In the early 2000s, when Jay-Z was dominating the charts and establishing himself as the biggest rapper in Hip-Hop, one of his signature lines was “I will not lose,” and it really seemed that way. Well, he just took a rare loss in a court of law. Given the high-powered, well-paid lawyers at his disposal, we’re low-key surprised by it.
Yahoo reports that a California appeals court has ruled that Jay-Z cannot sue a personal injury attorney for extortion or defamation in a case brought on by the numerous revelations involving Sean “P. Diddy” Combs. The lawsuit itself stems from a 2024 lawsuit by high-profile lawyer Tony Buzbee, who claimed that Jay-Z raped a 13-year-old girl alongside Diddy at an afterparty for the MTV Music Awards in 2000. The case was quickly dismissed with prejudice, but that didn’t stop Jay-Z from suing Buzbee for filing the lawsuit to begin with. Unfortunately for Jay, it seems like he cannot sue a lawyer for suing him on behalf of an alleged victim.
Yahoo reports:
In a new ruling, California’s Second Appellate District has decreed that the rap icon cannot sue Buzbee for extortion or defamation over the salacious accusations, even if they were quickly dismissed.
“The record contains no evidence Buzbee accused Carter of raping Jane Doe while knowing those statements to be false or with reckless disregard as to whether they were true,” the appeals court wrote in a decision obtained by Billboard.
“To the contrary, Buzbee submitted declarations showing his firm’s investigations led him to subjectively believe in the truth of the accusations.”
Sometimes you just have to hold that “L” and let things go, right?
Buzbee for his part feels vindicated following the courts decision and said as much to Billboard in a written statement: “I said when the case was filed it was total bulls**t. The trial court dumped it and the appellate court affirmed. I’m now entitled to my fees and costs and I intend to get every red penny that I spent dealing with it.”
What do y’all think about a court ruling against Jay-Z’s claim of defamation and extortion? Do y’all think this was a shakedown on Buzbee’s part or was he simply standing up for someone he thought was a victim? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
