A woman identified as Jane Doe filed a lawsuit against Jay-Z and Sean "Diddy" Combs back in December 2024. Doe alleged both Jay-Z —real name Shawn Carter— and Combs raped her at an MTV Video Music Awards afterparty back in 2000. Two months later, the entire lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice by Doe's attorney on Friday, February 14.
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Jay-Z issued a statement following the dismissal with several news outlets, such as CNN and Fox News Digital.
"Today is a victory. The frivolous, fictitious and appalling allegations have been dismissed. This civil suit was without merit and never going anywhere," Jay-Z said. "The fictional tale they created was laughable, if not for the seriousness of the claims. I would not wish this experience on anyone."
While the legal case against him has been dismissed, Jay-Z stated that the trauma his family has endured can "never be dismissed.
"This 1-800 lawyer gets to file a suit hiding behind Jane Doe, and when they quickly realize that the money grab is going to fail, they get to walk away with no repercussions," Jay-Z continued. "The system has failed."
Jay-Z would then insist that courts should protect victims against baseless accusations "without a shred of evidence."
Attorney Statements
Similarly, Alex Spiro, Jay-Z's attorney, shared a statement addressing the case's dismissal.
"The false case against Jay-Z, that never should have been brought, has been dismissed with prejudice," Spiro said. "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 1 red penny, he triumphed and cleared his name."
Combs's legal team also issued a statement addressing the dismissal.
"Today's complete dismissal without a settlement by the 1-800 attorney is yet another confirmation that these lawsuits are built on falsehoods, not facts," Combs's legal team said. "Just like this claim, the others will fall apart because there is no truth to them. Sean Combs has never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone — man or woman, adult or minor."
A day after the lawsuit was filed against Jay-Z in December, his legal team filed a motion to dismiss. Additionally, they requested that Jane Doe's identity be publicly revealed, according to the Daily Mail.
