Jay-Z is making another legal push against attorney Tony Buzbee following the recent recantation by the woman who previously accused the rapper of sexual assault.
The rapper, whose legal name is Shawn Carter, has filed a petition asking a California appeals court to reconsider its recent decision upholding the dismissal of his extortion and defamation claims against Buzbee and his law firm.
Jay-Z’s new filing points to the woman’s sworn declaration, in which she said her allegations against Carter were false and that she had never met or spoken with him.
He describes the recantation as “explosive new evidence” and argues that it should allow his claims against Buzbee to proceed.
The latest filing comes weeks after a California appeals court rejected Jay-Z’s previous effort to revive the case. In its September ruling, the court found that the record did not establish Buzbee acted with the required level of bad faith when representing the woman.
The dispute dates back to 2024, when the woman, identified as Jane Doe, accused Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs of sexually assaulting her when she was 13. Both men denied the allegations. She later dismissed her lawsuit.
In a declaration filed last week, the woman reversed her allegations against Jay-Z, saying she had never met him and that her claims identifying him as her alleged attacker were false. Her current attorney, James Blair Newman Jr., said she maintains that she was sexually assaulted but was mistaken about Carter’s identity.
Jay-Z now argues that the new declaration changes the circumstances underlying the earlier court decisions. His petition asks for the opportunity to conduct limited discovery and, if the evidence supports his claims, proceed toward trial.
Buzbee has disputed the new account. He previously said his firm had received consistent accounts from multiple people who dealt with the woman before he became involved, while maintaining that sending a demand letter before filing a lawsuit was not extortion.
Jay-Z’s latest filing does not itself revive the case. It is a request for the California appeals court to reconsider its prior ruling.
