Jay-Z calls for rape case against him to be dismissed after accuser acknowledges inconsistencies
A woman who has accused rappers Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs of raping her when she was 13 after the MTV Video Music Awards in 2000, has acknowledged inconsistencies in her story.
The woman, who is identified only as “Jane Doe” (a US legal term to say that she is anonymous), told Sky’s US partner NBC News, “I have made some mistakes”, but says she stands by her allegations overall.
Jay-Z – whose real name is Shawn Carter – and Combs both deny the allegations.
Inconsistencies include the woman alleging she was picked up by her father following the alleged assault, but he says he doesn’t recall making the journey, which would have taken over five hours.
She also named a celebrity she said she spoke to during the party, but that celebrity has said they were not at the party and was touring at the time.
Professional images reviewed by NBC News show Combs and Carter at a different location than the one the woman described. It is not clear what time those images were taken, or if Combs and Carter attended any other after-parties.
The inconsistencies in her account of the incident – alleged to have happened 24 years ago – do not necessarily mean the allegations are false.
A friend who she says drove her from her home in Rochester, New York, to Radio City Music Hall in New York City, is since understood to have died.
The federal lawsuit has been filed by Texas-based lawyer Tony Buzbee, who says he is representing 120 accusers in cases against Combs.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs was named alongside Carter in the lawsuit. Pic: AP
Responding to latest developments, Carter and his lawyer Alex Spiro shared statements on X, calling it a “false complaint” and a “frivolous case”.
Carter wrote: “Today’s investigative report proves this ‘attorney’ Buzbee filed a false complaint against me in the pursuit of money and fame.
“This incident didn’t happen and yet he filed it in court and doubled down in the press.
“True justice is coming. We fight from victory, not for victory.
“This was over before it began. This 1-800 lawyer doesn’t realise it yet, but, soon.”
Carter has previously called for the woman’s identity to be revealed, or for the case to be dismissed.
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What you need to know about Jay-Z allegations
Mr Spiro said: “It is stunning that a lawyer would not only file such a serious complaint without proper vetting, but would make things worse by further peddling this false story in the press.
“We are asking the court to dismiss this frivolous case today, and will take up the matter of additional discipline for Mr Buzbee and all the lawyers that filed the complaint.”
Carter is one of the world’s most successful rappers, rising to fame in the late 1990s, now with 24 Grammys to his name.
Last week he appeared on the red carpet alongside his wife Beyonce and their daughter Blue Ivy Carter, 12, a day after the allegations against him surfaced.
Jay-Z and Beyonce at the premiere of Mufasa: The Lion King. on Monday. Pic: Reuters
Lawyer for the accuser, Mr Buzbee, said in an email to NBC that her claims were continuing to be vetted and corroborating data was being collected.
He went on: “Because we have interrogated her intensely, she has even agreed to submit to a polygraph… This has been extremely distressing for her, to the point she has experienced seizures and had to seek medical treatment due to the stress.”
Mr Buzbee has previously hit out at “foolish” claims he’s attempting to blackmail anyone, and said he intends to address all of the claims in court.
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Combs is a three-time Grammy winner, and one of the most influential hip-hop producers of the past three decades.
His attorneys have called the suit a “shameful money grab”.
Meanwhile, Combs has dropped his bail appeal following three failed attempts, and will remain in jail in Brooklyn until his trial on federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges in May.
Entertainment
Netflix to raise prices for some subscribers as it reports 18.9 million new customers in three months
Netflix is raising prices for some subscribers as it reported 18.9 million new customers in the last three months of 2024.
Prices will rise for users in the United States, Canada, Portugal and Argentina. Netflix has not confirmed if the UK will see any similar price increases.
In the United States a standard monthly plan with adverts will rise to $7.99 (£6.49), a standard plan without ads will increase to $17.99 (£14.60) and a premium plan has gone up to $22.99 (£18.66).
The price in the UK currently stands at £4.99 for a standard monthly plan with adverts, £10.99 for standard without ads, and £17.99 for a premium account.
Netflix ended last year with more than 300 million subscribers – an increase of 41 million from 2023. This eclipsed its previous best year, 2020, which saw it add 36.6 million subscribers as pandemic lockdowns saw people turn to the streaming giant for entertainment.
After it announced the increase in users, Netflix’s shares surged by 14%.
The increase in numbers is widely credited to Netflix’s streaming of a fight between YouTube sensation Jake Paul and former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson, as well as two National Football League games on Christmas Day.
Forrester Research analyst Mike Proulx says live programming is quickly becoming Netflix’s “secret ingredient” that is helping to widen its lead over its streaming rivals.
“With more choice in programming than ever before, streaming services need to differentiate,” Proulx said. “FOMO (fear of missing out) is a powerful tool in piquing interest and creating stickiness.”
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Paul beats Tyson by unanimous decision
In the final three months of 2024, Netflix earned $1.9bn, or $4.27 per share, nearly doubling from the same time in 2023.
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Netflix appears confident the price increases will not trigger a backlash resulting in mass cancellations.
“When you’re going to ask for a price increase, you better make sure you have the goods and the engagement to back it up,” Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said during a conference call with analysts.
Netflix has been contacted for comment.
Joker: Folie a Deux leads this year’s Razzie nominations – five years after the first film led the nods for the Oscars.
The infamous Golden Raspberry Awards mark the films its voters believe to be the worst of the year, with the winners always announced the night before the Academy Awards.
While Joker received 11 Oscar nominations in 2020 – with a best actor win for star Joaquin Phoenix – the sequel was not so well received.
It is up for seven prizes including worst film at this year’s Razzies, with Phoenix and his co-star Lady Gaga also nominated in the acting categories.
Jennifer Lopez is up for a Razzie for her performance in Atlas. Pic: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP 2024
Also up for worst film are sci-fi comedy Borderlands, starring Oscar winner Cate Blanchett; the critically panned Spider-Man spin-off Madame Web, starring Dakota Johnson; Francis Ford Coppola’s self-financed passion project Megalopolis; and Reagan, starring Dennis Quaid as the former president.
Other actors nominated for what the Razzies describes as “less-than-stellar star turns in 2024” include Jennifer Lopez (Atlas), Kevin Hart (Borderlands), and one of Donald Trump’s newly appointed apparent “ambassadors to Hollywood” Jon Voight.
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Voight has a “near record” four titles (Megalopolis, Reagan, Shadow Land and Strangers) that have been included in consideration for his nomination for worst supporting actor, organisers said.
Meanwhile, in contention for worst director alongside Coppola for Megalopolis are SJ Clarkson (Madame Web), Todd Phillips (Joker: Folie a Deux), Eli Roth (Borderlands), and Jerry Seinfeld (Unfrosted).
The Razzies nominations come a day before the shortlists for the Oscars are announced.
More than 1,200 Razzie members – “movie buffs, film critics and journalists” from across the US and more than 20 other countries – voted for the nominees.
The winners will be unveiled on Saturday 1 March, with the Oscars ceremony taking place on Sunday 2 March.
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