Tony Buzbee Challenges Jay-Z Accuser’s Recantation in Latest Legal Dispute

The legal battle surrounding Jay-Z and attorney Tony Buzbee has taken another turn after the woman who previously accused the rapper of sexual assault submitted a sworn statement withdrawing her allegations.

Buzbee’s legal team is now challenging that declaration, arguing that the woman’s decision to reverse her account was connected to Jay-Z dropping her from a separate lawsuit. The dispute was raised in a September 25 letter to U.S. District Judge Dale Ho, according to the report.

The woman, identified in court filings as Jane Doe, submitted a 12-page declaration on September 24 stating that Jay-Z never raped her and that she had never met or spoken with him. She also said that neither Jay-Z nor anyone representing him paid her or promised her compensation in exchange for changing her account.

Buzbee’s side disputes the circumstances surrounding the new declaration. His attorneys characterized the statement as “bought-and-paid-for” and are asking the court to remove it from the record. They argue that Jay-Z did not need Doe’s declaration to dismiss her from his lawsuit and that her removal from the case effectively provided her with a benefit connected to the statement.

Jane Doe Says Her Original Claims Were False

The latest filing represents a dramatic reversal from Doe’s earlier allegations. She previously accused Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs of sexually assaulting her following the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards, when she was 13. That lawsuit was voluntarily dismissed with prejudice in February 2025.

In her new declaration, Doe said she began questioning her account in January 2025 and eventually concluded that her allegations against Jay-Z were false. She also said that she had begun doubting whether she had attended the celebrity party described in her original account.

Her current attorney, James Blair Newman Jr., has maintained that Doe was a victim of sexual assault but was mistaken in identifying Jay-Z as the person responsible. Doe also apologized to Jay-Z and his family in the declaration.

Jay-Z has consistently denied the allegations. He later filed legal action against Doe, Buzbee, and attorney David Fortney, accusing them of pursuing false claims and attempting to pressure him financially. Buzbee has denied wrongdoing.

Now, Buzbee’s attorneys want Judge Ho to consider Doe’s earlier sworn statements alongside her latest declaration if the court allows the new filing to remain in the case. The conflicting accounts could become an important part of the ongoing legal dispute.

For now, the latest development does not itself establish which version of events is legally true. Instead, it adds another layer to the continuing court battle between Jay-Z and Buzbee, with the parties now disputing not only the original allegations but also the circumstances surrounding their retraction.