Rape allegations levied against Jay-Z by an unnamed accuser prompted the music mogul to make a public declaration that he would not be silenced.
Jay-Z, born Shawn Corey Carter, was named in a Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sexual assault case on Sunday and filed to dismiss the suit the following day. The rapper was accused of raping a minor along with Diddy at a MTV VMAs after-party in 2000, documents stated.
In a scathing response shared online, the “Holy Grail” singer called the lawsuit a “blackmail attempt” from the accuser’s lawyer, Tony Buzbee. Similarly, this year, Garth Brooks put his accuser on notice for blackmail after being accused of raping his former makeup artist in 2019.
Neama Rahmani, former federal prosecutor and president of West Coast Trial Lawyers, told Fox News Digital that while the move to speak out against an accuser can be “very risky,” there’s also a value in speaking up.
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“Oftentimes, when a defense attorney or a publicist comes out as super aggressive, and they shame the victim, it does encourage other victims and witnesses to come forward,” Rahmani said. “So, it can have the opposite effect. Maybe it does scare some people from coming forward. Maybe it helps control the narratives and the PR role and traditional and social media. There may be some benefit there, but it can certainly backfire and potentially encourage other victims who are kind of on the sidelines … it’s often hard to be the first victim.”
On Monday, Jay-Z appeared at the premiere of the “Mufasa: The Lion King” premiere in Los Angeles alongside his wife, Beyoncé, their 12-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy, and his mother-in-law, Tina Knowles. The “Formation” singer voices the role of Nala in the Disney film, while Blue plays Kiara.
The lawsuit, which was initially filed in October, was refiled Sunday in New York by an anonymous accuser claiming Jay-Z “raped” her while Diddy and “Celebrity B” watched. Initially, the lawsuit stated Diddy raped the minor while “Celebrity A” and “Celebrity B” watched. Jay-Z was named as “Celebrity A” in the refiled lawsuit.
Jay-Z denied the allegations in a public post shared online through his Roc Nation banner, stating Buzbee’s attempt to coerce him into settling only made Jay-Z “want to expose you for the fraud you are in a VERY public fashion. So no, I will not give you ONE RED PENNY!!”
Buzbee responded to Jay-Z in a statement shared on X, stating his client never asked for money.
“Regarding the Jay Z case and his efforts to silence my clients: Mr. Carter previously denied being the one who sued me and my firm,” he wrote. “He filed his frivolous case under a pseudonym. What he fails to say in his recent statement is my firm sent his lawyer a demand letter on behalf of an alleged victim and that victim never demanded a penny from him.
“Instead, she only sought a confidential mediation. Since I sent the letter on her behalf, Mr. Carter has not only sued me, but he has tried to bully and harass me and this plaintiff. His conduct has had the opposite impact. She is emboldened. I’m very proud of her resolve.”
Brand expert Eric Schiffer believed the “Empire State of Mind” musician’s approach to responding to the lawsuit resonated with how Jay-Z has evolved as a person who grew from his environment.
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“If Jay-Z is innocent, as he says, this is the absolute path to take, which is an aggressive, no-nonsense power with what is a tough and fierce attorney that believes strongly in his own view of his clients’ cases,” Schiffer said. “Jay-Z’s approach in the way he released his statement, presented low-key – like he wrote it on his computer – helps with authenticity, including tying in his background, his story, his view of how he won’t be manipulated, no different then when he was younger on the street and wouldn’t get pushed around.
“We’re going to have to see what the facts show, but this approach will help him preserve what might have been a large public assumption that he’s guilty.”
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Schiffer said for some fans, Jay-Z’s statement denying the rape allegations reinforces and “doubles down” on the music mogul’s brand, which is “a guy who picked himself up off the street, sold drugs and ran with tough people and turned that entrepreneurial mindset into what became one of the top rappers of all time and a great business mind.”
Garth Brooks was accused of raping his former makeup artist, “Jane Roe,” in 2019 during a work trip, according to court documents filed last week and obtained by Fox News Digital. She also accused Brooks of openly talking about sex in front of her, exposing his genitals, sharing sexual fantasies with her, texting her explicit messages and physically groping her breasts.
“We applaud our client’s courage in moving forward with her complaint against Garth Brooks,” attorneys for “Jane Roe” said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital. “The complaint filed today demonstrates that sexual predators exist not only in corporate America, Hollywood and in the rap and rock and roll industries but also in the world of country music.”
The “Friends in Low Places” singer filed a countersuit allegedly attempting to block her suit and denied the claims. In his countersuit, where he accused the woman of attempted extortion, defamation, false light invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress, Brooks also named his accuser.
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“For the last two months, I have been hassled to no end with threats, lies, and tragic tales of what my future would be if I did not write a check for many millions of dollars,” he said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. “It has been like having a loaded gun waved in my face.”
Los Angeles entertainment and civil attorney Tre Lovell, of the Lovell Firm, told Fox News Digital that it’s a necessity for Brooks and Jay-Z to fight back against their accusers.
“It’s not risky to fight back in public, but instead absolutely necessary,” Lovell said. “Their brand and image are just as important as defending the merits of the case, and the only way to restore one’s public image is by taking their case right to the public.”
Lovell added, “Having a very strong statement or filing a lawsuit of their own are all steps toward protecting their image, showing people they have been wronged and intend to fight. This includes not only defending the suits against them but filing their own lawsuits for damages they have suffered by allegedly having been falsely accused.”
