JAŸ-Z is taking another swing at his ongoing legal battle with attorney Tony Buzbee after the woman who previously accused the Hip-Hop mogul of sexual assault formally recanted her allegations.
As Vulture reported, Shawn “JAŸ-Z” Carter’s attorneys are asking a California appellate court to reconsider its recent ruling in his lawsuit against Buzbee and The Buzbee Law Firm. The filing comes just days after Jane Doe submitted a sworn declaration stating that she had never met Carter and that the allegations she previously made against him were false.
The dispute dates back to 2024, when Doe filed a civil lawsuit accusing Sean “Diddy” Combs and an initially unnamed celebrity of sexually assaulting her following the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards. She claimed she was 13 years old at the time. The complaint was later amended in December 2024 to identify Carter as the previously unnamed celebrity. Carter denied the accusation immediately.
Even before his name was added to Doe’s lawsuit, Carter had filed his own case against Buzbee in California. Court records show that Buzbee’s firm sent Carter mediation demand letters in November 2024 alleging sexual misconduct and informing him that litigation could follow if he declined to participate in mediation. Carter refused and accused Buzbee of attempting to extort him.
JAŸ-Z also addressed Buzbee publicly in a lengthy statement released through Roc Nation. “My lawyer received a blackmail attempt, called a demand letter,” Carter wrote before making clear he had no intention of settling. He famously added that Buzbee would not receive “ONE RED PENNY!!” from him and argued that allegations involving a crime against a child should be brought to law enforcement rather than used solely as the basis for a civil action.
Buzbee pushed back at Carter’s characterization, saying his firm had sent what he described as a standard demand letter requesting confidential mediation and maintaining that Doe had not personally demanded money from Carter.
Questions surrounding Doe’s account surfaced almost immediately. In a December 2024 interview with NBC News, she acknowledged making mistakes in her recollection. Among the inconsistencies uncovered was her claim that she spoke with Good Charlotte’s Benji Madden at the alleged after-party, despite representatives confirming that Madden and his brother Joel were touring in the Midwest at the time. Doe also claimed her father picked her up following the alleged assault, while her father told NBC he had no recollection of doing so. At the time, however, Doe continued to stand by the central allegation against Carter and Combs.
Doe ultimately dismissed her lawsuit with prejudice in February 2025. Carter continued pursuing his own claims against Buzbee, alleging civil extortion, defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. A California trial court later granted Buzbee’s anti-SLAPP motion and struck Carter’s claims. Carter appealed that ruling, but on September 9, 2026, the California Court of Appeal affirmed the lower court’s decision.
The appellate court concluded, among other things, that Buzbee’s demand letters qualified as protected pre-litigation communications. It also upheld the trial court’s refusal to allow Carter to conduct limited discovery that his attorneys argued could provide additional evidence concerning how Doe’s allegations were developed.
That last point is now at the center of Carter’s renewed effort. On September 25, Doe formally recanted her accusation in a sworn declaration, saying, “Shawn ‘JAŸ-Z’ Carter never raped me. I have never met or spoken to Mr. Carter.” She further stated that there was no truth to her accusations against Carter and acknowledged the damage they caused him.
As Reuters reported, Doe said her involvement began after she responded to a Facebook advertisement seeking information about Combs. She now claims the allegations were not properly verified before the lawsuit moved forward and that she did not review the complaint before it was filed. She also stated that she was not paid to recant her accusation. Carter’s attorneys subsequently moved to remove her as a defendant from his separate lawsuit while continuing their action against Buzbee and his firm.
Buzbee has disputed Doe’s latest account. The Houston Chronicle reported that he has pointed to her previous statements and declarations supporting the allegation and has sought to have her newest declaration struck, alleging that circumstances surrounding the recantation should be scrutinized.
While Vulture characterized Carter’s latest move as a second appeal, the filing more specifically asks the appellate court for a rehearing of its September ruling. Carter’s attorneys argue that Doe’s recantation changes the evidentiary landscape surrounding the case, particularly the previous decision to deny discovery.
“Jane Doe’s declaration proves that discovery would yield evidence supporting Carter’s claims,” his attorneys argued, adding that they believe fairness and due process warrant another look at the case. In other words, Carter is not asking the appellate court to determine whether the original sexual-assault allegation was true or false. Doe herself has now withdrawn that accusation. Instead, his attorneys want the court to reconsider whether Carter should have been permitted to gather additional evidence as he attempts to prove his claims concerning how the accusation was handled before it became public.
Whether the appellate court agrees to rehear the matter remains to be seen.
