Tony Buzbee allegedly pressed Jay-Z's accuser to sue the rapper for s*xual abuse at the 2000 VMAs, new recording reveals

An alleged recording by a former Jay-Z accuser has seemingly implicated lawyer Tony Buzbee. In an excerpt of the recording reportedly obtained by ABC News, a Jane Doe, who previously sued Jay-Z, Shawn Carter, and Sean “Diddy” Combs for s*xual assault in 2024, says that her lawyer, Tony Buzbee “pushed” her into including Jay-Z in the case even when he had nothing to do with it.

According to news reports, the conversation between private investigators and the unnamed woman reportedly goes thus:

Jane Doe: He was the one that kind of pushed me towards going forward with him.

Investigators: with Jay-Z? Buzbee did?

Jane Doe: Yeah

In a statement obtained by ABC News, Tony Buzbee dismissed the allegations against him as false as documentary evidence suggests otherwise.

"As far as the suggestion that I pushed Jane Doe to bring a case against Jay Z - That is a blatant lie that is directly contrary to all the documentary evidence."

Jay-Z’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, reiterated in another ABC News interview that the audio recording spoke for itself and was proof that the woman was pressured into naming his client as a defendant:

"She says in no uncertain terms Mr. Carter did not do this. It's effectively a lie and the only reason Mr. Carter is even involved in this is because she was pushed to involve him."

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More details on the withdrawn s*xual assault case against Jay-Z and Sean Diddy Combs

In October 2024, an unnamed woman, represented by Tony Buzbee and David Fortney, filed a suit against embattled music mogul, Sean “Diddy” Combs, accusing him of allegedly raping her at the age of 13 at an MTV Video Music Awards afterparty in 2000. She later amended the suit to include the Empire State of Mind crooner as a defendant in December 2024.

Jay-Z and his team of lawyers fought back stating that they were being “blackmailed into settling out of court” and would not budge but expose their accuser for being a fraud. In February 2025, the case was voluntarily withdrawn by Buzbee and Curis with prejudice.

In the rapper's press statement following the dismissal, he described the case as being without merit and a traumatic experience for himself and his family:

“This civil suit was without merit and never going anywhere. The fictional tale they created was laughable, if not for the seriousness of the claims. I would not wish this experience on anyone. The trauma that my wife, my children, my loved ones and I have endured can never be dismissed.”

He added:

"This 1-800 lawyer gets to file a suit hiding behind Jane Doe, and when they quickly realize that the money grab is going to fail, they get to walk away with no repercussions. The system has failed. The court must protect victims, OF COURSE, while with the same ethical responsibility, the courts must protect the innocent from being accused without a shred of evidence. May the truth prevail for all victims and those falsely accused equally.”

Jay-Z later sued Jane Doe, Tony Buzbee, David Fortney, and Buzbee’s law firm for defamation in March 2025. In filings obtained by NBC News, the rapper stated that the woman and her representatives were allegedly motivated by greed and disregarded human decency.

The suit also cited inconsistencies with the woman’s narration of events and her supposed admission on tape to lying about Jay-Z’s involvement.

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Jane Doe has reportedly filed in the defamation case that she would stick to her original story.

“Although I ultimately chose not to pursue them, I stand by my claims in the New York Action and believe that I had a meritorious claim against Jay-Z."