A lawsuit accusing Jay-Z and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs of raping a minor in 2000 was dismissed on February 14, but the rapper says the impact has already been devastating.
Ten weeks after publicly condemning what he called ‘false and heinous’ allegations, Jay-Z is now revealing the financial and emotional toll the lawsuit has taken on him.
The rapper, who has built a multimillion-dollar empire in music, sports, and entertainment, claims the now-dismissed lawsuit has cost him at least $20 million in lost revenue.
The lawsuit, filed by an anonymous plaintiff known as Jane Doe, accused the 24-time Grammy winner of raping her when she was 13 years old at an afterparty for the MTV Video Music Awards in 2000. She also alleged that Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs drugged and assaulted her the same night.
The lawsuit was originally filed against Combs but was amended in December to include Jay-Z.
However, on February 14, Doe voluntarily dismissed the case with prejudice, preventing her from refiling. She acknowledged that “not all the facts are clear” regarding her memory of that night.
Just days before the dismissal, Jay-Z took legal action against her attorney, Tony Buzbee, and The Buzbee Law Firm, submitting a declaration in an LA court detailing the lawsuit’s impact on his business and personal life.
The six-page court filing outlines how the allegations—despite being withdrawn—sparked controversy that damaged Jay-Z’s reputation, strained his family, and disrupted his business ventures.
In the filing, Jay-Z stated, “Mr. Buzbee’s actions undermined my relationship, and my company Roc Nation’s relationship, with other businesses in the sports and entertainment space. We have agreements to produce entertainment programs for certain sporting events.”
He further claimed that the media fallout placed immense pressure on his professional relationships, adding, “After Mr. Buzbee filed the lawsuit, reports surfaced suggesting that other businesses might sever ties with Roc Nation, even forcing one to publicly address whether these false allegations would impact our partnership.”
He further stated that the false allegations directly impacted his company Roc Nation, leading to major financial setbacks.
“Immediately after Mr. Buzbee went public with his false accusations, my company Roc Nation also lost other contracts in the sports and entertainment space that would have generated revenues of approximately $20 million per year.”
The rapper also shared how the controversy spilled over into his personal life, resulting in a wave of backlash and threats. He said that the lawsuit unfairly cast a shadow over a milestone moment for his family—his daughter Blue Ivy’s premiere of Mufasa: The Lion King.
“I feel that Mr. Buzbee purposely filed this lawsuit on the eve of my daughter’s premiere to put me in the position of having to choose between supporting my daughter or hiding to avoid the negative press coverage,”
Meanwhile, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is still facing serious legal trouble.
The music mogul was indicted by a grand jury following his arrest at the Park Hyatt hotel in Manhattan last September.
Combs has been charged with racketeering and sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion. He continues to deny all charges.
