A lawsuit alleging that Sean “Diddy” Combs and Jay-Z participated in the sexual abuse of a 13-year-old girl in 2000 has been dismissed.
According to the BBC, an attorney representing the anonymous plaintiff voluntarily withdrew the case. It had initially been filed by lawyer Tony Buzbee, who is representing dozens of other plaintiffs in sexual misconduct claims against Combs.
Buzbee’s filing indicates that his client, identified only by the pseudonym “Jane Done,” gave “notice that the […] action is voluntarily dismissed, with prejudice.”
A dismissal with prejudice means that the lawsuit cannot be re-filed unless it is substantially altered.
Jay-Z’s entertainment company, Roc Nation, has since released a statement positing the dismissal as a significant “victory.”
“The frivolous, fictitious and appalling allegations have been dismissed,” Jay-Z wrote in the statement.
“The civil suit was without merit and never going anywhere,” he said. “The fictional tale they created was laughable, if not for the seriousness of the claims.”
“The trauma that my wife, my children, loved ones, and I have endured can never be dismissed,” he said. “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.”
Alex Spiro, a lawyer who represented Jay-Z, said in a separate statement that the cause “never should have been brought.”
“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 one red penny, he triumphed and cleared his name,” Spiro told the BBC.
Jay-Z had long denied participating in the alleged assault, and said that his attorney had been sent a “blackmail” letter in an attempt to force a settlement. However, Jay-Z indicated that the attempt had “the opposite effect,” motivating him to take his accuser to court.
In December, the Jane Doe plaintiff admitted in an interview that “not all the facts are clear.” She also said that she may have “made some mistakes.”
“I may have made a mistake in identifying,” Doe said.
Jay-Z’s co-defendant, Sean “Diddy” Combs, is continuing to defend himself against a string of other sexual misconduct allegations. In a statement, Combs’ legal team said that the lawsuit’s outcome is indicative of his innocence.
“For months, we have seen case after case filed by individuals hiding behind anonymity, pushed forward by an attorney more focused on media headlines than legal merit,” the statement says. “Just like this claim, the others will fall apart because there is no truth to them.”
Sources
Accuser drops rape lawsuit against Jay-Z and Sean Combs
Woman drops her rape lawsuit against Diddy and Jay-Z
Woman drops suit accusing Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs and Jay-Z of raping her when she was 13
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