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Things are getting messy between high-profile Texas attorney Tony Buzbee and music mogul Jay-Z, as legal drama over a dropped rape lawsuit continues to unfold.
Buzbee is now asking the court to throw out the defamation case filed against him by Jay-Z, claiming that everything had already been settled earlier this year.
Here’s the background: the drama stems from a rape lawsuit that one of Buzbee’s clients—identified as Jane Doe—filed in 2023. She alleged that both Jay-Z (Shawn Carter) and Sean “Diddy” Combs were involved in sexually assaulting her in 2000. The case was later dismissed. But things didn’t end there—Jay-Z then sued Buzbee for defamation, accusing him of damaging his reputation by filing what he says were false claims.
Now, Buzbee is clapping back, saying the defamation suit should be dismissed because an agreement had already been made in February 2025. He claims Jay-Z and his legal team pressured the woman to drop her case, and a deal was allegedly made through their attorneys to dismiss the rape case quietly and stop all threats or intimidation.
According to court docs obtained by TMZ, Buzbee says Jay-Z used his celebrity influence to “bully” the woman into backing down. The documents reportedly read:
“Eventually, the relentless pressure that Mr. Carter and his associates placed upon Doe became too much for her. On February 4, 2025, an agreement to resolve the litigation was reached between Doe and Mr. Carter.”
But Jay-Z’s legal team is calling BS. His high-powered attorney, Alex Spiro, shot down any talk of a settlement. Spiro insists the case was dismissed because it was baseless from the beginning, not because of any backroom deal.
“This is a total lie,” Spiro told the outlet. “Buzbee brought a false case, lost badly, and was forced to dismiss quickly. End of story.”
Buzbee’s side is standing firm, though. His legal reps claim the agreement did happen and was documented in an email chain—something they say proves both parties agreed to drop all legal actions.
Interestingly, Jane Doe’s lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice, meaning she can’t refile the same claim in the future. But the dismissal paperwork didn’t mention a settlement, which gives Jay-Z’s team more fuel to argue that nothing was actually agreed upon.
At this point, it’s a he said, she said battle between powerful legal forces, and it remains to be seen whether a judge will take Buzbee at his word—or side with Jay-Z’s version of events.