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Topics: Jay-Z, Diddy, Court, Sexual Abuse
Joe Yates
Topics: Jay-Z, Diddy, Court, Sexual Abuse
Jay-Z has called out a lawyer for making 'idiotic claims' that he raped a 13-year-old girl alongside Diddy.
Sean 'Diddy' Combs is currently serving time behind bars as he awaits his trial due to take place May 5 next year after he was indicted by a grand jury following his arrest at the Park Hyatt hotel in Manhattan back in September.
He has since been charged with racketeering and sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, charges he's continued to deny. A 14-page federal indictment accuses the rapper of organizing events known as 'freak offs'.
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The indictment accuses Combs and others in his enterprise of 'wield[ing] the power and prestige of Combs' role at the Combs Business to intimidate, threaten and lure female victims into Combs' orbit, often under the pretence of a romantic relationship'.
With the 'assistance of members and associates', the document claims Combs 'transported commercial sex workers across state lines and internationally' and 'then used force, threats of force, and coercion, to cause victims to engage in extended sex acts with male commercial sex workers that Combs referred to as, among other things, 'freak offs'.'
Now, a federal lawsuit which initially only named Combs was refiled over the weekend in New York to add Jay-Z, real name Shawn Carter.
However, Jay-Z has denied all allegations in a public statement.
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It reads in part: "My lawyer received a blackmail attempt, called a demand letter, from a 'lawyer' named Tony Buzbee.
"What he had calculated was the nature of these allegations and the public scrutiny would make me want to settle.
"No sir, it had the opposite effect! It made me want to expose you for the fraud you are in a VERY public fashion. So no, I will not give you ONE RED PENNY!!
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"These allegations are so heinous in nature that I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one!!"
The rapper went on to explain how damaging these claims are to his status as well as to his family, with one of his daughters old enough that her friends will read the news and see the allegations against him.
Before concluding: "You have made a terrible error in judgement thinking that all 'celebrities' are the same. I'm not from your world. I'm a young man who made it out of the project of Brooklyn. We don't play these types of games.
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"We have very strict codes and honor. We protect children, you seem to exploit people for personal gain.
"Only your network of conspiracy theorists, fake physics, will believe the idiotic claims you have levied against me that, if not for the seriousness surrounding harm to kids, would be laughable.
"I look forward to showing you just how different I am."
Buzbee himself has also responded on Twitter explaining that his client didn't ask for money.
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His statement concludes: "As far as the allegations in the complaint filed, we will let the filing speak for itself and will litigate the facts in court, not in the media."
If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.org