Jay-Z. Karwai Tang/WireImage
Jay-Z’s lawyer Alex Spiro is setting the record straight on his client’s relationship with Sean “Diddy” Combs.
“Mr. Carter has nothing to do with Mr. Combs’ case or Mr. Combs. They knew each other professionally for a number of years,” Spiro told Us Weekly and other reporters during a roundtable with press on Monday, December 16, at Roc Nation’s New York City offices. “Just like in all professions, people know each other. At the music awards, they support each other. If you go to the NBA All-Star game, they support each other. That’s just how professions work. There is no closer association between any of them. That’s also a matter of fiction.”
Diddy was arrested in September for sex trafficking, racketeering and other alleged crimes. He has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Since Diddy’s arrest in New York City, many alleged victims have filed lawsuits against him. As he awaits criminal trial in May 2025, Diddy has maintained his innocence and denied all civil allegations against him.
“[Jay-Z] doesn’t know anything about the charges or allegations against [Diddy],” Spiro told reporters on December 16. “He has nothing to do with that case and there’s nothing more to say.”
Earlier this month, Jay-Z (real name Shawn Carter) and Diddy, both 55, were named as defendants in a civil lawsuit that accused them of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old. The woman, who identified as Jane Doe, claimed the assault occurred at an MTV Video Music Awards afterparty in 2000.
When the lawsuit was originally filed in October in the Southern District of New York, only Diddy was listed as a defendant. It was refiled by Texas-based attorney Tony Buzbee on December 8 to include Jay-Z.
In addition to denying the accusations, Jay-Z has since asked the court to dismiss Jane Doe’s civil lawsuit “for lack of subject matter jurisdiction due to the plaintiff’s lack of standing.”
During his roundtable, Spiro gave a presentation with slides detailing alleged holes in the accuser’s story.
“It’s obvious to everybody that Mr. Carter did not do this,” Spiro said. “Obviously, Jay-Z did not rape a child. But what I wanna do today is just sort of walk you through some of this so that you can see the truth and you can see what happened yourselves.”
Spiro also reacted to Buzbee’s claims to NBC News that he will “continue to vet” the alleged victim’s claims.
“You can see here now that this is starting to unravel and the truth is coming out,” Spiro alleged, adding that the lawsuit “attacks a man with the integrity of Mr. Carter.”
In addition to being a rapper and entrepreneur, Diddy is the proud dad to seven children. The rapper started his family in 1993 when he and fashion designer Misa Hylton welcomed a baby boy. Diddy later moved on with model Kim Porter. The twosome had an on-again, off-again relationship from 1994 to 2007, during which […]
In a Friday, December 13, statement to NBC News, Buzbee confirmed Jane Doe’s case was referred to his firm by another. “Our client remains fiercely adamant that what she has stated is true, to the best of her memory,” he said. “We will continue to vet her claims and collect corroborating data to the extent it exists. Because we have interrogated her intensely, she has even agreed to submit to a polygraph. I’ve never had a client suggest that before.”
After Spiro’s roundtable, Buzbee refuted what he called the “baseless allegations” detailed in the presentation.
“This client was signed up and referred to our firm by another law firm. That law firm drafted the initial complaint,” he told Us in a statement. “However, four individuals at our firm have also interviewed the client and checked details after accepting the referral. A background check was run on the client. We also engaged a seasoned investigator to vet some details she disclosed to us. Those results were consistent with what the client had told us.”
Buzbee continued: “We sent a letter to Mr. Carter’s counsel and offered to sit down to discuss the claims confidentially. Rather than accepting that offer, Mr. Spiro chose to file a public lawsuit accusing me personally of extortion. He made that claim knowing that we made no demand at all for money and out it in the public sphere. That case is utterly frivolous. Further: At least three lawyers from our firm interviewed the client prior to filing the amended complaint naming Mr. Carter. The client also has signed two separate affidavits. Our client remains adamant about her claim. Mr. Spiro tries to be a bully. But we won’t be bullied. Our conduct has been beyond reproach and will continue to be. We will be raising some of the conduct of our adversaries in due course that is extremely troubling.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
With reporting by Brody Brown