Whew! Jay-Z’s Lawsuit Gets Tossed As Judge Dismisses Extortion And Defamation Case Against Tony Buzbee
Jay-Z may not have “99 Problems,” but Tony Buzbee definitely seems to be the “one” he can’t shake. In a big legal twist, a California judge just dismissed Hov’s extortion and defamation lawsuit against the Houston-based attorney…and let’s just say, both sides got a lot to say.
As previously reported, Jay-Z (real name Shawn Carter) originally filed the lawsuit after Buzbee attached the rapper’s name to a highly controversial case involving an Alabama woman. The woman, listed as Jane Doe, had claimed she was sexually assaulted at age 13. But once Jay-Z’s legal team came through with receipts, the woman quickly dropped all allegations against him. She kept her case against Diddy, though.
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Despite Doe backing off Jay-Z, the Roc Nation mogul wasn’t letting the accusations slide. His team sued Buzbee and co-counsel David Fortney, claiming they were “soullessly motivated by greed” and showed “abject disregard of the truth and the most fundamental precepts of human decency.” But Judge Mark Epstein wasn’t fully convinced—dropping the gavel on the case with a 65-page ruling.
Judge Mark Epstein Breaks Down His Reasoning—And Leaves The Door Wide Open For Appeal
Judge Epstein, clearly aware of how high-profile this case is, made sure to explain himself in detail. According to his decision, while some of the conduct looked shady, it didn’t technically qualify as extortion—at least, not in the criminal sense.
“While it is true that the alleged conduct here constitutes criminal activity, defendants fall well short of threatening to go to the police unless Carter pays up,” Epstein wrote according to Rolling Stone. He added that what was presented to the court looked more like a civil settlement, not a demand tied to keeping quiet about a crime.
Jay-Z’s Attorney Fires Back After Judge Tosses Case: “We Are Surprised And Disappointed”
Jay-Z’s legal pitbull, Alex Spiro, wasted no time clapping back after the judge’s decision. In a statement to Rolling Stone, he said:
“We are surprised and disappointed by this ruling which turns on the misapplication of California law on the admissibility of the investigators’ statements. Notably, the Judge expressly states that his decision would have ‘change[d] dramatically’ if he had admitted the statements into evidence as they would have shown ‘not only that Carter had nothing to do with any sexual assault on Doe, but that Buzbee knew it…’ and thus ‘the court would come out the other way on this motion.’”
Spiro didn’t stop there. He continued:
“What does it say about our justice system if someone can knowingly bring about completely false claims of the most heinous nature imaginable against an innocent individual and get away with it on a technicality? We plan to appeal this case immediately.”
Tony Buzbee Responds to Jay-Z Lawsuit Being Dismissed—And He’s Poppin’ Off
While Jay and his team are gearing up for appeal, Buzbee is throwing his own celebration. He took to X (formerly Twitter) with this message:
“Yet another huge win!! John Doe’s case against me and The Buzbee Law Firm alleging extortion and defamation was thrown out by the court. As I said when it was filed, the case was completely meritless. We will now seek attorneys’ fees against John Doe for bringing the legally flawed case.”
It’s clear both camps aren’t backing down any time soon. With Spiro promising an appeal and Buzbee trying to collect legal fees, this legal showdown is far from over.