Jay-Z is taking a new approach now that a judge decided the woman who is suing him can keep her identity secret.
According to Rolling Stone and Deadline, the rap mogul’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, filed new paperwork on Monday, December 30, seeking to challenge a lawsuit accusing Jay-Z of rape because the alleged assault is said to have taken place months before a December 2000 law offering civil recourse for victims of gender-motivated violence came into effect. In December 2022, the New York City Council amended the law to allow a two-year window for people to come forward with historical claims that might have otherwise passed the statute of limitations.
The plaintiff cannot win her case under the Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act (the GMV Law) because, according to the law, it does not apply to events that happened before it was enacted, Spiro explained in a letter to Judge Analisa Torres, as reported by Deadline.
He added, “The plaintiff claims a violation of the GMV Law for actions that supposedly took place in September 2000. However, the GMV Law was only created on December 19, 2000, which is three months after the alleged incident, so it can’t be used to support a case that wasn’t possible at that time.”
In a lawsuit filed earlier this month, Jay-Z’s accuser, known only as “Jane Doe,” alleged that she was raped by the rapper and Sean “Diddy” Combs at an MTV Video Music Awards afterparty in 2000 when she was just 13 years old. (Both Jay-Z and Diddy have denied these claims.)
Last week, Judge Torres stated in court documents obtained by TMZ that Jane Doe can keep her identity private after Jay-Z’s lawyer tried to have the case dismissed and reveal her name. However, the judge mentioned that this could change as the case continues. Torres said she plans to look at the issue again if the case moves forward.
Torres also accused Spiro of being confrontational and trying to rush the case, according to the outlet.
Attorney Tony Buzbee, who is representing Doe, commented to Us Weekly, “I usually don’t talk about court decisions. But I will say that the attempts to undermine me as a lawyer for alleged victims are not working.”
Buzbee and Jay-Z are also involved in their own legal dispute. Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, is suing Buzbee for extortion and defamation. Buzbee has also filed a lawsuit against Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, claiming the company bribed his clients to sue him, threatened former clients, and pretended to be state officials. Roc Nation called Buzbee’s lawsuit “nonsense.”