JAY-Z's legal team has accused attorney Tony Buzbee of coercing a former client to lodge false allegations against the Roc Nation founder.
According to a report TMZ published on Tuesday, December 10, attorney Alex Spiro filed a declaration in federal court to inform the judge about a tip his firm Quinn Emanuel received from a woman. The woman told an associate from Spiro's firm about her recent experience with Tony Buzbee's team after she tried to hire them to represent her sex trafficking and abuse case. She sought out Buzbee after he called on potential victims of Sean "Diddy" Combs to come forward, however, her allegations had nothing to do with Combs' case.
The woman told Spiro's firm that Buzbee's team asked her when she met Combs even after she told them her allegations were not related. She claimed Buzbee's firm told her to file a lawsuit anonymously and convinced her not to file a criminal complaint. She also said she "felt forced to lie" and "felt directed and coached by Mr. Buzbee's firm to say that someone held her down and put drugs in her mouth when that was not her experience." After she declined to alter her story, Buzbee's firm allegedly dropped her as a client.
"This is so ridiculous," Buzbee told TMZ. "If someone calls our intake and has a viable case that we believe has merit and we can pursue we will pursue it. We are currently pursuing hundreds of cases against individuals other than PDiddy. What we won’t do is pursue a case that we don’t believe has merit."
Buzbee recently amended his recent sexual assault lawsuit against Combs to include Hov. Since then, the attorney who's representing 120 alleged victims of Combs claimed JAY-Z, born Shawn Carter, has attempted to contact and intimidate his current (and former) clients, his family, and colleagues. In a lengthy Instagram post, Buzbee said there was a "coordinated and aggressive effort" to defame and sue him. He also said he and his firm have been hit by "frivolous" lawsuits recently, which might refer to Carter's previous lawsuit.
Earlier this week, Alex Spiro filed a motion requesting the "Jane Doe" reveal herself. The unidentified woman claimed Carter and Combs raped her when she was 13 at an after-party following the MTV Video Music Awards in 2000. In Spiro's recent filing, Carter revealed he filed the lawsuit against Buzbee. His lawsuit was filed anonymously in November and only referred to a "high-profile individual" who went to Diddy's parties. Carter claimed the accuser decided to add his name to her lawsuit after he defended himself.
Buzbee filed the "Jane Doe" lawsuit in October but only named Combs at the time. He refiled the suit with Carter's name on Sunday night. Hov immediately issued a statement and accused Buzbee of blackmailing him to secure a settlement and avoid public scrutiny.
"Make no mistake this case is about retaliating against the rare target who would not pay," Carter's attorney said.