Meta Description: Jay-Z’s former anonymous accuser has withdrawn her allegations in a sworn declaration, saying she never met him and apologising to him and his family.
The woman who accused Jay-Z of sexually assaulting her when she was 13 has now withdrawn those allegations, saying in a sworn court declaration that her claims against the rapper were false and that she had never met him.
The dramatic development comes nearly two years after the anonymous woman filed a lawsuit that named Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs over an alleged incident said to have occurred after the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards.
In the new declaration, filed in Manhattan federal court, the woman said Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, never assaulted her or behaved inappropriately toward her. She also apologised to Jay-Z, his family and his reputation for the damage caused by her earlier accusations.
Jay-Z Accuser Says Claims Were False
The anonymous woman, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, made a significant change to her previous account in the new filing.
She stated that she had never met or spoken to Jay-Z and that there was no truth to her claims against him.
The declaration also acknowledged that the allegations had caused significant harm to the rapper and his family.
The woman said she understood that the accusations had caused damage that could not be completely undone and expressed an unconditional apology.
The statement represents a major reversal from the allegations contained in the lawsuit filed in 2024.
The Original Jay-Z Lawsuit
The original lawsuit was filed in December 2024.
The woman alleged that she had been sexually assaulted following the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards and named Jay-Z and Sean Combs in the case.
Jay-Z strongly denied the allegations from the beginning.
The lawsuit was later voluntarily dismissed in February 2025, bringing the case against the two entertainers to an end.
Jay-Z subsequently pursued legal action involving the woman and her former lawyers, arguing that the allegations had been improperly pursued.
The latest declaration has now changed the legal situation further, with Jay-Z’s lawyers moving to dismiss the claims against the woman while continuing their legal action involving her former attorneys.
Woman Accuses Former Lawyers of Failing to Investigate
In her new declaration, the woman also raised serious allegations about the way her former legal team handled her case.
She claimed that her lawyers did not properly verify her account before filing the lawsuit.
She further alleged that members of the legal team arranged travel and accommodation connected to a television interview and provided meals and clothing.
The woman also alleged that she was coached about what to say during the interview and given cash.
These are allegations contained in her declaration and have not been established as facts by a court.
She also stated that Jay-Z’s team never threatened her and never offered her money to withdraw or change her allegations.
Her Current Lawyer Gives a Different Explanation
Despite withdrawing the allegations against Jay-Z, the woman’s current lawyer, Tony Buzbee, has maintained that she remains a victim of sexual assault.
Her current attorney said the woman was mistaken when identifying Jay-Z as the person involved.
That distinction is important because the new declaration does not necessarily mean that the woman is withdrawing every aspect of her account of having experienced sexual assault.
Instead, her current legal position is that Jay-Z was incorrectly identified in her earlier allegations.
The declaration therefore creates a significant difference between her allegations against Jay-Z and the position now being presented by her current legal team.
Tony Buzbee Disputes Claims About the Case
Attorney Tony Buzbee has disputed the woman’s account that her allegations were not properly investigated.
According to reports, Buzbee said he had not accepted the suggestion that the case was simply filed without verification.
He said the woman had given substantially the same account to multiple lawyers before the lawsuit was filed.
His firm also said it hired a former major-crimes detective to investigate the allegations.
Buzbee’s response means that important questions remain about what the legal team knew at the time the allegations were pursued and how the original account was investigated.
Those questions are now part of Jay-Z’s continuing legal dispute with the lawyers who represented the woman.
Jay-Z Drops Claims Against the Woman
Following the new declaration, Jay-Z’s lawyers moved to voluntarily dismiss their claims against the anonymous woman.
The move means that she is no longer a defendant in Jay-Z’s ongoing case.
However, the legal dispute involving her former attorneys has not ended.
Jay-Z continues to pursue claims against Buzbee and his law firm relating to the way the original allegations were handled.
The legal questions surrounding the attorneys therefore remain separate from the woman’s withdrawal of the allegations against Jay-Z.
A Major Reversal in a High-Profile Case
The development marks one of the biggest turns in the legal saga involving Jay-Z.
When the allegations first emerged, the rapper publicly denied them and maintained that the claims were false.
The woman later withdrew the lawsuit in 2025, but the wider legal dispute continued.
Now, her sworn declaration directly states that her allegations against Jay-Z were false and that she had never met him.
At the same time, her current lawyer maintains that she was a victim of sexual assault but mistakenly identified Jay-Z.
Those competing positions are important to understanding what the latest court filing does and does not establish.
The declaration changes the woman’s position toward Jay-Z, while the separate dispute involving the attorneys remains active.
Jay-Z Legal Battle Continues
For Jay-Z, the latest development removes the anonymous woman from his ongoing lawsuit but leaves his legal claims against her former lawyers unresolved.
The case now centres more heavily on questions about the conduct and handling of the original lawsuit.
The latest filing has also brought an apology from the woman, who acknowledged the effect the allegations had on Jay-Z, his family and his reputation.
The legal battle may therefore continue even after the withdrawal of the original allegations.
For now, the most significant development is clear: the woman who previously accused Jay-Z has formally withdrawn those claims and stated under oath that she never met him.
