Jay-Z accused of “trying to punish” Tony Buzbee amid lawyer’s motion to dismiss lawsuit
Tony Buzbee has filed to dismiss Shawn ‘Jay-Z‘ Carter’s lawsuit against him. However, Los Angeles County Judge Mark Epstein said he wouldn’t decide until he heard the recording of Carter’s rape accuser allegedly claiming Buzbee “pushed” her to make a false claim.
Buzbee accused Carter and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs of raping a 13-year-old girl at an afterparty for the MTV Video Music Awards in 2000. Then, in February, Buzbee voluntarily dismissed the lawsuit, stating that Jane Doe “hereby gives notice that the above-captioned action is voluntarily dismissed, with prejudice.”
In March, Carter sued Buzbee for extortion and defamation, claiming he was “soullessly motivated by greed, in abject disregard of the truth and the most fundamental precepts of human decency.” Private investigators associated with Carter spoke to the woman after the lawsuit was withdrawn, and she claimed in a voice recording that Buzbee pushed her to move forward with her claim.
Buzbee and Carter’s lawyers appeared in a California courtroom on April 8th. In the three-hour hearing, the judge said, “I was actually thinking of asking to hear the audio. It might be that that sheds light on things.” Carter’s lawyer accused Buzbee of “amoral” criminal conspiracy, while Buzbee’s lawyer accused Carter of “abusive” tactics.
According to Rolling Stone, Buzbee has denied any wrongdoing and claims the accuser told him to send the demand letter. Buzbee claimed the audio shouldn’t be allowed, saying the accuser was ambushed, intimidated and interviewed at her home.
Carter’s lawyer, Robert Schwartz, claimed Buzbee placed Carter “in fear” that if he didn’t pay up, he risked “destroying his reputation, destroying his career. That if he wouldn’t pay something of substance, [he would be] accused of having raped a 13-year-old girl.”
He added, “I cannot imagine how much more evidence [Carter] could ever present to support his claims at this stage of the case without discovery. We have evidence of two people in a conspiracy, likely a criminal conspiracy. I’m not going to apologise for using the word ‘criminal.’”
Buzbee’s lawyer, Samuel Moniz, claimed he did nothing wrong. “The allegations here against Carter are not inherently improbable,” he said. “Carter was a known associate of Diddy’s. There’s clearly a sufficient basis for an attorney to file a lawsuit.”
He continued, “This is a well-funded powerful figure who is trying to punish lawyers for doing what lawyers do. Mr Carter is obviously really mad and determined to use his resources to send a message to lawyers and plaintiffs everywhere. Any fair interpretation of this case is that this is an attack on the right to free speech and the right to free petition. This is an abusive case that deserves to be dismissed.”