Topline
Billionaire musician and entrepreneur Jay-Z is denying he participated in the “heinous” assault of a 13-year-old girl alongside his longtime friend and collaborator Sean “Diddy” Combs after a woman named him as a defendant in a civil case in which she claims the pair drugged and raped her more than 20 years ago.
Sean Combs, left, and Jay-Z on Jan. 25, 2020 in Los Angeles.
Key Facts
An unnamed Alabama woman on Sunday added Shawn Carter, the rapper known as Jay-Z, to a federal lawsuit first filed in New York that says she was 13 years old in 2000 when she was invited to a Video Music Awards afterparty by an associate of Combs.
The lawsuit, originally filed in October, claims she was allegedly served a drugged drink and repeatedly raped by Combs and another male celebrity—on Sunday named as Carter in a new court filing—while an unnamed female celebrity watched until she was able to escape.
The lawsuit says Cater was sent a letter requesting a mediation to resolve the claims when the case was first filed, but that he then orchestrated “a conspiracy of harassment, bullying and intimidation” in an attempt to “silence” the plaintiff, which ultimately inspired her to name him publicly.
In a statement issued Sunday, Carter denied the claims, calling the lawyer who filed the case a “deplorable human” and said his “heart and support goes out to true victims in the world.”
Combs has repeatedly denied all sexual assault allegations filed against him.
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Crucial Quote
“My only heartbreak is for my family. My wife and I will have to sit our children down, one of whom is at the age where her friends will surely see the press and ask questions about the nature of these claims, and explain the cruelty and greed of people,” Carter said in a statement. “I mourn yet another loss of innocence. Children should not have to endure such at their young age. It is unfair to have to try to understand inexplicable degrees of malice meant to destroy families and human spirit.”
How Do Sean Combs And Jay-Z Know Each Other?
Jay-Z and Combs, two of the world’s wealthiest rappers, have been musical collaborators for the better part of 30 years. They’ve been linked musically since Jay-Z appeared on Combs’ debut album, “No Way Out,” in 1997 and was then a guest performer on Combs’ No Way Out Tour. They’ve been photographed together at events like the 2020 pre-Grammy Awards Gala, together donated $1 million to Hurricane Katrina victims and, in 2015, discussed going into business together. Until being named in the lawsuit Sunday, Jay-Z had stayed quiet on Combs’ arrest but rapper 50 Cent has publicly suggested Jay-Z could be linked to the extensive allegations against Combs, including in one post that said “Jay in hibernation he ain’t coming outside till this shit with puff blow over, no brunch, no lunch, No dinner. LOL.”
Key Background
Sean “Diddy” Combs has been hit with dozens of civil lawsuits from individual accusers and federal criminal charges from the government accusing him of sexual misconduct, racketeering and other crimes over the last year. The avalanche of allegations was kicked off last November after his former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, filed a $30 million lawsuit accusing him of subjecting her to a years-long physically and emotionally abusive relationship. Combs denied the claims and the suit was settled the next day, but more followed. Dozens of civil lawsuits from women and men claiming they were sexually assaulted by Combs over the course of nearly three decades have since been filed, and in September he was arrested and charged federally with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution, to which he has pleaded not guilty. He has been denied bail in the case three separate times and is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. A trial date is set for May.
