JAY-Z is one step closer to having the assault lawsuit filed against him dismissed. On January 2, a federal judge granted the rapper’s legal team permission to file a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.
The case, brought by an anonymous woman claiming that JAY-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs assaulted her at a 2000 MTV Video Music Awards after-party, has raised significant legal questions.
The woman, referred to as Jane Doe, alleges that she was drugged and assaulted by the two hip-hop moguls at the after-party when she was only 13 years old. However, JAY-Z’s attorney, Alex Spiro, presented a multi-layered defense, questioning the validity of the claims.
One key argument revolves around the timing of the New York City Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act (GMV Law), which was not enacted until December 2000, three months after the alleged incident.
Spiro argues that since the law was not in effect at the time of the incident, the statute cannot support Doe’s claims.
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Further complicating the case, Spiro asserts that the location of the alleged assault also invalidates the claim under the GMV Law.
According to Spiro, the woman claims she was driven 20 minutes from Radio City Music Hall to the location of the after-party, suggesting the event took place outside New York City and, therefore, is not covered by the GMV Law.
Additionally, JAY-Z’s legal team contends that the state’s Child Victims Act, which allowed expired abuse claims to be filed, closed in August 2021, making the case ineligible for legal action.
In response, the woman’s attorney, Tony Buzbee, argued that JAY-Z’s defense misinterprets the purpose of the GMV Law, which was created to offer justice to victims of incidents before its enactment. Buzbee also rejected the idea that the alleged assault happened outside New York City, stating that discovery has yet to begin.
JAY-Z’s team has until February 6 to file their motion to dismiss, while Doe’s attorney has until February 28 to respond. JAY-Z’s team will have until March 14 to reply to the opposition.
