Attorney in Jay-Z claims rape allegation is too old to pursue
Shawn ‘Jay-Z‘ Carter and his lawyer have launched another attack in the civil case filed by an anonymous Jane Doe on December 8th. The lawsuit claims that the Brooklyn icon raped a 13-year-old girl in 2000 along with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs. Still, the emcee is determined to fight it.
The latest development in this case has seen Carter and his lawyer, Alex Spiro, allege that Jane Doe’s lawsuit should be dismissed because of how long ago the alleged crimes occurred. On December 30th, Carter’s attorney challenged the lawsuit, asserting that the 24-year-old claim doesn’t qualify for a “lookback” under New York State’s Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act (GMVA).
The motion filed by Spiro highlights how the GMVA wasn’t enacted until December 19th, 2000, which is three months after the alleged rape occurred. As such, they claim it is not eligible for a “lookback”, as only crimes committed after the date of enactment are supposedly covered by said law.
In a letter sent to the Southern District of New York court, Spiro wrote, “[The GMVA] cannot apply retroactively to create a cause of action unavailable to the plaintiff at the time in question. A contrary conclusion would violate both state and federal due process protections.”
The letter also cites a similar case once brought forward by former child model Jeanne Bellino against Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler. The case was dismissed on the grounds that the alleged crime took place before the GMVA was enacted, as the lawsuit attempted to find Tyler guilty of a criminal violation from 1975.
There has been a back-and-forth exchange of lawsuits between Carter and the plaintiff, with the emcee and his attorneys suing the woman’s lawyer for extortion. However, there have been no comments from the courts concerning dismissals. At this stage, it appears the trial will continue, although no date has been given. Furthermore, the Jane Doe has chosen not to file a criminal case but a civil one.
The lawsuit claims that in 2000 when Doe was 13, Combs and Carter raped her at a house party following the MTV Video Music Awards in New York. The complainant was then allegedly offered a drink that made her become “woozy, lightheaded and felt [like] she needed to lie down,” and she went into a room to rest.
She alleges that Carter then removed her clothes, held her down and raped her while Combs and an unnamed female celebrity watched. She says Combs also raped her, as Carter and the woman observed. The suit claims she resisted being forced to perform oral sex on Combs by hitting him in the neck, which made him stop.
Carter denies all allegations of wrongdoing.
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.