Jay-Z accuser says her rape claims against him were false

The woman who accused Jay-Z of raping her when she was 13 has recanted her allegations against the music mogul.

In a filing Thursday from lawyers representing Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, the former accuser said that her allegations against the rapper were “false,” adding that she “never met Mr. Carter. Mr. Carter never engaged in any inappropriate conduct toward me whatsoever. There is no truth to any of my claims against Mr. Carter.”

In the filing, she added that she falsely claimed that Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs raped her while watched by another celebrity, whose name is redacted.

The filing is part of Jay-Z’s ongoing malicious prosecution lawsuit against the woman’s former attorney, Tony Buzbee, which was filed in February 2025 in New York. Carter’s lawyers said this week they were dropping the woman, known as Jane Doe, from the suit.

Buzbee, Doe and representatives for Jay-Z and Combs didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. Combs is serving a sentence in federal prison after he was convicted in July 2025 of prostitution-related crimes, in a separate case.

The woman came forward in December 2024, in a civil lawsuit filed by Buzbee, accusing Jay-Z and Combs of raping her at a house party following the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards, which were held in New York. Days after the suit was filed, she sat down with NBC News for an interview and doubled down on her claims. But after NBC News pointed out inconsistencies in her account, she said in a subsequent phone interview that she had “made some mistakes.”

At the time, Combs’ attorneys described the suit as a “shameful money grab,” while Jay-Z’s lawyer Alex Spiro called it a “frivolous case.”

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In February 2025, Doe dropped her lawsuit with prejudice, meaning she couldn’t file it again.

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In this week’s filing, Doe writes: “I understand that my false accusations have caused Mr. Carter immense pain, suffering, and damage that can never be fully undone. I sincerely and unconditionally apologize to Mr. Carter for the devastating harm I have caused to him, his family and his reputation.”

She also said in the filing that Buzbee and his team paid her $1,000 before she sat down for NBC News’ interview.

In a separate suit, Jay-Z initially sued Buzbee in 2024 in California, accusing Buzbee of extortion and defamation. It was dismissed in June 2025, and the California Court of Appeals affirmed that decision earlier this month. Representatives for Buzbee and his law firm called the appeals court’s ruling “a complete vindication for our clients.”