The woman who accused Jay-Z of rape in a 2024 lawsuit has withdrawn her claims. In a new court declaration, she said she never met the rapper, Rolling Stone reported.
“Shawn ‘Jay-Z’ Carter never raped me. I have never met or spoken to Mr. Carter,” the woman wrote in the 11-page declaration.
The declaration was filed on Thursday in Manhattan federal court. The woman is identified in court papers only as Jane Doe.
“There is no truth to any of my claims against Mr. Carter,” she wrote under penalty of perjury. She said she was not promised and did not receive any payment for the declaration.
On the same day, Carter dropped her as a defendant in his malicious-prosecution lawsuit. That case targets Texas lawyer Tony Buzbee and his law firm.
Her new lawyer, James Blair Newman Jr., said she still maintains that she was sexually assaulted by someone.
“She was entirely mistaken in her allegations identifying Mr. Carter, and those allegations were false,” Newman said. “She sincerely and unconditionally apologizes to Mr. Carter and his family.”
The woman first sued Sean “Diddy” Combs in October 2024. That lawsuit said an unnamed male celebrity was also involved.
In December 2024, the lawsuit was amended to name Carter. Carter has claimed Buzbee first sent him an “extortionate demand letter” in November 2024.
Carter denied the allegation when it became public. The woman dropped her claims against Carter and Combs in early 2025 after admitting inconsistencies in her story.
A California judge dismissed a separate extortion lawsuit that Carter brought against Buzbee. In September, an appeals court upheld that ruling and found the demand letter was protected.
That leaves the New York malicious-prosecution case as Carter’s remaining lawsuit against Buzbee and his firm.
The woman said her lawyers gave her $1,200 in cash on a trip to Houston in December 2024. Buzbee said he believed she received “some petty cash” for meals and travel.
Buzbee told Rolling Stone he had not seen the new declaration. “If for some reason now she is claiming she lied to us and the court, that’s new information,” he wrote.
Buzbee and his co-counsel have called Carter’s lawsuit “improper” and “abusive”. Lawyers for Combs have denied the woman’s allegations against him.
Source: this article is based on reporting by Rolling Stone. Image: Rolling Stone. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Entertainment desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Rirhandzu Baloyi writes about entertainment for Tzaneen Voice. Rirhandzu covers South African music, film, TV, streaming, awards and celebrity news, from amapiano and local soapies to Showmax and Netflix releases. Stories stick to what happened, who was involved and when fans can watch or listen.