Jay Z faces major legal setback over Tony Buzbee's sexual assault accusations

Jay-Z cannot sue personal injury lawyer Tony Buzbee for extortion or defamation, a California appeals court has ruled.

The ruling came after the rapper, whose real name is Shawn Carter, filed the lawsuit in 2024 after Buzbee accused him of raping a 13-year-old girl alongside Sean “Diddy” Combs after a 2000 MTV VMAs afterparty.

However, Buzbee dropped the case a few months after filing it.

At the time, Jay-Z denied the allegations and accused Buzbee of making up the claims to blackmail him.

Now, California’s Second Appellate District has ruled that Jay-Z cannot sue Buzbee over the accusations, even though the case was later dismissed.

As per the appeals court's written decision obtained by Billboard, "The record contains no evidence Buzbee accused Carter of raping Jane Doe while knowing those statements to be false or with reckless disregard as to whether they were true.

"To the contrary, Buzbee submitted declarations showing his firm's investigations led him to subjectively believe in the truth of the accusations."

Buzbee has also spoken out on the ruling, as he told the outlet in a statement, "I said when the case was filed it was total b*******. The trial court dumped it and the appellate court affirmed. I'm now entitled to my fees and costs and I intend to get every red penny that I spent dealing with it."