Hip-hop superstar Jay-Z has flatly denied in a lawsuit that he and artist Sean “Diddy” Combs raped a 13-year-old girl more than two decades ago.
On Sunday, the U.S. District Court in New York amended the complaint, originally filed against Combs in October, to add Jay-Z as a defendant. They allegedly “took turns attacking minors” at a party after the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards.
In a statement released Sunday by Jay-Z’s entertainment company, Roc Nation, he attacked the anonymous accuser’s attorney, Tony Buzbee.
“The nature of these accusations is so outrageous that I implore you to pursue criminal prosecution, not civil litigation!” the statement said. “People who commit such crimes against minors should be locked up, don’t you agree?”
The statement called the lawsuit’s claims “silly” and would be laughable “if not for the seriousness of the harm to children.”
“You make a grave error of judgment by assuming that all ‘celebrities are the same,'” the statement read. “I’m not from your world. I’m a young man who came out of the Brooklyn projects. We don’t play These types of games. We have very strict codes and honors that protect children.”
Federal prosecutors in September charged Combs with sex trafficking and racketeering crimes. He pleads not guilty.
Buzbee is a Texas attorney who has filed several lawsuits against Combs since his arrest. The lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
An anonymous celebrity sued Buzby in Los Angeles County Superior Court last November, alleging that the lawyer threatened to “publicize completely fabricated and malicious sexual assault allegations” if the celebrity did not participate in “confidential mediation.” The lawsuit states that Buzbee accused the celebrity of raping “multiple minors, both male and female, who were drugged at parties hosted by Combs.”
On Sunday, Buzbee hit back at Jay-Z on social media: “Mr. Carter has previously denied being the one suing me and my company. He filed this frivolous case under a pseudonym. … Since I sent this letter on her behalf Since then, Mr. Carter has not only sued me, but he has also attempted to bully and harass me and this plaintiff. His actions have had the opposite effect. I am extremely proud of her determination.
Times staff writer Richard Winton contributed to this report.
