Jay-Z has issued a statement after his name was added in a civil lawsuit that accuses both the rapper and Sean “Diddy” Combs of allegedly raping a 13-year-old girl in 2000.
According to a NBC News report, the lawsuit filed by the Texas-based Tony Buzbee was originally filed in October in the Southern District of New York and listed Combs as the defendant. NBC News reports it was refiled Sunday to include Jay-Z, whose full name is Shawn Carter.
The accuser is ID’ed as Jane Doe in the suit. The assault allegedly happened after she was driven to a party after the MTV Video Music Awards.
In a statement posted on his Roc Nation account on Instagram, Jay-Z accuses Buzbee of blackmail in what he deemed a “demand letter” from the attorney.
“What he had calculated was the nature of these allegations and the public scrutiny would make me want to settle. No sir, it had the opposite effect! It made me want to expose you for the fraud you are in a VERY public fashion. So no, I will not give you ONE RED PENNY!!
“These allegations are so heinous in nature that I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one!! 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.