The legal fight between Jay-Z and Texas attorney Tony Buzbee, who is representing clients who allege they were sexually assaulted by Sean “Diddy”’ Combs, took an unusual turn Wednesday when the attorney filed a lawsuit claiming Jay-Z’s company and its agents conspired to offer money to his former clients to sue him.
The lawsuit, filed in Texas, alleges that Roc Nation is financing an effort, orchestrated by two attorneys, to engage “shadowy operatives” to illegally seek out more than two dozen current and former clients of Buzbee’s firm and entice them to bring what the attorney says are frivolous cases against him.
In one instance, the lawsuit alleges, the group offered a former Buzbee client $10,000 to sue the firm. In some cases, they pretended to work for the state of Texas and flashed fake badges when approaching Buzbee’s former clients, according to the lawsuit.
“These folks have stooped to a new low to try to intimidate the lawyers of the Buzbee Law Firm from doing their important work,” Buzbee said in a prepared statement. “This conduct was specifically targeted at our firm so we would not pursue cases related to the Diddy litigation. But, we will not be bullied or intimidated. The Defendants overstepped, got sloppy, and stupidly got caught in their illegal scheme on tape.”
A Roc Nation spokesperson called the lawsuit “nothing but another sham,” in a statement to The Times. “It’s a pathetic attempt to distract and deflect attention. This sideshow won’t change the ultimate outcome and true justice will be served soon.”
The attorneys named in the lawsuit did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, was identified earlier this month as the mysterious celebrity accused in an anonymous civil lawsuit of raping a 13-year-old girl with Combs at a party after the MTV Video Music Awards in 2000. Jay-Z has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with any crimes.
In the months since Combs was charged by federal prosecutors in a salacious sex trafficking probe, numerous civil lawsuits have been filed from people claiming they were victimized by the entertainer.
In a sprawling indictment unsealed earlier this year, prosecutors allege Combs for decades used his empire to coerce his victims into sex in gatherings known as “freak-offs.” Combs, who has denied any wrongdoing, was arrested in September after nearly a year of investigation by federal authorities.
There have been suggestions that other big names will be swept into the scandal. While federal prosecutors have not named any co-conspirators, they have repeatedly emphasized their investigation remains ongoing.
The war between Jay-Z and Buzbee began in October when the Texas-based attorney sent the record executive a demand letter making allegations of misconduct and suggesting a meeting. Later, Buzbee filed a lawsuit in New York on behalf of a woman, identified only as Jane Doe, who says she was 13 when she was raped by Combs and an anonymous male celebrity at an after-party following the VMAs.
After finishing one drink — a concoction of orange juice, cranberry juice and something bitter, she said — at the celebration, the woman says she began to feel lightheaded and found an empty bedroom to rest. Combs walked into the room with two celebrities, a man and a woman. He approached her “with a crazed look in his eyes, grabbed her and said ‘You are ready to party!’” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit alleges the male celebrity — identified by Buzbee as Jay-Z— raped the girl, while Combs and an unidentified female celebrity watched. Combs then raped the girl as the other two celebrities watched, according to the lawsuit.
Jay-Z responded by filing his own anonymous lawsuit against the attorney last month, accusing the lawyer of trying to extort a payout in return for not identifying him as a sexual abuser tied to Combs. Attorneys representing Jay-Z said the demand letters included “wildly false horrific allegations.”
Buzbee fired back by amending his October civil complaint to add Jay-Z as a defendant.
Jay-Z has sought to have the lawsuit dismissed after the accuser recently admitted there are several inconsistencies in her recollection of the alleged incident. In an interview with NBC News, the 38-year-old woman said that she stands by her allegations overall, but has “made some mistakes” when it comes to her memory of the night.
Buzbee alleges in the lawsuit that around the time he filed the anonymous suit against Combs and the unidentified celebrities, current and former clients of his law firm began receiving solicitations from investigators asking them to join a class-action lawsuit against the firm.
“Many times the investigators used fake names, or flashed badges or credentials but would not let the clients see them,” the lawsuit states. “During some of the contacts, the investigators were pushy, and in at least two, they pretended to be acting on behalf of the State of Texas.”
Gerardo Garcia, a former client, was recently contacted at his home by two people who identified themselves as investigators asking if he was unhappy with a settlement he received in 2020. The individuals flashed a badge and told Garcia they were from the “state,” according to the lawsuit.
They explained, according to the lawsuit, that they could connect Garcia with a private lawyer so he could sue Buzbee’s firm, telling him several times that there is “money in this for you.” One of the individuals, the lawsuit alleges, was caught on tape disclosing to Garcia that they were working for a Mississippi attorney, Marcy Croft, who has been associated with Roc Nation’s philanthropic arm, Team Roc.
The investigator told Garcia that 70 people had signed onto the class-action suit, according to a transcript of the recording reviewed by The Times.
Croft could not immediately be reached for comment by The Times but told Newsweek in a statement that “Tony Buzbee has now conjured up fantastical allegations against me and my firm — well known corruption fighters — in a desperate attempt to distract from his mounting legal woes. We look forward to addressing these false allegations and having them dismissed.”
