Tony Buzbee has been barred from practicing law in the five boroughs that comprise New York City.
According to legal documents obtained by prolific and renowned court reporter Megann Cuniff, Buzbee has lost permission to practice law in the Southern District of New York.
The Texas-based attorney’s banishment covers New York, The Bronx, Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Orange, Dutchess, and Sullivan counties in the state, which includes New York City’s five boroughs.
The court reporter insinuates there is a correlation between the civil lawsuit that Buzbee filed against Jay-Z that was eventually dismissed “with prejudice,” which means the lawsuit can never be filed again, and getting barred temporarily.
This is problematic for the celebrated attorney. He has filed more than a dozen cases against Sean “Diddy” Combs in the city. He faces an inability to follow through on the cases.
According to Cuniff, the ruling came from the Committee on Grievances for the Southern District of New York, which investigates alleged attorney misconduct.
Cuniff tweets that Buzbee failed to ask for permission to practice in the district before submitting for admission on Jan. 29, 2025. He reportedly did so recently because his negligence was pointed out in a lawsuit accusing Jay-Z and Diddy of sexual assault against a 13-year-old girl in 2000.
In a second Cuniff post on X, she points out Buzbee has to seek “pro hac vice” admission, which means Buzbee now has to file a denial letter every time he wants to litigate in the Southern District of New York.
Cuniff continues in a third post on the case, which confirms that Buzbee has lost his ability to practice law in the district indefinitely.
After the Jane Doe withdrew her lawsuit against Jay-Z, the Roc Nation billionaire issued a statement: “Today is a victory. The frivolous, fictitious and appalling allegations have been dismissed. This civil suit was without merit and never going anywhere. The fictional tale they created was laughable, if not for the seriousness of the claims. I would not wish this experience on anyone. The trauma that my wife, my children, my loved ones and I have endured can never be dismissed.”
Jay is now suing Buzbee for causing he and his family incalculable harm, not to mention the loss of about “$20 million per year” in business dealings.
It remains to be seen how this will impact Buzbee’s civil suits against Diddy he filed in 2024.
