Jay-Z is speaking frankly about the impact of the recent, now dismissed, lawsuit against him.
Last week, a lawsuit brought forward by attorney Tony Buzbee and a Jane Doe alleging that the "Izzo" rapper had raped a 13-year-old girl, along with beleaguered fellow rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs, was dismissed.
The bombshell allegation was first made public a day before the 24-time Grammy winner was set to support his daughter Blue Ivy at a premiere, and he has now spoken out — and filed a lawsuit himself — about the series of events.
Per People, in a declaration filed in Los Angeles on Monday, February 10, Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, claimed that Tony purposefully inflicted emotional distress on him by filing and naming him in the lawsuit, two months after it was initially filed.
In the declaration he maintained that the move forcefully "put me in the position of having to choose between supporting my daughter or hiding to avoid the negative press."
The event in question was the premiere of Disney's Mufasa: The Lion King on December 9 of last year, in which both Blue Ivy, 13, and her mom Beyoncé, have roles. The "COZY" singer's mom Tina Knowles was also in attendance at the event.
© Gilbert FloresIn addition to Blue, Beyoncé and Jay-Z, who have been married since 2008, are also parents to twins Rumi and Sir, who are seven years old.
"I felt that Mr. Buzbee was placing a gun to my head that I either bow to his demands or endure personal and financial ruin," the father-of-three stated in the declaration.
© LISA O'CONNORHis claims tie into an ongoing lawsuit he filed against Tony back in October, in which he accused him of civil extortion, defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
© John Angelillo/UPI/ShutterstockIn it, he further alleged that he lost $20 million in contracts due to the false allegations made in the dismissed lawsuit, and that he has been going through deep "mental anguish" because of it since it was filed.
© CBSAfter the suit — in which the Jane Doe alleged that she was raped by the two rappers while a female celebrity yet-to-be named watched during a party in New York City after the 2000 VMAs — was dismissed, Jay-Z issued a statement via the Roc Nation X account.
"Today is a victory. The frivolous, fictitious and appalling allegations have been dismissed. 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. I would not wish this experience on anyone. The trauma that my wife, children, loved ones and I have endured can never be dismissed," it read in part.
