Jay-Z Is ‘Upset’ His ‘Kids and Family Have to Deal’ with Sexual Assault Allegations, Says His Lawyer
The attorney also discussed the rapper's relationship with Sean 'Diddy' Combs, who is currently in jail, saying that they only knew each other "professionally"
The attorney also discussed the rapper's relationship with Sean 'Diddy' Combs, who is currently in jail, saying that they only knew each other "professionally" Karwai Tang/WireImage Shawn Carter AKA Jay-Z attends "The Harder They Fall" World Premiere during the 65th BFI London Film Festival at The Royal Festival Hall on October 06, 2021 in London, England. :max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/jay-z-net-worth-london-film-festival-121024-4e4c4c37be334a20a4376af875dfe122.jpg "Shawn Carter AKA Jay-Z attends")
- Jay-Z's attorney Alex Spiro says the rapper is "upset that his kids and his family have to deal with" allegations made in a complaint filed on Dec. 8, in which he was accused of raping a 13-year-old girl alongside Sean 'Diddy' Combs
- Spiro also discussed Jay-Z's relationship with Combs, saying, they "knew each other professionally for years" and "there is no closer association" between them
- Jay-Z has denied all allegations calling the complaint "a blackmail attempt”
Jay-Z’s attorney is speaking for the first time since the rapper was accused of raping a 13-year-old girl 24 years ago alongside Sean "Diddy" Combs.
Attorney Alex Spiro shared insights into the mindset of the “Empire State of Mind” musician, whose real name is Shawn Carter, at a press briefing in New York City on Dec. 16, per CNN. The allegations against his client were made in a civil lawsuit that was amended on Dec. 8 to include Jay-Z, alongside Sean 'Diddy' Combs, as defendants.
“He’s upset. He’s upset that somebody would be allowed to do this, to make a mockery of the system like this,” Spiro said of Jay-Z. “... He’s upset that his kids and his family have to deal with this. He’s upset and he should be upset.”
The rapper’s attorney was further asked about the case in relation to Combs, who has been behind bars following a September federal indictment charging him with sex trafficking by force, transportation to engage in prostitution and racketeering conspiracy and who has been accused by multiple alleged victims of misconduct and sexual abuse. LISA O'CONNOR/AFP via Getty Tina Knowles, rapper Jay-Z, singer-songwriter Beyonce and their daughter Blue Ivy Carter.
Related: Jay-Z Denies Allegation of Raping a 13-Year-Old Girl in 2000 with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs: ‘Heinous’
“Mr. Carter has nothing to do with Mr. Combs’s case or Mr. Combs,” Spiro said. “They knew each other professionally for a number of years. Just like in all professions, people know each other. At the music awards, they support each other.”
“There is no closer association between any of them,” he added of Carter and Combs. “That’s also a matter of fiction. That’s all that there is. He doesn’t know anything about the charges or allegations against [Combs]. He has nothing to do with that case.”
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The woman, who filed under Jane Doe and is being represented by Texas attorney Tony Buzbee, claimed she was raped by Carter and Combs after she was driven to an MTV Video Music Awards afterparty in 2000 as a still-unnamed female celebrity watched. Kevin Mazur/Getty Sean Combs, and Jay-Z attend Sean Combs 50th Birthday Bash in 2019.
Jay-Z denied the allegations in a lengthy response on Roc Nation's X (formerly Twitter), writing that the filing was a "a blackmail attempt” and said that he looked “forward to showing you just how different I am.”
"You have made a terrible error in judgement thinking that all 'celebrities' are the same," Jay-Z added, in part. "I'm not from your world. I'm a young man who made it out of the project of Brooklyn. We don't play these types of games. We have very strict codes and honor."
Since her complaint was filed, inconsistencies have since been reported, per NBC News, including the fact that she said her father picked her up after the alleged sexual assault, but he did not recall that, and that she claimed she had spoken to Benji Madden at the afterparty, though he denied being in New York at the time. Monica Schipper/WireImage Jay-Z attends the Los Angeles premiere of Sony Pictures' "The Book Of Clarence" at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on January 05, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
Her attorney Buzbee, told NBC News on Dec. 13 that though she “made some mistakes” when recalling the “catastrophic event,” it did not mean her allegations are false.
“Our client remains fiercely adamant that what she has stated is true, to the best of her memory. We will continue to vet her claims and collect corroborating data to the extent it exists. Because we have interrogated her intensely, she has even agreed to submit to a polygraph. I’ve never had a client suggest that before," Buzbee told NBC News.
He continued: “We always do our best to vet each claim made, just as we did in this case. This has been extremely distressing for her, to the point she has experienced seizures and had to seek medical treatment due to the stress.”
Following the news, Carter released a statement to PEOPLE saying, in part, “Today’s investigative report proves this ‘attorney’ Buzbee filed a false complaint against me in the pursuit of money and fame. This incident didn’t happen and yet he filed it in court and doubled down in the press. True justice is coming…”
His attorney also added in his own statement, “... We are asking the Court to dismiss this frivolous case today, and will take up the matter of additional discipline for Mr. Buzbee and all the lawyers that filed the complaint.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
