Jay-Z, whose legal name is Shawn Carter, filed an amended complaint in his lawsuit against a woman identified as Jane Doe and her lawyer, Tony Buzbee. The filing adds new allegations against Doe and Buzbee, including claims of significant financial harm to Carter and his company Roc Nation, and alleged efforts to manipulate online information.
The amended suit in Alabama federal court claims Jane Doe continues to make malicious statements about Carter. It cites a TikTok video she allegedly posted in April where she appears to stand by her original claims despite dismissing her lawsuit. Carter’s complaint argues her refusal to apologize shows a disregard for truth.
Carter alleges the defendants' actions caused him specific financial losses. He claims he was denied a $55 million personal credit line and Roc Nation was denied a $115 million loan. The suit also updates claims about a lost contract, stating the potential full value exceeded the previously cited $20 million minimum guarantee.
The amended complaint also accuses Tony Buzbee of directing employees at his law firm to edit Wikipedia pages. Carter alleges these edits were intended to enhance Buzbee's image while damaging the reputations of Carter and Roc Nation, citing over 100 positive edits to Buzbee's Wikipedia page from IP addresses linked to the firm.
This lawsuit follows Doe's decision in February to voluntarily dismiss her sexual assault claim that first publicly named Carter last year. Her revised complaint, filed in December, accused Jay-Z and Sean P. Diddy Combs of involvement in an incident after a MTV Video Music Awards afterparty when she was 13 years old.
Carter first sued Buzbee and his Houston-based firm in November, four months before suing Jane Doe directly in March. Carter maintains Buzbee knew the allegations were false or acted with reckless disregard for the truth when naming him in the suit, suggesting Buzbee sought a settlement first.
An audio recording reportedly captured investigators asking the accuser if Carter was at the VMA afterparty but not involved in sexual acts, to which she allegedly replied, "Yeah." She also allegedly stated Buzbee "pushed" her to pursue claims against Jay-Z. The court overseeing a related lawsuit in California recently ordered Carter's team to produce this recording. A Yahoo report provided a portion of the alleged doorstep discussion.
Buzbee denies the new accusations. Regarding the Wikipedia claim, Buzbee called it weak and laughed at the idea that amending his own Wikipedia page would harm Carter's reputation.
Buzbee and Jane Doe have sought to dismiss Carter’s lawsuit, arguing her initial claims were protected and that Carter failed to show sufficient "special injury." A lawyer representing Buzbee in Los Angeles County has argued Carter's suit is an attack on the right to free speech and petition.
