20 Feb – Having the rape case against him dismissed isn't enough for Jay-Z, as the hip hop mogul has now blasted Texas-based attorney Tony Buzbee - who named him in the now dismissed lawsuit. In a court declaration filed before the dismissal, Jay-Z, name is Shawn Carter, claimed the accusations caused approximately USD 20 million in damages to his business interests, detailing the widespread impact on his entertainment empire. He also stated that he was criticised for accompanying his daughter to the premier of "Mufasa: The Lion King", with reports saying that Disney was hesitant about having him attending the premiere following the filing.
The lawsuit, initially filed using pseudonyms "Celebrity A and B," alleged that a teenage Jane Doe was sexually assaulted by Sean "Diddy" Combs and Jay-Z at a house party after the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards. Buzbee later explicitly named Jay-Z as Celebrity A in a December refiling. The case was dismissed with prejudice on 14 February, meaning it cannot be refiled, though no explanation was provided for the dismissal. "I feel that Mr. Buzbee purposely filed this lawsuit on the eve of my daughter's premiere to put me in the position of having to choose between supporting my daughter or hiding to avoid the negative press coverage," Jay-Z added.