A woman who accused hip-hop moguls Sean “Diddy” Combs and Jay-Z of sexually assaulting her when she was 13 has voluntarily dismissed her lawsuit, according to court records filed on Friday.
The civil suit, which was filed in December 2024, alleged that Jay-Z, real name Shawn Carter, and Combs raped the plaintiff at an after-party following the MTV Video Music Awards in September 2000. However, a filing with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York states that the case has been dismissed “with prejudice,” meaning it cannot be refiled.
It remains unclear whether a settlement was reached with the unidentified accuser.
Reacting to the dismissal, Jay-Z, 55, condemned the lawsuit as “frivolous, fictitious, and appalling.”
“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,” he said in a statement. “The trauma that my wife, my children, loved ones, and I have endured can never be dismissed.”
The original lawsuit alleged that both music icons assaulted the plaintiff while another celebrity watched without intervening. It further claimed that Carter had been present with Combs on multiple similar occasions.
While Jay-Z has now been cleared of legal proceedings in this case, Combs is facing separate charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. Federal prosecutors accuse the 55-year-old music producer of orchestrating a pattern of sexual abuse, coercion, and drug-fueled exploitation. Combs has denied all allegations, and his criminal trial is set to begin on May 5.
As the high-profile case unfolds, both Combs and his legal team maintain his innocence, while the entertainment industry watches closely for further developments.
