Jay-Z is escalating his legal battle with attorney Tony Buzbee, accusing the Houston lawyer of helping orchestrate a fabricated death threat to cover up what the rapper's legal team says was the unauthorized practice of law in federal court.
In a recently filed motion for leave to amend his lawsuit against Buzbee and others, Jay-Z, real name Shawn Carter, alleges that Buzbee and his legal team committed numerous acts of deception during a now-dismissed sexual assault case in which the Roc Nation founder was accused of raping a minor. The motion argues that these alleged acts provide grounds for a new claim under Section 487 of the New York Judicial Law, which allows for damages to be recovered from attorneys accused of intentionally deceiving the courts or parties.
According to the documents filed, Jay-Z's lawyers claim that attorney David Fortney told an anonymous accuser, identified as Jane Doe, that Jay-Z had threatened to kill her. The motion characterizes this claim as false and claims it was used to persuade Doe to quickly drop the lawsuit before questions regarding Buzbee's eligibility to practice law in the Southern District of New York could be fully considered.
«"Defendant Fortney falsely (and outrageously) stated to Doe that Carter threatened to kill her in order to persuade her to drop the underlying litigation so that he and Buzbee could avoid sanctions for their unauthorized practice of law," Jay-Z's lawyers wrote in their filing.
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The proposed amended complaint further alleges that Doe later admitted in a recorded conversation that Jay-Z "did not sexually assault" her and that "Buzbee coerced Jay-Z into it." The complaint also claims that Doe claimed it was Buzbee who pushed her to press charges against the rapper.
Jay-Z's legal team claims the dismissal of the underlying lawsuit occurred shortly after Buzbee encountered problems with his admission to practice law in the Southern District of New York. The filing notes that Judge Analisa Torres ordered Buzbee to provide proof of admission and asserts that his motion was denied before the case was voluntarily dismissed without leave to retry.
The motion also alleges that Buzbee improperly used the authority of New York attorney Antigone Kouris to file documents in federal court, despite not having the legal authority to practice law there. Jay-Z's lawyers argue that these allegations, combined with the alleged death threats and other actions, support the need to file a 487 lawsuit against the attorneys involved.
The latest lawsuit is part of a larger lawsuit filed by Jay-Z against Buzbee, Fortney, Curis, the Curis Law Firm, and Jane Doe. Jay-Z claims the defendants knowingly made false accusations against him in an attempt to secure a settlement and damage his reputation. The lawsuit states that these accusations deprived him of business opportunities and caused him significant personal and professional harm.
Buzbee previously denied any wrongdoing and rejected Jay-Z's accusations, claiming the lawsuit against him was baseless. The court has not yet ruled on Jay-Z's request to amend the terms of his lawsuit.
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