Trials & Litigation
Jay-Z’s extortion swimsuit in opposition to lawyer in withdrawn rape case faces skepticism from choose
Rapper Jay-Z attends the 2026 Met Gala on Might 4, 2026, in New York Metropolis. (Photograph by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for the Met Museum/Vogue)
Rapper Jay-Z’s legal professionals requested a California appeals court docket Thursday to listen to his declare that legal professional Tony Buzbee extorted him and to rethink its tentative choice to strike the claims on public participation grounds.
A brief-lived 2024 lawsuit filed by Buzbee alleged that Jay-Z, actual identify Shawn Carter, of collaborating with rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs within the rape of two minors. Jay-Z sued Buzbee, alleging that he fabricated claims for monetary achieve and a focus.
Within the California appeals court docket, the rap icon’s case hinged closely on excluded proof from the trial court docket, which was gathered by personal investigators and included a taped interview with one accuser. She will be heard on the tape saying Buzbee pressured her to make false claims in opposition to Jay-Z, in response to protection by Billboard and Bloomberg Law.
Jay-Z’s authorized workforce contains Horvitz & Levy accomplice Jeremy B. Rosen, who mentioned the trial court docket abused its discretion in excluding the recordings, and it wrongly utilized California’s anti-SLAPP statute to request letters that Buzbee despatched to Jay-Z. California Second Appellate District Courtroom of Attraction Justice Stephen Goorvitch wished proof that the tapes had been ethically obtained.
“My concern is a plaintiff’s lawyer exhibits up in court docket and says, magically, this interview has been dropped in my lap,” Goorvitch mentioned. “It appears to be like extremely suspicious that someway any person talked to Mr. Buzbee’s consumer instantly.”
Samuel A. Moniz represents Buzbee and argued that the taped interview with the accuser was coerced, and that investigators threatened to publicly expose her identification if she didn’t recant. Moniz is a accomplice with Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton.
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