Jay-Z Can Seek to Restart Extortion Case After Accuser Recants, Appeals Court Says

A week after Jay-Z's accuser withdrew her rape allegations, a California appeals court has paved the way for the rapper to attempt to revive an extortion lawsuit against the attorneys who filed the questionable case. In an order issued on October 1, a panel of three judges made a crucial alteration to their previous ruling which had previously dismissed Jay-Z's attempt to sue lawyer Tony Buzbee for bringing the hastily dropped rape claim on behalf of a pseudonymous plaintiff.

Jay-Z had petitioned the appeals court to reconsider the case, arguing that Doe's retraction constituted "explosive new evidence" that would alter the result. While the court declined to do so, it explicitly stated that a lower judge could still restart the case. The court's ruling stated that "our decision shall not prevent the trial court from ordering discovery and reconsidering its prior ruling based on any new evidence, should that court deem it appropriate."

Buzbee's lawsuit, filed in December 2024, alleged that Jay-Z and Sean "Diddy" Combs had drugged and assaulted a teenager during an MTV Video Music Awards after-party in 2000. However, Jay-Z immediately dismissed the accusations as a "blackmail attempt" and retaliated by suing Buzbee for extortion and defamation. A Los Angeles trial judge had dismissed Jay-Z's case last year, finding no evidence that Buzbee had filed the rape claims knowingly or that the attorney had extorted him by threatening to sue.

Last month, the appeals court upheld that decision. Two weeks later, Jay-Z's accuser fully recanted her allegations, stating in a separate case that her claims against the rapper were "false," that she suffered from mental health issues, and that her attorneys had filed the rape claims with insufficient diligence. Fueled by this turn of events, Jay-Z requested the appeals court last week to restart the case against Buzbee, arguing that the retraction demonstrated the basis of Buzbee's lawsuit was built on lies.

The court denied this request, but also noted that a lower judge could still restart the case. Buzbee's legal team welcomed this decision, stating that the court had "rejected Carter's latest effort to disturb its ruling" and affirmed a ruling that would permit them to demand reimbursement for Jay-Z's legal costs. The case will now return to the lower court for additional litigation, where Jay-Z's legal team has already vowed to request the Superior Court to order discovery and reassess their initial ruling based on the recent declaration from Ms. Doe.