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The legal fight between Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, and attorney Tony Buzbee is heating up.
In a lawsuit filed on Wednesday, Buzbee, the attorney representing a woman who accused Carter and Sean "Diddy" Combs of rape, accused Carter's Roc Nation of using "shadowy operatives" to solicit Buzbee's former clients to flip and sue him.
"These folks have stooped to a new low to try to intimidate the lawyers of the Buzbee Law Firm from doing their important work. This conduct was specifically targeted at our firm so we would not pursue cases related to the Diddy litigation," Buzbee said in a statement to Business Insider. "But, we will not be bullied or intimidated."
Buzbee's lawsuit — which was filed in Harris County, Texas, on behalf of a former client of Buzbee's firm and includes allegations of barratry and conspiracy — accused Roc Nation of financing the scheme, and other defendants, including two legal firms, an attorney, and an investigator, of orchestrating and executing it.
"Unfortunately for the Defendants, their agents are not very smart, or careful," Buzbee's lawsuit said.
Buzbee's lawsuit said the defendants impersonated Texas state officials and "flashed fake badges."
In one case, he said they "offered as much as $10,000 to a former client of the Buzbee Law Firm to sue the firm."
A spokesperson for Roc Nation said in a statement that Buzbee's suit was merely a distraction.
"Tony Buzbee's baloney lawsuit against ROCNATION is nothing but another sham. It's a pathetic attempt to distract and deflect attention. This sideshow won't change the ultimate outcome and true justice will be served soon," the spokesperson said.
Buzbee's accusations come after a woman identified in court papers only as Jane Doe filed a civil case against Carter and Sean "Diddy" Combs, accusing the two of raping her at a party following the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards when she was 13 years old. Buzbee is representing her.
Carter vehemently denied Doe's allegations, which come while Combs faces sex trafficking and racketeering charges, along with lawsuits accusing him of sexual misconduct. Combs remains in jail while he awaits his trial.
In Carter's denial, he called Buzbee a "deplorable human."
"I promise you I have seen your kind many times over. I'm more than prepared to deal with your type," Carter wrote in a statement on his company Roc Nation's X account, addressing Buzbee directly.
The initial lawsuit didn't name Carter, referring to him instead as "Celebrity A."
Before naming Carter, Buzbee reached out to him to propose Doe and Carter mediate the case, the lawyer previously told Business Insider. Buzbee said Carter responded with "an utterly frivolous lawsuit" and by "orchestrating a conspiracy of harassment, bullying and intimidation" against Buzbee and his legal team.
Since Doe's lawsuit was filed, critical questions have emerged about some of her allegations. Following an interview with the woman and her father, who she said drove her home on the night of her alleged assault, NBC News reported inconsistencies in the story.
Her father, for example, told the outlet that he didn't remember picking her up that night.
When asked about other inconsistencies, she told the outlet she had made "mistakes" but stood by the brunt of her allegations.
In a court filing Wednesday, an attorney for Carter argued that the "allegations are baseless and fatally contradicted" by the woman and her father's statements to NBC. Carter's attorney is seeking an order to show cause — which seeks an explanation as to why the inconsistencies aren't enough for Carter to be "dismissed" from the lawsuit accusing him of rape.
If you are a survivor of sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline (1-800-656-4673) or visit its website to receive confidential support.
