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Jay-Z seeks rehearing after accuser recants

After his accuser withdrew her rape allegations, Jay-Z is asking a California appeals court to bring back his extortion lawsuit against the lawyers who brought the case.

The accuser, identified only as Jane Doe, said last week that her claims were untrue and that Tony Buzbee and other attorneys had done little checking before filing her 2024 lawsuit, which has since been dropped.

Lawyers for Jay-Z, whose legal name is Shawn Carter, have filed a petition seeking a rehearing in their case against Buzbee.

On 10 September, a California appeals court ruled that Jay-Z could not sue Buzbee for extortion or defamation.

The court wrote that the record held no evidence Buzbee had accused Carter of raping Jane Doe while knowing the statements were false or with reckless disregard for their truth. It added that Buzbee had submitted declarations showing his firm's investigations led him to believe the accusations were true.

In the new petition, Jay-Z's attorneys argue that the accuser's "extraordinary" recantation gives the court reason to reconsider its recent ruling, because it shows Buzbee's lawsuit against the star was "built on lies".

Buzbee previously told Billboard the extortion lawsuit was "total bulls**t."

In court filings last week, his legal team also criticized the recantation, calling their former client – who was 13 at the time of the previously alleged assault – an "unreliable" witness and suggesting Jay-Z had paid her to drop her allegations.

In a declaration filed last week, Jane Doe said there was "no truth to any of my claims" against Jay-Z and that she was not being paid for her statement.

Photo: Cover Media
Source: Muzland
Added by Frank
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