The woman who accused rapper Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, of raping her when she was 13 has formally withdrawn her allegations, saying she never met or spoke with him and had mistakenly identified him as the person responsible for the alleged assault.
The development marks a major change in a legal case that began in 2024, when the woman filed a lawsuit accusing Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs of sexually assaulting her after a party connected to the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards.
Jay-Z denied the allegations from the beginning and described them as an attempt at extortion. Combs also denied the allegations.
Woman Says She Misidentified Jay-Z
In a statement obtained by Rolling Stone, the woman said she had never met Jay-Z and that he did not engage in any inappropriate conduct toward her.
She also acknowledged that her allegations against the rapper were false and said they had caused significant harm to Carter and his family.
The woman previously withdrew the lawsuit in 2025. Jay-Z subsequently filed a lawsuit against her former attorneys, arguing that they should have recognized inconsistencies in the allegations and information that contradicted the account.
The woman has now been removed as a defendant from Jay-Z's lawsuit, while the rapper's legal action against her former attorneys continues.
Attorneys Dispute the Circumstances
Tony Buzbee, one of the attorneys who previously represented the woman, told Rolling Stone that her latest account was new information to him.
"If for some reason she is now claiming that she lied to us and to the court, that is new information," Buzbee said.
Her current attorney, James Blair Newman Jr., said the woman continues to maintain that she was sexually assaulted but was mistaken in identifying Jay-Z as the perpetrator.
According to the woman's statement, memories of an earlier sexual assault were triggered after she saw an advertisement encouraging alleged victims of Combs to come forward. She said she later questioned whether Jay-Z was involved and did not know that a lawsuit had been filed on her behalf.
Jay-Z Has Spoken Publicly About the Case
Jay-Z has previously described the allegations as deeply damaging to him and his family.
After the case against him was dismissed, he said the experience had caused trauma for himself, his wife, children and other loved ones.
In a March interview with GQ, Jay-Z also discussed the anger he experienced during the legal battle and said he could not settle the case because doing so would conflict with his principles.
The rapper's separate lawsuit against the attorneys who represented the woman remains ongoing. The lawyers have described that lawsuit as "malicious persecution" and have asked the court to dismiss it.
The latest developments leave the allegations against Jay-Z formally withdrawn while the dispute between the rapper and the attorneys continues in court.