Latest news with #99Problems'
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
JAY-Z Claims Roc Nation Was Denied A $115 Million Loan Due To Rape Accuser's Statements
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways JAY-Z's rape lawsuit was dismissed in February, but he is not done seeking justice against his accuser and her attorneys for alleged defamation. The Roc Nation leader filed an amended complaint late Monday (May 5) in Mobile, Alabama, alleging his accuser 'has not stopped' making defamatory statements about him even though she agreed to. He and his legal team are claiming her actions have cost him and his company millions of dollars in loans and potential revenue. In his new filing, Jay claims that as recently as April 11, the Jane Doe posted a TikTok of her lip-syncing an audio that may lead viewers to assume she's referencing and doubling down on her case. 'You couldn't pay me a million dollars to get an apology video out of me, I stand on what I said, f**k you,' the audio says. Rolling Stone has obtained the amended complaint, which explains why Doe's actions affect his business. 'By refusing to apologize, and continuing to 'stand on what [she] said,' despite all the evidence and, indeed, her own admissions to the contrary, Doe continues to display a shocking and reckless disregard for the truth that is both intentional and malicious,' the '99 Problems' rapper's complaint reads. 'Doe never had any reasonable grounds to support any truth in her statements and acted with reckless disregard for the truth. In other words, she lied.' LANDOVER, MARYLAND – NOVEMBER 24: Rapper Jay-Z (C) looks on before a game between the Washington Commanders and the Dallas Cowboys at Northwest Stadium on November 24, 2024 in Landover, Maryland. Also in his amended lawsuit, Jay clarified a prior claim that Roc Nation lost out on an unspecified $20 million. The statement says the $20 million represented the 'minimum fee guarantee' of an undisclosed contract, and that the full fee for the deal 'would have been many millions of dollars higher had the contract been performed.' He also alleges Doe's allegations significantly affected his ability to pursue new business opportunities. 'As a result of defendants' filing of the false lawsuit and other false public statements against Mr. Carter, Mr. Carter was denied a $55 million personal credit line,' the amended complaint claims. It also says Roc Nation was denied a $115 million loan. The legal team argues this directly affects Jay as well because he and Roc are 'inextricably tied.' On Dec. 8, 2024, Doe publicly accused JAY-Z of raping her alongside Sean 'Diddy' Combs at a MTV VMAs afterparty when she was 13 years old. She voluntarily dismissed the suit in February and the Brooklyn rapper sued her attorney, Tony Buzbee, for extortion and defamation. Alex Spiro, JAY-Z's attorney, also issued an individual statement at the time: 'The false case against JAY-Z, that never should have been brought, has been dismissed with prejudice. By standing up in the face of heinous and false allegations, Jay has done what few can – he pushed back, he never settled, he never paid 1 red penny, he triumphed and cleared his name.' More from Sign up for Vibe's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Perth Now
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Jay-Z slams rape accuser in lawsuit amendment
Jay-Z has blasted the "shocking and reckless disregard for the truth" that his rape accuser has allegedly shown. The '99 Problems' hitmaker is suing the anonymous Jane Doe and her lawyers for malicious prosecution and defamation and in an amended complaint filed on Monday (05.05.24), he alleged the woman had "not stopped" making statement about him, despite agreeing in February to voluntarily dismiss her sexual assault lawsuit against him. In documents obtained by Rolling Stone, Jay claimed that as recently as 11 April, the woman posted a lip-synched video on Tik Tok which stated: 'You couldn't pay me a million dollars to get an apology video out of me, I stand on what I said, f*** you.' The amended complaint stated: 'By refusing to apologise, and continuing to 'stand on what [she] said,' despite all the evidence and, indeed, her own admissions to the contrary, Doe continues to display a shocking and reckless disregard for the truth that is both intentional and malicious. 'Doe never had any reasonable grounds to support any truth in her statements and acted with reckless disregard for the truth. In other words, she lied.' Jay also accused lawyer Tony Buzbee of tampering with Wikipedia pages. The filing stated: 'Buzbee directed his employees to edit Wikipedia pages to enhance Buzbee's image and damage Mr. Carter's and Roc Nation's reputations. 'Users with an IP address directly linked to the Buzbee Firm made over 100 positive edits to Buzbee's Wikipedia page." The amended complaint came in response to Jane Doe and her lawyer challenging his lawsuit by arguing he had failed to show the "special injury" needed to pursue his case and insisted his prior claim that Roc Nation lost out on an unspecified $20 million deal as a result were not sufficient. But in his amendment, Jay - whose real name is Shawn Carter - claimed the sum represented the "minimum fee guarantee" for an undisclosed contract and the full figure 'would have been many millions of dollars higher had the contract been performed.' The 55-year-old rapper also alleged the rape accusation harmed his ability to pursue new opportunities. The complaint stated: 'As a result of defendants' filing of the false lawsuit and other false public statements against Mr. Carter, Mr. Carter was denied a $55 million personal credit line." It also claimed that Roc Nation - of which Jay is a 50% owner - had been denied a $115 million loan and he and the company are "inextricably tied". In response, Buzbee insisted the case is "meritless" and "should be dismissed". Of the Wikipedia claim, he added: 'That's a first for me and is incredibly weak."
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Shannon Sharpe Admits Offering $10M To Settle Rape Claims, Now Calls $50M Lawsuit 'A Shakedown'
Both lawyers for Shannon Sharpe and his rape accuser confirm the First Take co-host earlier this year offered to pay $10 million to make the allegations go away, yet the former NFL player also says today the whole thing is just 'a shakedown.' Perhaps, but it also seems to be a contradiction in terms – to put it politely. More from Deadline Shannon Sharpe Accused Of Rape In Civil Suit; NFL Hall Of Famer Responds Via Lawyer Statement Ernie Hudson Taking Over Carl Weathers' Voice Role Of Combat Carl In 'Toy Story 5' Sean 'Diddy' Combs Loses Trial Delay Bid In Sex Trafficking Case; Warner Bros Discovery Comes Up Short In Keeping Docuseries Outtakes Out Of Case In an extremely graphic lawsuit filed in Nevada on April 20, Jane Doe claims the 56-year-old Sharpe sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions during a relationship they had that started in an LA gym in 2023. Alleging assault, sexual assault, battery and sexual battery, as well as intentional infliction of emotional distress, the plaintiff is represented by Houston-based Tony Buzbee, who is behind dozens of assault and abuse lawsuits against Sean 'Diddy' Combs. Asking for a jury trial, the Jane Doe is seeking $50 million in damages. No stranger to controversy himself, and currently in a bitter battle with Jay-Z over a now dismissed rape case involving the '99 Problems' rapper and Combs, Buzbee took to social media Tuesday to get very specific on his client's behalf as NFL vet Sharpe and his team attacked her credibility. 'On the one hand Mr. Sharpe and his lawyers claim that the case filed by Jane Doe is meritless, yet on the other hand they now have disclosed that Mr. Sharpe offered Jane Doe $10 million in writing not to file her lawsuit,' Buzbee said on Instagram this afternoon. 'That is a true statement. Jane Doe was in fact offered $10 million to settle but rejected that offer, choosing instead to proceed with litigation. Sharpe's team is now trying to discredit and dox her. Sharpe and his team are now, as anticipated, also attacking me. We are not going to be deterred by these tactics.' Sharpe and his team have denied the allegations and asserted that incidents of rape, choking and more in the 13-page civil suit are being taken out of context and were consensual. To that, they also shattered a rule of such sexual violence cases and blatantly revealed the Jane Doe's real name online. Stating Sharpe was 'emphatic' in declaring his innocence, Stephen A. Smith said this morning on his own show of what is being alleged of his friend and colleague 'is a sad situation.' Before the $10 million figure came out, First Take host and producer Smith also revealed that he had spoken to ESPN boss (and future Disney CEO contender) Jimmy Pitaro about the Sharpe situation and the exec told him they 'are taking this matter very seriously and we are looking into this very carefully.' Additionally, before his attorney Lanny Davis gave a virtual press conference of his own Tuesday decrying the suit, Sharpe posted a video online this morning where he said that Buzbee was 'targeting Black men' in reference to the much-accused Combs and Jay-Z. Not addressing the suit on First Take today and calling out Buzbee for trying to 'manipulate the media,' Sharpe also said in his video that he would be suing the Texas lawyer and the accuser (who appears on subscription service OnlyFans) for defamation in the near future. Noticeably, while stressing 'my career is all about real talk and honesty,' ESPN and Club Shay Shay host Sharpe said nothing about that $10 million offer in his short video. Sharpe's spin master lawyer Davis, however, did say later in the day that Sharpe had been aiming to pay out 'at least $10 million' for Jane Doe's silence. Calling the actual lawsuit from the state of Sin City a 'big surprise' after talks with the accuser and Buzbee, ex-Bill Clinton confidante Davis pointed to the timing of the action and a more than $100 million new contract Sharpe is likely to be inking now his deal with The Volume podcast network has expired. Davis said 'in my opinion that this is a classic definition of blackmail. That gives the greatest leverage to blackmail.' Those remarks follow explicit messages allegedly sent by Doe that Davis made public on Monday to illustrate 'a clear picture' of a 'consensual, adult relationship that included role-playing, sexual language, and fantasy scenarios explicitly requested' by the plaintiff. Declaring that Sharpe 'has chosen to mislead his lawyers and the public' in his denials, Buzbee late Monday put out a long statement predating Davis' virtual press conference today. Without naming a figure at the time on that potential $10 million agreement Buzbee noted yesterday: 'A little history: Back in early February, our office contacted Mr. Sharpe on behalf of Jane Doe and broached the subject of a meeting. Multiple conversations took place. Ultimately, a mediation occurred. Mr. Sharpe was represented by different lawyers in that mediation. That mediation process went on for more than six weeks, ultimately leading to Mr. Sharpe making an incredibly significant offer to settle. Ultimately, Jane Doe refused the hefty sum offered by Sharpe and instead filed this case last night, April 20, 2025.' 'Mr. Sharpe's aggressive approach will instead have the opposite effect. Ms. Doe is not afraid of the truth — she relies upon it,' Buzbee added. 'I look forward to presenting the evidence in this case through the judicial process, where the truth matters more than a sports icon's desperate public spin.' Representatives for ESPN-owner Disney did not respond to request for comment on Sharpe and the allegation against him. While not named as a defendant, Sharpe makes numerous appearances in a sexual battery and retaliation suit against his former Undisputed co-host Skip Bayless and Fox Sports that an ex-hairdresser on the now cancelled show filed in January. Best of Deadline 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Tonys, Emmys, Oscars & More 'The Last Of Us': Differences Between HBO Series & Video Game Across Seasons 1 And 2 'Ransom Canyon' Book Vs. Show Differences: From Quinn & Staten's Love Story To Yancy Grey's Plot
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Diddy & Jay-Z Come Out Swinging Over Alleged 'Egregious Misconduct' By Lawyer Behind Dozens Of Cases Against Bad Boy Records Founder
The case that Jay-Z and Sean 'Diddy' Combs repeatedly raped a 13-year-old after the 2000 MTV VMAs was dismissed on Valentines' Day by its Jane Doe plaintiff. However, in legal moves on both coasts, the two rappers are apparently far from done with her lawyer, Tony Buzbee. Representing dozens and dozens of alleged victims of sexual assault and alleging attacks and abuse by the Bad Boy Records founder, the brash Houston-based attorney now finds himself pummeled by Combs and Shawn Carter (Jay-Z's real name) in federal court in New York over unauthorized practice of law, and in state court in California. More from Deadline Jay-Z & Sean 'Diddy' Combs Rape Case Sees Bad Boy Records Out As Defendant Sean 'Diddy' Combs: An Updated Timeline Of Charges, Allegations & Consequences The Rap Mogul Faces Sean "Diddy" Combs Wants Sex Trafficking Evidence Quashed; No One "Coerced Into Sex", Heavily-Redacted Filing Claims A tentative ruling out of an early morning anti-SLAPP hearing Tuesday before LA Superior Court Judge Mark H. Epstein appeared to render Jay-Z's extortion claim against Buzbee DOA. Yet, it seems the defamation claim from the '99 Problems' superstar's initially filed suit will almost certainly go forward to trial. 'The conduct alleged raises serious questions about whether Buzbee acted with actual malice, a key component in defamation cases involving public figures,' Judge Epstein said in the tentative, pointing to Buzbee terming his now former client a 'sexual assault survivor' on social media. Stating that he would weigh the arguments made before him on February 25 by attorneys like Camille Vasquez, Judge Epstein also noted that Buzbee liking posts that claimed that Jay-Z was the male 'Celebrity A' in the 2000 rape case implies a degree of malice necessary in a defamation case. After a graphic October 20 lawsuit named Combs for the alleged 2000 rape with mention of a male 'Celebrity A 'and a female 'Celebrity B, an Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan-represented anonymous 'celebrity and public figure who resides in Los Angeles' went after the hyperbolic Buzbee for extortion in LASC on November 18. On December 8, the Texas attorney lawyer refiled his initial suit claiming that Jay-Z was the Celebrity A. Denying he had anything to do with something so 'heinous in nature' as what he and Combs were accused of, Jay-Z outed himself as the 'figure who resides in LA.' After months of fighting the rape claims in federal court in NYC, failing to get it tossed out, threatening sanctions on Buzbee via the rapper's longtime lawyer Alex Spiro for not performing due diligence, bribery, and more, the dismissal of the seriously undermined claims by the now middle-aged Jane Doe only seemed to galvanized Beyoncé's better half to go after the Texan more. Pushking back against Buzbee's own efforts to have the West Coast case killed, Jay-Z told in the court in a February 10 declaration the 'career-ending' accusations of assaulting a 13-year-old girl ripped into his business and his family — the former to the tune of $20 million a year and a loss of reputation. Judge Epstein hasn't made a final ruling yet and the next hearing is on the calendar for late March. Yet, it seems pretty clear that the dispute with Buzbee is now very personal, still on, and Jay-Z wants to take this as far as it will go. In that pursuit, the 'Empire State of Mind' performer may be receiving some assistance from his former co-defendant Diddy on the East Coast. Paperwork placed in the Southern District Of New York court docket late Tuesday in the 2004 sexual assault civil case filed back in October by a Jane Doe, now identified as Candice McCrary by Combs' legal team slammed Buzbee as having presented a false picture of his ability to practice in the jurisdiction – where he has about a dozen cases against the much accused and currently incarcerated Diddy. 'In our collective decades of practice, undersigned counsel have never opposed a pro hac vice application, and we do not do so lightly here,' wrote Comb's Sher Tremonte lawyers in an opposition memorandum to Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil. 'But Buzbee's egregious misconduct warrants denial of the privilege of appearing in this District,' they added of the Texan's February 24 formal pro hac vice request to be allowed to be in court in the jurisdiction where he cannot practice Not for the first time, Buzbee himself pushed back a few days ago against Combs' long stated criticism. The attorney posted a Lone Star flag flying letter stating that he has the right to practice in the Empire state. However, perhaps splitting legal hairs, Buzbee made no mention of the fact that a lawyer must seeking individual admission to be allowed to appear in District Court in the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York. In his posting Buzbee left out that on February 13, the day before the action against Diddy and Jay-Z was dropped, the Chair of the Committee on Grievances for the Southern District of New York publicly denied Buzbee's request for admission. Buzbee did mention in his February 24 application for pro hac vice for McCrary that he was 'recently denied admission to the bar of the Southern District of New York based in large part on' a grievance raised against him by lawyers for Combs and Carter. He does not explicitly state, as the Committee on Grievances did, that he was denied admission for appearing in several SDNY cases against Combs without having previously sought said admission. Perhaps knowing he will face challenges on all the other New York cases against Combs he is involved in, Buzbee also did not seem to mention that the Committee on Grievances demanded he must attach their order denying him admission to practice in the district to ant pro hac vice motion or petition In that vein, Combs' attorneys go on to say in Tuesday's opposition memo: Buzbee's motion for admission pro hac vice should be denied because he has repeatedly shown that he is unwilling or unable to follow this District's Local Rules and because his application is deficient. For nearly five months, Buzbee has filed case after case in this District against Defendants in the name of anonymous plaintiffs without seeking admission of any kind and without disclosing his lack of admission (until raised by a court or adversary). He did not apply for admission to practice in this District until January 29, 2025, more than six weeks after his failure to do so was publicized in a letter filed by opposing counsel, five weeks after he represented to another Judge in this District that he intended to apply for admission (which he only did after opposing counsel disclosed Buzbee's lack of admission), and two weeks after he represented to another Judge in this district that his application was after Buzbee was expressly put on notice by the Committee on Grievances that making repeated submissions to courts in a District where he is not authorized to practice violates the Local Rules —a concept so fundamental to the practice of law it requires no forewarning— Buzbee took no corrective action. Instead, he continued making filings in this District without noting his lack of admission until this Court required him to seek pro hac vice admission. If this Court had not noticed that Buzbee was practicing without being admitted, there is every reason to believe he would have continued to do so because that is precisely what Buzbee is doing in more than twenty other cases pending in this District. Even after declaring in a February 20, 2025 affidavit submitted to this Court that his errors were inadvertent and he will 'make certain such [conduct] never occurs again,' he has failed to seek admission pro hac vice in any of the other pending has signed multiple filings across twenty-two cases without permission to practice in this Court; he failed in each instance to disclose that he had filed without being admitted; and he violated New York's Rules of Professional Conduct by, among other things, repeatedly insisting that Mr. Combs is guilty of the criminal charges pending against him in this District, even though Buzbee has no good faith basis to believe the Government will call any of his clients as a witness in that case. For these reasons, discussed in detail below, this Court should deny Buzbee's pro hac vice application. Buzbee's office did not respond to request from Deadline for comment on Combs' latest filing. Unlike many accused of such sex crimes, the usually very private Jay-Z has been insisting on his innocence at virtually every turn, and very public at Hollywood premieres, at Christmas Day NFL game, at the Grammys, the Super Bowl and more. On the other hand, Sean 'Diddy' Combs is behind bars at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center, where he has been ever since his September 16 arrest. Failing on several occasions to get released on $50 million bail and looking at life in prison if found guilty in the criminal case, a not guilty pleading and prosecutors attacking Combs is set to go to trial on racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution charges starting May 5. Tony Buzbee has nothing to do with that criminal case. 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Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jay-Z received death threats in response to rape allegation
Jay-Z and his wife Beyoncé were sent death threats after the rapper was accused of raping a 13-year-old girl. The 55-year-old star and Sean 'Diddy' Combs had been accused by an unnamed woman of drugging and raping her at an after-party for the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards in New York City when she was a teenager, but the lawsuit was dismissed last week, though the '99 Problems' hitmaker is pressing ahead with legal action against his accuser's attorney, Tony Buzbee, for emotional distress. And in a declaration to the court obtained by the Rock Nation founder argued the lawyer's "public statements about me and accusations against me have caused me harm" and detailed the threats he and his wife had received. He wrote: "People have said 'I can't wait until you join (Combs) in prison. Then later in hell.' "Other comments have accused me of being a 'satanist', a 'trafficker', a 'terrorist', and a 'monster', called me the N-word and threatened violence against me and my wife, including to 'kill' or 'execute' us." It was previously revealed Jay - who has daughter Blue Ivy, 13, and twins Rumi and Sir, seven, with wife Beyonce - alleged he had lost $20 million in contracts since the lawsuit was filed in October 2024. And he accused the lawyer of purposely inflicting emotional distress by deliberately filing the complaint the evening before his daughter's movie premiere for 'Mufasa: The Lion King' to "put me in the position of having to choose between supporting my daughter or hiding to avoid the negative press." He wrote in the declaration: "I felt that Mr. Buzbee was placing a gun to my head that I either bow to his demands or endure personal and financial ruin." Jay - whose real name is Shawn Carter - filed the suit against Buzbee for civil extortion, defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress several months ago but only submitted his declaration this week. After the rape case was dismissed with prejudice, the Roc Nation founder hit out at the "trauma" it had caused for his family. He said in a statement: "Today is a victory. The frivolous, fictitious and appalling allegations have been dismissed. This civil suit was without merit and never going anywhere. "The fictional tale they created was laughable, if not for the seriousness of the claims. I would not wish this experience on anyone. The trauma that my wife, my children, loved ones and I have endured can never be dismissed. 'The court must protect victims, OF COURSE, while with the same ethical responsibility, the courts must protect the innocent from being accused without a shred of evidence. May the truth prevail for all victims and those falsely accused equally.' Jay has always denied the allegations and had made several attempts through his lawyer to kill the case or force the woman to be publicly identified. Buzbee's firm is representing more than 100 alleged victims of Combs, and has filed a flood of suits against Diddy since he was jailed in September to await trial on charges including sex trafficking and racketeering – all of which he denies.
