Woman Who Accused Jay-Z of Rape Withdraws Allegations

Note: This article contains references to alleged sexual assault that some readers may find disturbing.

In a sworn declaration, the woman who accused Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter of raping her when she was 13 years old now says her claims were false. The woman, who goes by the pseudonym Jane Doe in legal filings, originally sued Sean “Diddy” Combs in late 2024. The complaint alleged that at an afterparty for the 2000 VMAs, Diddy and “another male celebrity” raped her while an unnamed celebrity watched. Later that year she refiled the case with Jay-Z named as the alleged co-assailant. Both Jay-Z and Diddy have consistently denied all allegations made by Jane Doe.

In February 2025, Jane Doe ultimately filed to voluntarily dismiss her lawsuit with prejudice (meaning she cannot make the same complaint again). Jay-Z still responded with a suit of his own, where his lawyers accused her of “willful defamation per se and her malicious prosecution of knowingly false allegations.”

On Thursday, the accuser filed a 11-page declaration obtained by Rolling Stone, in which she stated, “Shawn ‘Jay-Z’ Carter never raped me. I have never met or spoken to Mr. Carter. Mr. Carter never engaged in any inappropriate conduct toward me whatsoever.”

“There is no truth to any of my claims against Mr. Carter,” she continued. “I understand my false accusations have caused Mr. Carter immense pain, suffering, and damage that can never be fully undone.”

Jay-Z has dropped Jane Doe as a defendant in the lawsuit, but he is maintaining his suit against her lead lawyer, Tony Buzbee, along with Buzbee’s law firm. The woman claims she had not been paid to make the new declaration. Last year, the accuser told two private investigators that Buzbee pushed her to make false claims against Jay-Z to improve her original case against Diddy and “get them more money.”

Pitchfork has reached out to Buzbee’s lawyers for comment.

If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual assault, we encourage you to reach out for support:

RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline
https://rainn.org
1 800 656 HOPE (4673)