Jay-Z is continuing his legal battle to have a lawsuit against him dismissed while dropping his request for sanctions against attorney Tony Buzbee.
The lawsuit, which initially named Sean “Diddy” Combs and an unnamed female celebrity alongside Jay-Z, alleged the repeated sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl in 2000. Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, has denied all allegations and has been pushing for the case’s dismissal.
In a February 4 filing, Jay-Z’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, argued that the claim under the Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act (GMVPA) should be automatically dismissed because the alleged incident occurred three months before the statute was enacted in 2000. Spiro emphasized that applying the law retroactively would violate constitutional protections, including the Due Process and Ex Post Facto Clauses.
While Carter has withdrawn his sanctions request against Buzbee, his legal team is doubling down on dismissing the case with prejudice—which would prevent it from being refiled in the future.
Meanwhile, Diddy is facing separate criminal charges, including racketeering and sex trafficking, with a trial set to begin in May. A conviction could result in a life sentence.
Despite the legal turmoil, Jay-Z recently made a high-profile public appearance at the 2025 Grammy Awards with Beyoncé, where he accepted the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award and made headlines for his speech.
