something that would be laughable “without the severity of the harm caused to the children.”
“You made a terrible error of judgment in thinking that all ‘celebrities are the same,'” the statement said. “I’m not from your world. I am a young man who made it through the Brooklyn Project. We don’t play those kinds of games. We have very strict codes and honor. We protect children. …”
Federal prosecutors charged Combs in September with crimes including sex trafficking and racketeering. He pleaded not guilty.
Buzbee, a Texas-based attorney, has filed several lawsuits against Combs since his arrest. The lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
An anonymous celebrity sued Buzbee in Los Angeles County Superior Court in November, accusing the attorney of threatening to “throw out malicious and entirely fabricated allegations of sexual assault” if the celebrity did not participate in “mediation.” confidential”. The lawsuit says Buzbee alleges the celebrity raped “several minors, both male and female, who had been drugged at parties hosted by Combs.”
On Sunday, Buzbee hit back at Jay-Z on social media: “Mr. Carter previously denied being the one who sued me and my company. He filed his frivolous case under a pseudonym. … Since I sent the letter on his behalf, Mr. Carter has not only sued me, but he has also attempted to intimidate and harass me and this plaintiff. His conduct had the opposite impact. She is emboldened. I am very proud of his determination.
Times staff writer Richard Winton contributed to this report.
