Jay-Z, Sean "Diddy" Combs accuser drops sexual assault lawsuit

The attorney representing Jane Doe has dismissed the complaint against Sean "Diddy" Combs and Jay-Z over the alleged rape of a 13-year-old girl in 2000, according to a court filing in New York on Friday.

The civil claim "is voluntarily dismissed with prejudice," the woman's attorney stated in a notification filed Friday in Manhattan's United States District Court.

Jay-Z's attorneys had urged a judge to dismiss the lawsuit, but the plaintiff's lawyers at the time defended the accuser in court filings, claiming that being a victim of sexual assault might induce memory loss. Court papers submitted by the plaintiff on Friday said the suit had been “voluntarily dismissed with prejudice,” meaning that it cannot be refiled.

Jay-Z, who has previously rejected the allegations, praised the judgment in a statement, stating that the suit was "never going anywhere."

“The frivolous, fictitious and appalling allegations have been dismissed,” he wrote. “This civil suit was without merit and never going anywhere. The fictional tale they created was laughable, if not for the seriousness of the claims. I would not wish this experience on anyone. The trauma that my wife, my children, loved ones and I have endured can never be dismissed. The system has failed. The court must protect victims, OF COURSE, while with the same ethical responsibility, the courts must protect the innocent from being accused without a shred of evidence. May the truth prevail for all victims and those falsely accused equally.”

The case was filed in October 2024, and then amended in December to include Jay-Z's name. It claims the underage girl went to the Video Music Awards in New York City to win a ticket but was instead invited to an afterparty.

According to the lawsuit, she became lightheaded after drinking and walked into a room with a bed to lie down. Carter, Combs, and another lady entered the room, and according to the lawsuit, the rappers raped her.

According to court filings, the lady, who now resides in Alabama, was seeking unspecified damages. U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres ruled in December that the woman can proceed anonymously at this point of the case.

Lawyers for Mr. Combs, who is in a Brooklyn jail awaiting trial on racketeering and sex trafficking allegations, said in a statement on Friday that the rejection was "yet another confirmation that these lawsuits are built on falsehoods, not facts."

“Sean Combs has never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone — man or woman, adult or minor,” the statement said. "No number of lawsuits, sensationalized allegations, or media theatrics will change that reality."

Combs has been incarcerated at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, since September 2024 on allegations of racketeering and sex trafficking. He has been denied bail three times and will stay detained until his trial on May 5, 2025, when it is possible that he may face life in prison.