A high-profile legal battle between Jay-Z and Houston-based attorney Tony Buzbee intensified this week as Buzbee's legal team filed a motion to dismiss the rap mogul's extortion lawsuit, invoking Jay-Z's own lyrics in court filings.
As per AllHipHop, Buzbee's attorney, Matthew Jackson, argued that the lawsuit filed by Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter should be tossed out of Alabama federal court, calling it a retaliatory move against attorneys who represented a woman accusing the rapper of child sexual abuse.
The woman, identified as Jane Doe, alleged in 2024 that she was assaulted by Jay-Z and Sean "Diddy" Combs in 2000, when she was 13 years old.
Although Jay-Z was not named in the original New York civil complaint, he was added after his legal team declined a private mediation offer.
Instead of settling, Carter filed a lawsuit in California accusing Buzbee and his firm of extortion and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
After the New York case was dismissed in February 2025, Carter filed another lawsuit in Alabama, alleging malicious prosecution, defamation, and conspiracy.
Jackson sharply criticized Carter's legal strategy, stating, "Instead of accepting Doe's invitation to confidentially discuss a settlement of her claims, Carter chose scorched-earth litigation... alleging that they were extorting him and intentionally causing him emotional distress."
He also accused Carter of abusing his platform and dispatching investigators to intimidate Doe and others.
"Carter and his representatives also dispatched investigators to harass Doe, her friends and family, as well as the Buzbee Firm's current and former employees, clients, and other business contacts, and to also try to coerce the Buzbee Defendants' former clients to sue them," Jackson wrote in the filing.
To dispute Carter's claim that the allegations damaged his reputation, Jackson cited lyrics from the rapper's 2000 hit "Big Pimpin'."
"To put those allegations in their proper context," Jackson argued, "it is helpful to view them alongside the following lyrics from one of Carter's most successful songs... 'You know I thug 'em, f*** 'em, love 'em, leave 'em 'cause I don't f***in' need 'em.'"
Buzbee's legal team contended that Carter's conspiracy claims amount to a "legal fantasy". It asserted that the rapper failed to meet the necessary burden for a malicious prosecution claim under New York law.
The Alabama court has not yet ruled on the motion to dismiss.
Jay-Z has not publicly commented on the latest motion.
His attorneys previously stated that the legal claims brought by Buzbee and his associates were "false, defamatory, and part of a coordinated scheme to pressure Mr. Carter into a settlement."
The case is being closely watched, with potential implications for how public figures may use civil litigation to respond to controversial allegations and media scrutiny.
The next court hearing date has not been announced.
© 2025 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
