Jay-Z, the rapper whose real name is Shawn Carter, was accused of drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl, allegedly along with Sean "Diddy" Combs, in 2000, according to a civil lawsuit filed in federal court on Sunday.
The anonymous plaintiff, identified as "Jane Doe," said the assault took place at an MTV Video Music Awards after-party.
According to the accuser, an unidentified female celebrity stood by and watched Combs and Carter take turns raping the minor, and no one at the party attempted to stop the assault.
NBC News was the first to report the accusations against Carter. The lawsuit was initially filed in October in the District Court of the Southern District of New York, with Combs named as a defendant. It was refiled on Sunday to include Carter.
Tony Buzbee, the Texas attorney who filed the complaint, has filed several lawsuits against Combs in recent months accusing the hip-hop mogul of physical assault and rape. Buzbee's lawsuit accused Carter of filing his own lawsuit against Buzbee, which Buzbee called "frivolous."
None of the accusers have been named, and Jay-Z is the first high-profile defendant Buzbee has listed besides Combs.
In a statement emailed to NPR, Carter said he was the target of a blackmail attempt designed to extort settlement money.
"These allegations are so heinous in nature that I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one!!" he said. "Whomever would commit such a crime against a minor should be locked away, would you not agree? These alleged victims would deserve real justice if that were the case."
"My only heartbreak is for my family," Carter added. "My wife and I will have to sit our children down, one of whom is at the age where her friends will surely see the press and ask questions about the nature of these claims, and explain the cruelty and greed of people. I mourn yet another loss of innocence."
Representatives for Combs, who has denied all accusations against him, declined to comment on the record.
In September, Combs was criminally charged with federal offenses including sex trafficking and racketeering. He is currently awaiting a May 5 trial for those charges, while behind bars at a Brooklyn detention center. He was denied bail for a third time last month.
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