It’s bombshell time. Rap superstar Jay-Z - real name Shawn Carter - has been dragged into the Diddy allegations. He’s been mentioned in a US civil lawsuit which alleges that he, along with Sean "Diddy" Combs, drugged and raped a 13-year-old girl at a party after the Video Music Awards in 2000. Jay-Z has dismissed the legal action as a "blackmail attempt" and Diddy has denied the new accusations. Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty gets up to speed on the allegations and the strenuous denials with reporter Cheyenne Roundtree and lawyer Shaun Kent. Plus in this week’s Fact or Fiction, she looks at the rumours swirling around Justin Bieber.Sean "Diddy" Combs is currently behind bars in a notorious New York jail, awaiting trial on three federal charges, which he also denies.The Diddy on Trial podcast is here to investigate the rumours, confront the theories, and give you the answers that you need.We also want YOU to be part of the conversation. Have you any burning questions about the cases or the upcoming trial? Heard a theory that doesn’t sit right with you? Send us your thoughts!Get in touch now via WhatsApp: 0330 123 555 1Presenter: Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty Producer: Laura Jones Sound Design: Richard Hannaford Production Coordinator: Hattie Valentine Editor: Clare FordhamCommissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts Assistant Commissioner: Will Drysdale Commissioning Producer: Adam Eland Commissioning Assistant Producer: Rechmial Miller
Chapter 1: What are the allegations against Jay-Z?
Tonight, explosive allegations against legendary rapper and mogul Jay-Z, whose real name is Sean Carter. A woman who claims she was sexually assaulted by Sean Diddy Combs has uprooted who updated her lawsuit to include allegations that she was also assaulted by Jay-Z at the same party.
the bombshell allegations against Jay-Z.
This, of course, is the news we brought you in our special episode earlier in the week that the rapper Jay-Z, real name Sean Carter, has been mentioned in a US civil lawsuit which alleges that he, along with Sean Diddy Combs, drugged and raped a 13-year-old girl at a party after the Video Music Awards in 2000.
Chapter 2: How did Jay-Z respond to the allegations?
Jay-Z has dismissed the legal action as a blackmail attempt and Diddy has denied the new accusations. Reflecting on this with me today is Rolling Stone's senior investigative reporter, Cheyenne Roundtree. Hi, Cheyenne. Hi, thanks for having me. And criminal defence attorney, Sean Kent. Hi, Sean. Hey, how are you? So after the news broke, Jay-Z's lawyer filed a motion on Tuesday.
They've asked to deny the plaintiff's request to proceed anonymously. They've also asked for the case to be dealt with as quickly as possible because of the highly sensitive nature of the matter and because of the media interest it's generated. Jay-Z's lawyer, Alex Spiro, also says, for the avoidance of doubt, Mr Carter is entirely innocent. This is a shakedown.
Chapter 3: What is the background of the case?
He is not mentioned, referenced or implicated in any way in the criminal investigation of Mr Combs. He is neither a target nor a person of interest in that investigation. Cheyenne, I'll start with you. Where were you and how did you react when you heard the new allegations?
I was actually coming out of a theater show, and so my phone just was filled with messages trying to work out what happened. And then Jay-Z's statement dropped, and so it was kind of all hands on deck on a Sunday night, which has been... Kind of the case for some of these updated filings. The news breaks at night and next morning is just unfolding as things continue.
Chapter 4: Who is involved in the legal proceedings?
I was in the bed eating chicken wings and they were delicious. And all of a sudden my phone just started text messages and messages from TikTok. So I started doing my own research and I had grease all over my fingers typing on the iPad. And I was just like, well, here we go. It's about to blow up.
I mean, this is kind of what people have been waiting for when Tony Busby came out at the beginning of October and he promised to name other people co-conspirators, the facilitators of foul play, he called them. Was that kind of what you were seeing online? Just comments of, oh, OK, it's beginning.
I think, I mean, since Diddy was arrested and the idea of his parties, people have been clamoring for additional names, other celebrities to now be pulled into that. And Jay-Z is one of the biggest celebrities so far.
Listen to his lawyers. And some of the things that they said that were pretty interesting is he's not a target. He's not a probe or things of this of the criminal investigation, because if he was a target, he would have received a target letter from the federal authorities saying, you come and sit down and talk to us.
So his lawyer said without saying the federal government on this RICO allegations have never talked to Jay-Z without saying it. That's basically him saying, I already know nobody's looking at me criminally.
And he's also, he's really, really protested his innocence on social media. And he's made comments about himself, his character, how he came up as a rapper. We've got a clip here of him speaking to the Associated Press in 2004 when his documentary Fade to Black came out.
I was just a regular guy. No one discovered me in 34th Street singing and signed me to this huge record contract. I had to make my own way, make my own record company. So I would just say as a real person and someone who didn't give up, I like to serve as an inspiration to anybody, that anybody could do it. I'm just a kid from Marcy Projects. There was nothing special about me.
I don't got extra special muscles or anything like that. It's just talent and refusing to give up.
Cheyenne, it's been said that Jay-Z personifies the American dream, his backstory, his rise. Just to reiterate how huge this is, talk about Jay-Z as a sort of cultural force.
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Chapter 5: What does the law say about anonymity in lawsuits?
Okay, you said this is filed federally, but that doesn't mean it's filed criminally.
No.
Well, why isn't it filed criminally? If it's within the statute in New York, why isn't it filed criminally?
What a great question, right? And that's one of his allegations as he's coming back for. If there's merit to this case, why didn't they come after me criminally? So I think that tips to Jay-Z's favor that they're not looking at this. Or are they? They may be. I don't know. And maybe they haven't talked to the victim yet. There's a lot we don't know.
And I would add, Sean, correct me if I'm wrong, but as a person, I can't bring a criminal lawsuit against anyone, even if there was a crime that happened. The state or federal prosecutors have to decide that my case has merit and they are the ones that bring criminal charges. So even when, you know, Jay-Z is saying, hey, take this criminal as an individual person, I can't do that.
That is in law enforcement's hands. A lot of times I think survivors are told, well, why don't you go to the police? Why don't you go versus going for money? And as an individual person, the most I can seek is a civil recourse unless law enforcement sees my case and takes it on. So it's kind of a twofold thing there.
How do they decide what cases to see? Sorry, I'm so confused by this. Should Busby have picked up the phone and said something really horrific has been alleged in my office? I want you guys to take a look at this.
Well, here's what I'm going to shock you as, as a former prosecutor and current criminal defense attorney. And I'm embarrassed to say this, but a lot of times people go into police stations and they're not believed. And if she went, a 13-year-old goes to law enforcement and says, I was just raped by Puff Daddy and Jay-Z back in the height of their popularity.
I can see a police officer saying, we don't believe you. And as a victim, when you're told you're not believed and subconsciously, sometimes victims are like, who's going to believe me? I'm not going to come forward.
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Chapter 6: What are the implications of celebrity status in legal cases?
The statement said that the judicial process would show Mr Combs to be innocent of all the allegations against him. The anonymity issue, I mean, this is a thing for Jay-Z. This is also a thing for many of other Tony Busby cases of the 120 alleged victims he's representing. Do you think they're going to be successful in asking for the anonymity to be lifted, Jay-Z's lawyers?
Chapter 7: How do media portrayals affect public perception?
Well, I spoke with a law professor last week about this very issue about Jane Doe's, if they're going to be able to proceed anonymously. Busby has filed, I think he's at 20 cases right now with all Jane or John Doe plaintiffs. And it's kind of a mixed bag. individual judges are determining if those cases can proceed anonymously. And so far, two judges have ruled, nope, you can't.
Other judges have said, sure, as of right now, until something changes, you can proceed anonymously. So... It is kind of a 50-50 chance on what these judges will decide in the Jay-Z case with this 13-year-old accuser.
And another element of this which has been quite confusing is that there is another unnamed celebrity included in the lawsuit, Celebrity B, a female celebrity who's allegedly in the room when the alleged assault took place and stands back and watches. Cheyenne, there's been no indication as to who that is, has there?
No, there hasn't. I mean, and also an amended complaint could drop today with the name of that woman. So it is kind of a wait and see. Maybe that person already has received a similar demand letter from Busby's firm and they have agreed to come to some agreement already. So we don't know if we'll ever find out.
And I just really want to clear this up because I saw this a few times. It's celebrity A, it's celebrity B. If there was another celebrity, it'd be celebrity C. B is not for Beyonce. I mean, a lot of people think it's like hint, hint, nudge, nudge. Beyonce hasn't been referenced in this lawsuit. She hasn't been referenced in any lawsuits. She hasn't been referenced in the federal indictment.
You mentioned there Jay-Z denied this. Jay-Z denied this. This, I was not expecting, you know, long Instagram statements from Jay-Z. We don't typically hear that much from him. He's very private, but he denied it on Instagram, on the Roc Nation Instagram account, and he also denied the allegations in a statement to ABC.
He also posted on Instagram, breaking from tradition for him, about the personal side of this. Obviously, as we've said, he's very famously married to Beyonce. He's also got, I mean, Blue Ivy is a star in her own right now.
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Chapter 8: What is the significance of the upcoming trial for Jay-Z?
In a united front, the hip-hop mogul hit the red carpet in Hollywood last night with his superstar wife, Beyoncé, at the premiere of Disney's Mufasa, The Lion King. He was there to support Beyoncé, who has a small part in the film, and daughter Blue Ivy Carter, who has a starring role.
There are two other children, Rumi and Sir, who also I would say are celebrity babies. I mean, everybody knows a lot about these children. He said in his post, my only heartbreak is for my family.
My wife and I will have to sit our children down, one of whom is the age where her friends will surely see the press and ask questions about the nature of these claims and explain the cruelty and greed of people. What did you guys think when you read that?
Yeah, I think he is going to bat for his name. I think he wants to be very clear that he says that this is not true. This is not him. He's fighting it civilly and he's also taking action against the woman's lawyer, Tony Busby.
I love when somebody comes to a full-throated defense of themselves. I'm always very cautious as the criminal defense attorney. I'm like, be careful on saying things that are that specific because he's all in.
Tony Busby, in a statement to me yesterday, kind of said that same thing. He said, you know, Jay-Z's creating a silly sideshow and we're committed to, you know, defending a courageous woman who's brought these allegations.
Jay-Z, he made his position, his opinion on Busby very clear. You call him an ambulance chaser in a cheap suit. And then his lawyers filed a motion that goes on to say, attorney Tony Busby has orchestrated a month-long press campaign aimed at inflaming public opinion and escalating the events in real time on social media platforms.
Mr. Busby continues to amplify false narratives, exploiting the legal process to generate media attention and damage Mr. Carter's reputation.
When you file a lawsuit in America, as an attorney, you must have a good faith belief on while you're filing the lawsuit. You must. Busby better hope he has a good faith belief on while he's filing this lawsuit or a federal judge will destroy him. This is a bill that cannot be unwronged. Now that the name is mentioned, it's never going to go away.
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