An anonymous woman who filed a civil lawsuit accusing Jay-Z of sexual assault has fully recanted her allegations in a Manhattan federal court declaration, stating that she never met the Grammy-winning rapper and that her previous claims contained no truth.
The legal saga surrounding a civil lawsuit filed against Shawn Jay-Z
Carter took a dramatic turn when the anonymous accuser, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, submitted a 12-page declaration fully recanting her sexual assault allegations. Filed in Manhattan federal court, the declaration states under penalty of perjury, as obtained by Rolling Stone, that the rapper had nothing to do with the alleged assault, adding that she received no compensation and was not promised any payment for the declaration.
Federal Court Declaration and Complete Recantation
In the sworn filing, the woman admitted that her accusations were completely unfounded. She stated that she had disclosed certain mental health conditions to her legal team prior to the public naming of the artist in December 2024.
Shawn ‘Jay-Z’ Carter never raped me. I have never met or spoken to Mr. Carter. Mr.
Jane Doe, via Rolling Stone
The declaration continues with a direct acknowledgment of the impact of the false claims. There is no truth to any of my claims against Mr. Carter,
she wrote, adding that she understands her false accusations caused the 56-year-old artist immense pain, suffering, and damage that can never be fully undone. In an April interview for GQ magazine, Carter revealed he was heartbroken over the case, describing it as an uncontrollable anger that took a lot out of him.
Origins of the 2024 Lawsuit and Legal Fallout
The legal conflict began when the woman filed a lawsuit in October 2024 accusing Sean Diddy
Combs of raping her when she was 13, while alleging that an unidentified male celebrity had also drugged and assaulted her at an afterparty following the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards in New York City. An amended complaint filed in December 2024 named Jay-Z as the second individual.
Carter vehemently denied the allegations from the outset, maintaining that he had never met the accuser. He subsequently filed a malicious-prosecution lawsuit against the woman and her Texas-based attorney, Tony Buzbee, alleging an effort to pressure him into a secret financial settlement under the threat of devastating harm to his reputation. The accuser ultimately voluntarily dismissed her entire complaint against Carter and Combs without settlement in early 2025, though she initially claimed to have dropped the case out of fear of intimidation.
Apology From Legal Representation and Dismissal as a Defendant
Alongside the new declaration, the woman’s new attorney, James Blair Newman Jr., issued a public statement clarifying his client’s position and offering an apology on behalf of the accuser to Carter and his family.
Our client maintains that she was a victim of sexual assault, but she was entirely mistaken in her allegations identifying Mr.
James Blair Newman Jr., attorney for Jane Doe, via Yahoo
Newman added that she sincerely and unconditionally apologizes to the rapper and his family, including his wife, Beyoncé. With the filing of the declaration, Carter voluntarily dismissed the woman as a defendant in his ongoing malicious-prosecution case against Tony Buzbee and his law firm, leaving the litigation against the attorney as the remaining active case.
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