Jay-Z is escalating his legal battle against attorney Tony Buzbee, accusing the Houston lawyer of helping orchestrate a fabricated death-threat narrative to conceal what the rapper's legal team describes as unauthorized legal practice in federal court.
In a newly filed motion seeking permission to amend his lawsuit against Buzbee and others, Jay-Z, real name Shawn Carter, claims Buzbee and his legal team engaged in multiple acts of deception during the now-dismissed sexual assault case that accused the Roc Nation founder of raping a minor. The filing argues that those alleged actions warrant a new claim under New York Judiciary Law Section 487, which allows damages against attorneys accused of intentionally deceiving courts or parties.
According to the filing, Jay-Z's attorneys allege that attorney David Fortney told the anonymous accuser, identified as Jane Doe, that Jay-Z had threatened to kill her. The motion characterizes the claim as false and argues it was used to persuade Doe to quickly abandon the lawsuit before questions surrounding Buzbee's ability to practice in the Southern District of New York could be fully scrutinized.
"Defendant Fortney falsely (and outrageously) even told Doe that Carter had threatened to kill her in order to convince her to dismiss the Underlying Action, so that he and Buzbee could avoid sanctions for their unauthorized practice of law," Jay-Z's attorneys wrote in the filing.
The proposed amended complaint goes even further, alleging that Doe later admitted in a recorded conversation that Jay-Z "didn't sexually assault" her and that "Buzbee brought Jay-Z into it." The filing claims Doe also said Buzbee was the person who pushed her to move forward with allegations against the rapper.
Jay-Z's legal team contends the dismissal of the underlying lawsuit came shortly after Buzbee encountered issues regarding his admission to practice before the Southern District of New York. The filing notes that Judge Analisa Torres had ordered Buzbee to provide proof of admission, and alleges that his application was denied before the case was voluntarily dismissed with prejudice.
The motion also accuses Buzbee of improperly using the credentials of New York attorney Antigone Curis to file documents in federal court while not authorized to practice there himself. Jay-Z's attorneys argue those allegations, combined with the alleged death-threat story and other conduct, support the addition of a Section 487 claim against the attorneys involved.
The latest filing is part of Jay-Z's broader lawsuit against Buzbee, Fortney, Curis, Curis Law, and Jane Doe. Jay-Z alleges the defendants knowingly pursued false accusations against him in an effort to extract a settlement and cause reputational damage. The filing claims the allegations cost him business opportunities and inflicted significant personal and professional harm.
Buzbee has previously denied wrongdoing and rejected Jay-Z's allegations, maintaining that the lawsuit against him lacks merit. The court has not ruled on Jay-Z's request to amend his complaint.
