Tony Buzbee Calls Out Jay-Z's 'Misguided Attempt' to Evade Justice in a High-Profile Rape Case

Things got even messier in 2025 when lawyer Tony Buzbee slammed Jay-Z for denying sexual assault allegations against him.

The case, stemming from a 2000 incident involving an unnamed plaintiff referred to as Jane Doe, was brought by Buzbee.

In response to a motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed by Jay-Z, Buzbee, according to AllHipHop, said that the rapper's legal approach is only "misguided efforts," and that it "is inconsistent with the intent of the law." He claims the law is on his side and is ready to fight Jay-Z on every inch of ground.

Jay-Z's team was adamant about this as a central argument, contending that the New York City Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act (GMV Law) could not be applied retroactively when the alleged assault took place in September 2000 before the law was created.

Buzbee disputed that interpretation, saying the law was meant to offer a way for victims to pursue justice, even if their incidents predate the passage of the law.

However, Buzbee, for his part, has challenged Jay-Z's dependence on lower-court decisions about the GMVA's retroactivity as unpersuasive, stating that neither the Second Circuit nor the New York Court of Appeals have decided the issue definitively.

Jay-Z's attorneys also said that anything subject to the GMVA is governed by the Child Victims Act (CVA), and not only are the GMVA claims untimely, the CVA supersedes conflicting statutes.

But Buzbee disputes that argument, noting past rulings in cases where courts have turned away such preemption claims.

Buzbee, in defending his client, said, "The GMVA was designed to help survivors, not to give alleged perpetrators a loophole."

Jay-Z's defense also argues over where the so-called assault took place. His squad says it happened outside of New York City and is therefore ineligible under the GMVA.

This argument, according to Buzbee, is also premature and procedurally improper, and he has urged the court to deny Jay-Z's motion on that basis as well.

The case is still in its early stages, with discovery not even started yet. Buzbee and Jay-Z's lawyers are still in a court wrestling match over the laws of this highly publicized lawsuit.

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