Jay-Z seeks to prevent 'evidence destruction' in ongoing rape case
What's the story
Rapper Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, has accused Tony Buzbee, the attorney of an alleged rape victim, of misconduct and rule-breaking.
The woman alleges Jay-Z, along with incarcerated rapper Sean 'Diddy' Combs and an unidentified female celebrity, sexually assaulted her when she was 13 years old in the year 2000.
The alleged incident reportedly occurred in New York.
Dismissal request
Jay-Z's legal team seeks dismissal of claims
As Combs had another hearing in his sex trafficking criminal case on Thursday (US local time), Jay-Z's lawyers once again asked a federal judge to dismiss the claims against their client in this civil case.
To note, the alleged assault by the trio on a then-minor Jane Doe reportedly took place on September 7, 2000, during one of Combs's drug-fueled parties shortly after that year's MTV VMA.
Order proposal
Jay-Z's attorney filed a proposed order to prevent evidence destruction
Meanwhile, Jay-Z's attorney Alex Spiro has submitted a proposed order to Judge Analisa Torres to prevent Buzbee from potential "evidence destruction."
"Taken together, the factual inconsistencies, timeline impossibilities, and the lack of corroborating evidence make Plaintiff's allegations in the FAC wholly unreliable," states a memorandum of law supporting Carter's emergency motion for an order to show cause and a request to preserve evidence.
Denial statement
Jay-Z denied allegations and urged for criminal complaint
On December 8, an amended complaint identified Jay-Z as "Celebrity A" in the alleged group rape.
Jay-Z, in response, issued a handwritten statement denying the allegations and stating: "These allegations are so heinous in nature that I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one!!"
This proposed order comes just 10 days after Jay-Z was named the alleged Celebrity A.
Defense strategy
Jay-Z's defense highlighted inconsistencies in plaintiff's case
The defense team highlighted discrepancies in the plaintiff's case while presenting at Roc Nation's HQ on December 16.
They observed that Doe gave a different account of the alleged incident on NBC than what was mentioned in her court filings.
The filing to US District Judge Torres reads: "The fundamental inconsistencies in Plaintiff's case revealed in the NBC interview, coupled with Buzbee's chronic inability to follow the rules...creates a substantial risk that Buzbee will destroy evidence damaging to Plaintiff's case."