Tony Buzbee isn’t just walking away from Jay-Z’s lawsuit and he’s planning to cash in.
After a California judge dismissed the rapper’s case against him, the Houston attorney made it clear that he wants Jay-Z to cover the legal fees.
Speaking with TMZ, Buzbee called it “a lengthy, well-reasoned opinion” and added, “We will be seeking a lot.”
He didn’t stop there. “We have a long history of winning. We won’t be deterred in our important work,” Buzbee said, making it clear he sees this as a full win.
The lawsuit came after Buzbee represented a woman who accused both Jay-Z and Diddy of sexually assaulting her when she was 13. Both men denied the accusations. The woman later dropped the case, but Jay-Z sued Buzbee, claiming he tried to extort and defame him.
On Monday, Judge Mark Epstein dismissed the lawsuit, saying the evidence didn’t meet the legal threshold. He explained why in his written decision: “Selling silence as to law enforcement for money is extortion, but there is no promise of silence in the criminal context here. And selling silence for money in the civil context is not extortion; it is a settlement with a non-disclosure element.”
In short, the judge said what Buzbee did may raise ethical questions, but it wasn’t illegal.
Jay-Z’s attorney Alex Spiro wasn’t happy with the ruling and pushed back in a statement to Rolling Stone. “We are surprised and disappointed by this ruling which turns on the misapplication of California law on the admissibility of the investigators’ statements,” Spiro said.
He also pointed out that the judge admitted things might have gone differently if more evidence had been allowed. “Notably, the Judge expressly states that his decision would have ‘change[d] dramatically’ if he had admitted the statements into evidence as they would have shown ‘not only that Carter had nothing to do with any sexual assault on Doe, but that Buzbee knew it…’ and thus ‘the court would come out the other way on this motion.’”
For now, the lawsuit is done, but if Buzbee follows through, Jay-Z might be writing another check soon.
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