Key Takeaways
- An anonymous woman apologized to Jay-Z and recanted her rape allegations, stating that she had never met him.
- Jay-Z, who denied the accusations from the start, previously said the dismissed lawsuit cost him roughly $20 million and damaged Roc Nation’s business relationships.
- Following her formal apology and declaration that Jay-Z’s camp never threatened her, he removed Jane Doe from his lawsuit against attorney Tony Buzbee.
An anonymous woman who dropped her lawsuit accusing Jay-Z of raping her has issued a statement apologizing for her “false” allegations.
The woman, who has only been identified as Jane Doe, issued a statement on Thursday (Sept. 24).
“My allegations that Shawn Carter raped me or otherwise sexually assaulted me were false,” the statement, obtained by Complex, read. “I have never met 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. I understand that my false accusations have caused Mr. Carter immense pain, suffering, and damage that can never be fully undone. I sincerely and unconditionally apologize to Mr. Carter for the devastating harm I have caused to him, his family, and his reputation.”
Jay-Z denied the accusations when the lawsuit was first filed against him, accusing Doe and her attorney, Tony Buzbee, of staging a “blackmail attempt” against him. She dropped the lawsuit, in which she alleged she was raped by Diddy and Jay-Z in 2000 when she was 13 years old, in February last year.
In a declaration filed following the dismissal of the lawsuit, Hov claimed that it resulted in roughly $20 million in lost income.
“Mr. Buzbee’s actions undermined my relationship, and my company Roc Nation’s relationship, with other businesses in the sports and entertainment space,” Jay-Z wrote in the declaration.
That same month, Jay-Z filed a lawsuit against the woman and her legal team. As a result of her formal apology, the Roc Nation founder has since removed Doe from his lawsuit.
“On behalf of Plaintiff Shawn Corey Carter, we respectfully write to advise the Court that we are today filing a notice voluntarily dismissing all claims against Defendant Jane Doe without prejudice, together with an accompanying declaration from Ms. Doe,” read legal documents addressed to the judge in the case, as reviewed by Complex. “The dismissal is intended to streamline and focus the issues to be adjudicated in this action. Because Ms. Doe was sued pseudonymously, the accompanying declaration has been redacted to protect her identity and certain other identifying details. We are concurrently submitting a letter-motion to provisionally seal the redacted information.”
In her declaration, Doe added that she was never on the receiving end of any threats from Jay-Z or anyone acting on his behalf.
