A woman who had previously accused rapper and entrepreneur Jay-Z of assaulting her more than two decades ago has recanted her allegations.
Jane Doe, as she is identified in court documents to protect her identity, originally filed a civil lawsuit in 2024 claiming that Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter and media mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs drugged and raped her in 2000, when she was 13 years old. At the time of the filing, the woman was being represented by Texas attorney Tony Buzbee, who had filed more than a dozen sexual harassment lawsuits against Combs. (Separately, Combs was in the midst of a federal investigation for sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy; he was later acquitted on the most serious charges.) Both men denied the allegations in Buzbee's filing, and Carter issued a statement claiming he was the target of an extortion campaign.
Jane Doe dropped the lawsuit against Combs and Carter several months later. In February of 2025, Carter sued Buzbee and Jane Doe for malicious prosecution and defamation. On Thursday, Doe filed a declaration in Manhattan federal court stating that all of her original claims against Carter were false, and that to her knowledge, her allegations were filed in court by the attorneys without conducting any independent investigation.
"Shawn 'Jay-Z' Carter never raped me," she wrote. "I have never met or spoken to Mr. Carter. Mr. Carter never engaged in any inappropriate conduct toward me whatsoever."
The woman has now been dismissed as a defendant from Carter's lawsuit. NPR reached out to the Buzbee Law Firm for comment, but has not heard back.
The developments come as Jay-Z is in the midst of a professional victory lap, celebrating the 30th anniversary of his debut album Reasonable Doubt with a series of concerts at Yankee Stadium and an HBO docuseries titled JAŸ-Z In 8, which explores his catalog and legacy.
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