Jay-Z and Diddy's Teen Assault Lawsuit Escalates as 99 Problems Rapper Drops Sanctions Motion Against Tony Buzbee

Jay-Z withdraws sanctions request, keeps bid to dismiss teen assault lawsuit involving Sean Diddy Combs. Read on to know the details.

Written by Ipshita Chakraborty , Entertainment Journalist

Published on Feb 06, 2025 | 01:31 PM IST | 7.3K

CC: Getty Images

Trigger Warning: This article contains mention of sexual assault.

Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, has retracted his sanctions request against attorney Tony Buzbee while moving to dismiss a lawsuit that linked him to a sexual assault case involving Sean "Diddy" Combs.

The rapper's lawyers, led by Alex Spiro, filed a formal withdrawal of the motion to dismiss the lawsuit without prejudice in a filing to Judge Analisa Torres. This filing comes months after the bombshell lawsuit that accused Carter, Combs, and an unidentified female celebrity of repeatedly sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl in 2000.

Despite withdrawing the sanctions motion, Carter has doubled down on his efforts to dismiss the complaint. Spiro filed another motion arguing that the claim is automatically dismissed under the Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act (GMVPA).

As per Deadline, Spiro noted, "Plaintiff’s sole claim—a violation of the GMVPA—fails as a matter of law because the alleged assault purportedly occurred in September 2000, three months before the statute was enacted."

He argues that since the alleged assault happened three months before the statute was enacted, the law does not apply. Spiro also contends that applying the law retroactively would violate constitutional protections.

"Nothing in its text or legislative history reflects any intent at all to extend the statute’s reach to conduct predating its enactment, let alone an unequivocal requirement, which is an essential predicate for overcoming the strong presumption against retroactivity," Spiro stated in the February 4 filing.

"Giving it that effect now would violate the Due Process and Ex Post Facto Clauses of the Constitution in light of the statute’s punitive nature. Dismissal with prejudice is therefore warranted," he added.

Although Jay-Z has withdrawn his motion for sanctions, he is pushing harder for the case’s dismissal. The lawsuit originally named Combs as the primary perpetrator but kept his alleged accomplices anonymous. On December 8, Buzbee identified Jay-Z as "Celebrity A." The rapper has denied the allegations and has attempted to reveal the plaintiff's identity.

Meanwhile, Sean "Diddy" Combs faces separate criminal charges, including racketeering and sex trafficking; his trial is set to begin in May. A conviction could result in a life sentence. Jay-Z remains in the public eye, recently appearing at the 2025 Grammy Awards with his wife, Beyoncé.