Jay-Z has been publicly named Sean “Diddy” Combs filed a lawsuit weeks after the initial lawsuit was filed, raising questions about the legal moves made behind closed doors.
The lawsuit accuses Jay-Z and Diddy of raping a 13-year-old girl in 2000, Fox News Digital previously confirmed. Before naming Jay-Z, the rapper received a demand letter likely in an attempt to settle.
“Things have escalated,” Orange County criminal defense attorney Lauren Johnson-Norris told Fox News Digital, as the dispute between Jay-Z's legal team and Texas-based attorney Tony Buzbee is now in the public eye.
JAY-Z'S ALLEGED SEXUAL ASSAULT: COULD RAP MOGUL FACE CRIMINAL CHARGES?
Jay-Z has been named in a lawsuit accusing him of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Fox News Digital looks at the timeline that led to Jay-Z being named in the lawsuit:
Didi is accused of raping a 13-year-old girl
Sean “Diddy” Combs was first accused of raping a 13-year-old girl while celebrities watched in October. The lawsuit was filed in the Southern District of New York on October 20 by Texas-based attorney Tony Buzbee on behalf of Jane Doe.
The unknown woman ended up at A VMAs after party after trying to get into an awards show at Radio City Music Hall, according to court documents.
“One of the limo drivers I spoke to claimed to work for Diddy,” the lawsuit states. “He told her Combs liked younger girls and said she fit what Diddy was looking for. He didn't let her participate in the awards show, but rather invited her to an after party.”
Sean “Diddy” Combs was first accused of raping a 13-year-old girl in 2000 in a lawsuit filed on October 20. (Munwar Hussein)
The girl claimed that after she had one drink, she found a room to lie down because she became “disoriented and dizzy”. At one point, Combs and two unidentified celebrities entered the room. “Celebrity A” allegedly raped the 13-year-old while Combs and “Celebrity B” watched. After that, the girl claimed that Combs raped her while “Celebrity A” and “Celebrity B” were watching the movie.
Diddy denied the allegations in a joint statement with Fox News Digital.
WATCH ON FOX NATION: WHAT DID YOU DO?
Jay-Z receives a demand letter regarding his sexual assault lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs
At some point, Jay-Z received a demand letter from the defendant's anonymous lawyer — without the public's knowledge. Jay-Z confirmed this information in his statement in which he denied the rape accusation.
Jay-Z received a demand letter after Sean “Diddy” Combs was named in a sexual assault lawsuit. (Photo by Monica Schipper/WireImage)
“My attorney received an extortion attempt, called a demand letter, from A The “lawyer”'s name is Tony Buzbee” Jay-Z shared the statement on Roc Nation's social media. “My guess is the nature of these allegations and the public scrutiny would make me want to settle.
“No sir, it had the opposite effect! It made me want to expose your scam in a very public way. So no, I won't give you a single red penny!!”
“Each side engages in a metaphorical game of chicken to see who can push the boundaries further, trying to make the other side bend to their desires.”
A legal expert told Fox News Digital that the decision to ultimately name Jay-Z publicly was likely due to a “failure to settle the case.”
“Jay-Z may have decided that settling the case would suggest to the public that he was somehow involved in the sexual assault of a minor,” explained Robert DeGroot, founding partner of the Law Offices of Robert J. DeGroot. “After receiving a demand letter, Jay-Z and his legal team may have backed away from Plaintiff’s accusations and may have attempted to persuade her attorneys not to move forward with naming him as a defendant.
“The plaintiff's attorney likely made the decision to proceed against Jay-Z after it became clear that they were not going to settle the case. Each side is engaged in a metaphorical game of chicken to see who can push the boundaries further, in an attempt to get the other side To bend to their desires.”
Jay-Z files a lawsuit claiming extortion under the name “John Doe”
Before Jay-Z was publicly named in the lawsuit accusing him and Sean “Diddy” Combs of rape, he sued the accuser's lawyer as celebrity John Doe.
Jay-Z has filed an anonymous lawsuit against Tony Buzbee, claiming that the Texas-based lawyer was blackmailing him. (Photo by J. Vespa/WireImage)
WATCH: JAY-Z issues scathing denial of claims he sexually assaulted 13-year-old girl
On November 18, his lawyers filed a lawsuit against Buzbee. Jay-Z has since confirmed that he is the plaintiff in the anonymous lawsuit.
“Plaintiff is currently facing a gun to his head,” the court document obtained by Fox News Digital said. Jay-Z's team alleged that Buzbee and the anonymous accuser required the rapper to “either repeatedly pay an exorbitant sum of money to prevent the accusers from widely disseminating grossly false allegations of sexual assault that would expose (Jay-Z) to irreparable contempt and harm.” “Jay-Z's reputation, family, career, and livelihood will otherwise be threatened by countless civil suits and financial and personal ruin.”
Jay-Z later confirmed that it was famous actor John Doe who filed the lawsuit. (Photo by Timothy Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
While Jay-Z accused Buzbee of extortion, legal experts claimed that the demand letters are typical in this type of case.
“It is common practice to send these types of letters before a case is filed or a defendant is included in the case,” Johnson-Norris told Fox News Digital. “If the case can be settled out of court, that usually benefits everyone involved. This is not blackmail, but the defendant can feel that way, especially if the demand is high.”
“The tone of these messages may vary. Given Jay-Z's high-profile nature, and the feeling that they will be leaked to the press, Mr. Buzbee is beginning his judicial path as soon as possible to obtain the information,” DeGroot added. “Get Jay-Z's attention and influence potential jurors.”
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Jay-Z is named in a sexual assault lawsuit against Diddy
Jay-Z added to Jane Doe's lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs on December 8. The amended complaint, also filed by Tony Buzbee, called the rap mogul “Celebrity A.”
In the new version of the lawsuit, the 13-year-old became disoriented and found a bedroom to rest after one drink. It appears that Jay-Z, Diddy, and the female “Celebrity B” followed the girl into the room. According to the court document, she “immediately recognized the three celebrities.”
Jay-Z has been identified as “Celebrity A” in a sexual assault lawsuit involving Sean “Diddy” Combs. The rapper has denied the allegations. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)
The court document stated that Jay-Z raped the girl, and then Diddy allegedly raped the plaintiff, all while “Celebrity B” watched.
The “Empire State of Mind” rapper denied the allegations in a statement shared on Roc Nation's social media.
“These allegations are so heinous in nature that I am urging you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one!! Anyone who commits such a crime against a minor should be locked up, don't you agree? These alleged victims deserve true justice.” If so, partially written.
“Celebrity B” remains unnamed, but will likely be revealed at some point in the process, according to a legal expert.
“Because this person’s participation appears to be a witness, her position is completely different, unless there is a legal reason,” DeGroot told Fox News Digital. “It certainly appears that the star does not want to be tarred with the same brush as Jay-Z and P Diddy. Unless there is a protective order, her identity will likely be revealed during the discovery process.”
Johnson-Norris noted that Celebrity B is “undoubtedly” communicating with Buzbee through an attorney. He added: “She will want to cooperate in the case and distinguish herself from Diddy and Jay-Z because she was a witness and not the perpetrator of the crime. Based on everything we know so far, it is also possible that she was a victim as well.”
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Jay-Z demands the identity of the accused
Jay Z's legal team He filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit on December 9, one day after he was named publicly.
Additionally, the rapper's attorney requested that the woman's request to proceed anonymously be denied.
Jay-Z and Diddy became friends in the 1990s. (Photo by Vivienne Killelea/Getty Images for Roc Nation)
Jay-Z's lawyers insisted that the lawsuit was part of an “extortion campaign” intended to “force the payment of an exorbitant sum of money – (Jay-Z) will have to pay X millions of dollars regardless of the truth, or else . . .”
“When Jay-Z refused to plead and instead took action to prove his innocence, this unnamed plaintiff and her self-promoting attorney (whose name appeared in headlines and press conferences under the auspices of her representation) went to extraordinary lengths to secure a fair defense but that Efforts were also unsuccessful,” read court documents obtained by Fox News Digital.
