Jay-Z Says Rape Accusations Have Cost Him Nearly $200 Million

Photo Credit: Giorgio Trovato

Jay-Z says fighting rape allegations and pursuing his ongoing defamation suit against attorney Tony Buzbee has cost him $200 million.

The latest move by Jay-Z against attorney Tony Buzbee—the lawyer representing the Jane Doe who accused the rapper of rape before her lawsuit was dropped—sees him doubling down on assertions that Buzbee has cost him millions. Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, has been trying to sue Buzbee for defamation since March.

In his latest filing, Carter outlines the significant financial losses he’s incurred thanks to the allegations against him—which he insists are “false, malicious lies.” Jay-Z claims to have lost around $200 million overall since the back and forth began. These consist of contracts in the sports and entertainment sectors, a personal credit line, and a loan.

The contracts, he says, would have raked in a minimum of $20 million. “The full fee would have been many millions higher had the contract been performed,” the document claims. The credit line would have been $55 million, and the loan was going to be $115 million. The $20 million in sports contracts was referenced in an earlier filing.

“Mr. Buzbee’s actions undermined my relationship, and my company Roc Nation’s relationship, with other businesses in the sports and entertainment space,” he says.

“We have agreements to produce entertainment programs for certain sporting events. After Mr. Buzbee filed the lawsuit, the media reported that other businesses could end their deals with Roc Nation, and forced one to speak out and address whether these false allegations would end our business relationship,” Carter explained.

“Immediately after Mr. Buzbee went public with his false accusations, my company Roc Nation also lost other contracts in the sports and entertainment space that would have generated revenues of approximately $20 million per year.”

Buzbee and his client voluntarily dismissed Jane Doe’s sexual assault case back in February, and Carter promptly counter-sued Doe in early March. He also filed a defamation suit against Buzbee. Jane Doe insists the accusations made in her lawsuit were not false, despite her withdrawing her lawsuit.

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