Woman who accused Jay-Z of rape withdraws all allegations
What's the story
The woman who accused rapper Jay-Z (Shawn Carter) of raping her in 2000 has recanted her allegations. In a declaration filed on Thursday (local time), she stated that she never met the Grammy winner and that her initial claims were "false." The accuser had alleged in December 2024 that Jay-Z raped her when she was 13.
Statement
'I sincerely and unconditionally apologize to Mr. Carter'
The woman, identified as Jane Doe, said in a statement to CNN, "Mr. Carter never engaged in any inappropriate conduct toward me whatsoever."
"There is no truth to any of my claims against Mr. Carter."
"I sincerely and unconditionally apologize to Mr. Carter for the devastating harm I have caused to him, his family, and his reputation."
Legal proceedings
Lawyer expressed surprise at her recantation
The woman was previously represented by Tony Buzbee, who expressed surprise at her recantation.
"Her case was referred to our firm by another law firm along with the intake information they gathered," he told The New York Times.
"She gave the same detailed story to four lawyers before she met with me."
Now, Jane Doe is represented by J Blair Newman.
Allegations
Earlier, she alleged rape by Diddy and Jay-Z
Jane Doe had alleged that she was raped by Sean "Diddy" Combs and Jay-Z at a party in a New York City residence after the 2000 VMAs. She added Jay-Z's name to the suit two months later.
However, before the lawsuit was dismissed, she acknowledged "inconsistencies" in her claims during a December 2024 interview with NBC News.
Legal action
Jay-Z had filed a countersuit against Jane Doe
In March 2025, Jay-Z filed a countersuit against Jane Doe, Buzbee, and another attorney who represented her.
This week, Jay-Z's lawyers asked the judge to drop Jane Doe from the lawsuit. The case remains pending against the other defendants.
After the dismissal of her civil lawsuit in February 2025, Jay-Z had called it "a victory" on Roc Nation's X account.