A woman who accused rap superstar Jay-Z of raping her when she was 13 years old has formally declared that her allegation was untrue, delivering a significant legal development in a case that drew intense public attention. In a sworn statement filed in a US court, the woman — identified in legal documents only by the pseudonym Jane Doe and described as being from the state of Alabama — wrote: "Shawn 'Jay-Z' Carter never raped me. I have never met or spoken to Mr. Carter. Mr. Carter never engaged in any inappropriate conduct toward me whatsoever."
The original lawsuit, filed in October 2024, claimed that Jane Doe had been drugged and raped by Jay-Z, whose legal name is Shawn Carter, and fellow music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs at a party following the MTV Video Music Awards in 2000. Both men denied the allegation. Jane Doe dropped her lawsuit in early 2025, after which Carter filed a counterclaim against her and her legal team, led by attorney Tony Buzbee. In her new declaration, submitted as part of that ongoing case, Jane Doe also stated that she had not received any payment from Carter or anyone acting on his behalf in exchange for the retraction, and that she had never been threatened or intimidated by his representatives — directly contradicting earlier claims made by Buzbee, who had alleged that Carter's investigators had harassed her to pressure her into withdrawing.
Describing the events that led to the original filing, Jane Doe said she had responded to a Facebook advertisement in late 2024 seeking individuals who might have sexual assault claims against Combs. She said the ad "triggered memories of being raped" at the age of 13, and that she was subsequently contacted by a law firm. Crucially, she said she was never shown a draft of the lawsuit before it was filed and did not authorise it, and that it was submitted "without conducting any independent investigation, background inquiry, or due diligence." Buzbee, who has not seen the new declaration according to his own statement, said that at least four lawyers had handled Jane Doe's account before him and that she had told each the same story, calling her recantation "new information."
The case now has Jane Doe removed from Carter's lawsuit, which continues against Buzbee and his colleagues. Jay-Z, who is married to singer Beyoncé and is one of the best-selling music artists in history, had previously called the original allegations a "blackmail attempt" and said the ordeal had caused lasting harm to his family. He has not yet publicly responded to the retraction. Separately, Sean "Diddy" Combs, who faces a range of legal proceedings, was convicted in July 2025 on prostitution-related charges involving two former girlfriends and is currently serving a four-year prison sentence.
The case underscores the serious legal and personal consequences that can arise from false allegations filed without proper vetting, while also raising questions about the responsibilities of law firms that bring high-profile civil suits against public figures. For Jay-Z, though formally cleared of this specific claim, the episode has left what he described as damage that "can never be fully undone."