Jay-Z Exposes Tony Buzbee’s Ruthless Fraud and Fake Death Threat Scheme in $190M Lawsuit—Demands Triple Damages

Rapper Shawn "Jay‑Z" Carter says a lawyer concocted a death threat to persuade a woman to drop a lawsuit and to conceal the lawyer's unauthorized practice in federal court, according to a federal court filing made public Thursday.

Per AllHipHop, in the amended complaint, Jay‑Z accuses Houston attorney Tony Buzbee and co-counsel David Fortney of telling Jane Doe that Jay‑Z had threatened to kill her, prompting her to voluntarily dismiss a civil suit the same day Buzbee failed to produce proof of admission to practice in the U.S. Southern District of New York.

Attorneys for Jay‑Z say Fortney relayed the purported threat during a December meeting with Doe. They allege the claim was fabricated to distract from findings that Buzbee had been filing documents in SDNY using co‑counsel Antigone Curis's Electronic Case Filing credentials — effectively practicing in a federal court where he was not authorized.

When U.S. District Judge Analisa Torrez ordered Buzbee to show proof of admission, the filing says, he applied the next day and was denied. The SDNY's Committee on Grievances later confirmed Buzbee had filed in more than 20 cases without authorization, the complaint says. Buzbee subsequently withdrew from more than a dozen cases related to Sean "Diddy" Combs after a judge publicly admonished him over the issue.

Jay‑Z's team argues the timing undercuts Buzbee's credibility: a demand letter to Jay‑Z's lawyers was dated Nov. 5, 2024 — five weeks before Buzbee's first documented meeting with Doe on Dec. 9, 2024, the complaint says. Jay‑Z is seeking $190 million in alleged lost income and other damages stemming from the accusations.

The complaint also includes a claim under New York Judiciary Law Section 487, which allows for treble damages when an attorney is found to have deceived a court or a party with the intent to harm, potentially multiplying any award by three.

Jay‑Z told ABC News the allegations left him heartbroken and filled with uncontrollable anger. After the prior civil case was dismissed, he called the accusations frivolous, fictitious and appalling" and said the suit was without merit.

Buzbee has denied the accusations in filings and public statements, contending Jay‑Z's lawsuits aim to intimidate and bully his former client and asserting the claims lack legal merit.

Discovery in the case is scheduled through Dec. 31, 2026, with initial disclosures due June 3. The matter is pending in federal court in New York.