Tony Buzbee, the attorney, is currently challenging a legal action initiated against him by the renowned rapper Jay-Z. Buzbee asserts that he had made an “agreement”with Jay-Z, which the musician allegedly did not honor.
Court documents obtained by TMZ reveal that on Monday, April 7, Buzbee submitted a motion to dismiss Jay-Z’s lawsuit in an Alabama court. This legal issue stems from Buzbee’s prior defense of a Jane Doe in a case of alleged rape, which has since been dismissed, forming the foundation of Jay-Z’s complaint.
Vibe reported on April 9 that in reference to the Jane Doe case, Buzbee claims that Jay-Z and his associates coerced the woman into retracting her allegations.
Buzbee further contends that a settlement agreement was reached with Jay-Z, which involved the rapper retracting his lawsuit in exchange for a resolution outside the courtroom. However, Jay-Z’s attorney, Alex Spiro, has publicly dismissed the notion of any such agreement. On April 11, HiphopDX reported that Buzbee’s attorney responded strongly to Spiro’s denial, stating:
“Spiro’s statement that there was no agreement is a total fabrication. There was an exchange of emails between me and Spiro which set forth the agreement very clearly. As part of that agreement Spiro agreed to withdraw the rule 11 motions for sanctions that he had brought against Mr. Buzbee’s law firm.”
Legal Turmoil for Tony Buzbee Amidst Jay-Z’s Defamation Claims
Tony Buzbee’s attempts to dismiss Jay-Z’s defamation lawsuit have been met with legal scrutiny. In his submission, Buzbee alleges that Jay-Z utilized his celebrity status to intimidate the unnamed woman into withdrawing her claims.
According to a report by Forbes on April 9, Buzbee’s legal team argued before a California judge that Jay-Z’s extortion and defamation lawsuit, related to rape allegations, should be dismissed. Buzbee characterized Jay-Z as “a well-financed and influential individual who is attempting to punish lawyers for performing their duties.”
“Eventually, the relentless pressure that Mr. Carter and his associates placed upon Doe became too much for her. On February 4, 2025, an agreement to resolve the litigation was reached between Doe and Mr. Carter, through their attorneys, which included the voluntary dismissal of the SDNY Action,” he noted.
Buzbee asserts that an agreement was reached, claiming that the lawsuit brought by Jay-Z was incorrectly filed. Nevertheless, Spiro has refuted these claims, stating:
“Total lie. He brought a false case, lost badly and was forced to dismiss quickly. End of story.”
Buzbee’s legal representative subsequently retaliated against Spiro’s assertions, elaborating:
“We agreed to withdraw the lawsuit that Jane Doe had brought for rape against Jay-Z and Mr. Combs even though Jane Doe continued to maintain that the allegations in that lawsuit were true, and Jay-Z and Spiro agreed not to send any more people to harass and intimidate Jane Doe and her family.”
He continued, emphasizing:
“One week later Jay-Z and his lawyer breached that agreement flagrantly by sending supposed investigators to harass and intimidate Jane Doe and her family.”
Spiro has indicated that because the allegations were recanted, Jay-Z “would never settle the lawsuit or pay any money to resolve it.”
For context, Buzbee had represented Jane Doe in a previous case where she accused Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy”Combs of rape and assault in 2000. Notably, no agreements between the parties were mentioned in the filings, and the woman’s allegations were dismissed with prejudice, preventing any future refiling.
Following this dismissal, Jay-Z lodged a defamation lawsuit against both Doe and Tony Buzbee in Alabama on April 8, asserting that the allegations were an orchestrated attempt to tarnish his reputation.
As of now, Jane Doe has not publicly commented on the ongoing legal dispute.