Jay-Z has filed a defamation lawsuit against the woman who accused him of sexual assault, alleging that her claims were fabricated as part of an extortion scheme. The lawsuit, filed on March 3 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama, also names her attorney Anthony Buzbee, fellow lawyer David Fortney, and The Buzbee Law Firm as defendants.
According to the complaint, Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, accuses Jane Doe and her legal team of launching a “false, malicious, and strategically calculated” attack on his reputation. The suit claims that Jane Doe initially sent a private demand letter on November 5, 2024, threatening legal action unless Jay-Z agreed to a settlement. When he refused, she filed a lawsuit publicly naming him. Jay-Z’s legal team argues that her claims were “impossible and indeed absurd,” and that even NBC News exposed contradictions in her statements.
The lawsuit states that Jane Doe privately admitted that Jay-Z had never assaulted her but that Buzbee “pushed [her] towards going forward with the false story against Mr. Carter… to make the case better and get them more money.” The suit alleges that “Buzbee brought Jay-Z into it” despite knowing the claims were false. Jay-Z’s attorneys point to inconsistencies in Jane Doe’s allegations, including a claim that she spoke with musician Benji Madden at the alleged afterparty, which NBC News disproved by confirming that Madden was in a different city at the time.
After months of legal pressure, Jane Doe’s lawsuit was ultimately dismissed with prejudice on February 14, 2025, meaning she cannot refile the case. However, Jay-Z’s legal team argues that the damage had already been done, not only to his reputation but also to his business empire. According to the complaint, Roc Nation suffered losses exceeding $20 million as a result of the allegations, with deals and business opportunities being negatively impacted. The lawsuit claims that “Doe’s frivolous lawsuit and its demonstrably false allegations… caused Mr. Carter to suffer actual and special damages, including harm to his personal and professional reputation, harm to his business entity Roc Nation, out-of-pocket loss, and emotional harm, humiliation, and harassment.”
Jay-Z is now seeking monetary damages for defamation, malicious prosecution, and civil conspiracy. His lawsuit also calls out Buzbee’s history of using high-profile cases to create media pressure, noting that he had over 20 other cases in the Southern District of New York that may have been improperly filed. The complaint makes it clear that Jay-Z will not let the situation go unchallenged, stating: “The extortion and abuse of Mr. Carter by Doe and her lawyers must stop.”
