Jay-Z’s defamation and extortion lawsuit against famed Texas attorney Tony Buzbee reportedly contains enough merit to proceed to trial.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mark H. Epstein made the ruling on Tuesday, Feb. 25, about a week after Buzbee and his unnamed client dropped the inflammatory sexual assault lawsuit against Jay-Z.
Jay-Z said the accuser’s suit never had merit
The woman, named “Jane Doe,” had accused Jay-Z and Diddy of tag-teaming her by plying her with drugs and then sexually assaulting her during an afterparty of the MTV Video Music Awards in 2000. She claimed she was only 13 years old at that time.
After Jane Doe and Buzbee dismissed the lawsuit against Jay-Z “with prejudice,” meaning she can never file this case again, Jay-Z went on the offensive. Jay excoriated Buzbee as an unscrupulous, ambulance-chasing lawyer who failed to perform his due diligence in vetting his client before filing the allegedly defamatory lawsuit against him.
Jay-Z said the harm incurred by his family is incalculable
In his statement following the case’s dismissal, Jay lamented the fact that the case caused his family incalculable harm and excruciating pain, not to mention costing him about $20 million in business deals.
Soon thereafter, Jay-Z filed the counter-lawsuit against Buzbee in February 2025. According to the Los Angeles Times, the judge has scheduled a hearing for March 26 where he will rule on the extortion portion of the lawsuit. Yahoo! News reports that the extortion claim is “unlikely to stand”
Why the lawsuit against Tony Buzbee is going to trial
Nevertheless, the remainder of the case will proceed to trial based on Buzbee’s behavior since the case was filed in December 2024.
The judge said Buzbee recklessly referred to the accuser as a “sexual assault survivor” in a social media post, despite the glaring lack of evidence to corroborate his claims.
Buzbee also “liked” a social media post implying that Jay-Z was the unnamed defendant in a related lawsuit before the rapper had been publicly named. The judge deemed this as reckless and malicious, which meets the legal threshold for alleged defamation.
“The conduct alleged raises serious questions about whether Buzbee acted with actual malice, a key component in defamation cases involving public figures,” the judge noted in his ruling, according to Yahoo!
Legal implications for Buzbee are profound
The impending trial against Buzbee raises serious implications since he has filed multiple lawsuits against Sean “Diddy” Combs, including a class-action lawsuit of 120 people that accused the Bad Boy boss of untoward behavior and sexual deviancy.
There were reports that Buzbee has already been temporarily barred from practicing law in the Southern District of New York State, which includes the five boroughs that comprise New York City, for not following required procedures when he filed his now-defunct lawsuit against Jay-Z.
However, Buzbee emphatically denied that in an Instagram statement.
“Over the past week, I’ve gotten multiple inquiries from friends and colleagues expressing concern and asking why I have been ‘barred’ from practicing law in New York State and offering their assistance,” he said. “I myself have seen several press agencies, some borderline legitimate, reporting that same trash. Let me be clear. I’m licensed to practice law in New York. I’m in good standing with the state bar and have always been. Although I prefer Texas, I’m proud of the legal work we are doing in New York. Don’t believe the click bait or dramatic headlines. Most of what’s reported nowadays is pure bunk by those with an agenda.”
