Jay-Z accuser recants under oath: 'I have never met Mr. Carter'

The anonymous woman who accused Jay-Z of raping her when she was 13 years old has filed a sworn declaration in Manhattan federal court stating that every allegation she made against the rapper was false — and that she has never met him.

Shawn 'Jay-Z' Carter never raped me. I have never met or spoken to Mr. Carter. Mr. Carter never engaged in any inappropriate conduct toward me whatsoever. There is no truth to any of my claims against Mr. Carter.— Jane Doe, accuser

The declaration, filed Thursday and signed under penalty of perjury, marks the formal collapse of allegations that Carter, born Shawn Carter, had spent more than a year fighting. Jane Doe also stated she had not received 'financial compensation of any kind' from Carter or anyone acting on his behalf.

Her new attorney, J. Blair Newman, framed the recantation carefully: his client still believes she was a victim of sexual assault, he said, but was 'entirely mistaken' in identifying Carter as her attacker.

Our client maintains that she was a victim of sexual assault, but she was entirely mistaken in her allegations identifying Mr. Carter, and those allegations were false. Mr. Carter did not rape her, sexually assault her, engage in any inappropriate conduct towards her, and she has never met him. She sincerely and unconditionally apologizes to Mr. Carter and his family.— J. Blair Newman, Jane Doe's attorney

Jane Doe first sued Sean 'Diddy' Combs in October 2024, alleging sexual assault but naming only an unnamed celebrity alongside him. Two months later she amended the complaint to name Carter, alleging that both artists had drugged and raped her at a party following the September 2000 MTV Video Music Awards, when she was 13. Carter denied the allegations immediately, calling them 'heinous in nature' and describing the suit as a 'blackmail attempt' by her then-attorney, Tony Buzbee. The lawsuit was voluntarily dismissed with prejudice in February 2025, barring any future refiling.

In her legal declaration, Jane Doe described a chain of events that began with a Facebook advertisement. CNN reports that she came across an ad seeking people with potential sexual assault claims against Sean Combs, which she said 'triggered memories of being raped when I was 13 years old.' AVA Law Group subsequently took up her case and passed it along to Buzbee's firm.

She said the attorneys who took on her case never conducted a background check, never asked for proof of her allegations or corroborating witnesses, and never provided her with a draft of the lawsuit before it was filed. CNN also reports that she had informed the attorneys about 'mental health conditions,' yet said she was 'never asked any questions about whether this affected my memory and recollection of the allegations.'

About a month after her claims against Carter became public, Jane Doe said in her declaration that she 'began to doubt my claims against Mr. Carter' and 'also began doubting that I ever went to a party with celebrities.' Notwithstanding those doubts, Buzbee's firm set up a television interview on her behalf, covering the cost of her flights, hotel, meals, and clothing while also instructing her on 'how to act and what to say,' she said, according to CNN. She texted her mother during the trip expressing astonishment at the spending.

Jane Doe also said in her declaration that shortly before the television interview, she met Buzbee in person for the first time — and that during that meeting, according to CNN, 'Mr. Buzbee gave me $1,000 in cash for myself and my family.' CNN noted that Buzbee did not provide a response when the outlet sought comment. Separately, in a written reply to the New York Times, Buzbee stated that his firm brought in 'a former major crimes police detective to vet her facts' and that she 'gave the same detailed story to four lawyers' before their first meeting.

The recantation arrived on the same day Carter filed a notice voluntarily dismissing Jane Doe as a defendant in his ongoing malicious prosecution and abuse of process lawsuit — a case that remains active against Buzbee. According to Carter, Buzbee continued to press the sexual assault allegations even after Jane Doe indicated they were untrue, and sent what Carter characterized as an 'extortionate' letter seeking payment in November 2024, then added Carter to the lawsuit after he declined to pay. Buzbee has denied that characterization, telling USA Today the letters were 'standard demand letters' seeking confidential mediation with no specific dollar amount and no threats.

I understand my false accusations have caused Mr. Carter immense pain, suffering, and damage that can never be fully undone.— Jane Doe, accuser

Carter's malicious prosecution case against Buzbee is still pending in federal court in New York. The California extortion lawsuit Carter filed against Buzbee under a John Doe pseudonym in November 2024 — later revealing his identity when the assault allegations became public — was ultimately dismissed.

Why it matters — The sworn recantation closes the criminal-allegation chapter against Jay-Z while keeping alive a federal lawsuit that could determine whether an attorney can be held liable for pursuing claims a client later says were false.

Sources differ on Nature of Buzbee's November 2024 letter to Carter: Carter's lawsuit describes it as an 'extortionate' letter demanding money. (usatoday.com) vs Buzbee says it was a 'standard demand letter' seeking confidential mediation with no specific dollar amount and no threats. (usatoday.com)

Reported by cnn.com, usatoday.com