NEW YORK — Carter filed a notice on the same day voluntarily dismissing Jane Doe as a defendant in his ongoing malicious-prosecution lawsuit against attorney Tony Buzbee and his law firm. The declaration was obtained by Rolling Stone Canada.

"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," Jane Doe wrote in the filing. She added that there is no truth to any of her claims against Carter.

Jane Doe acknowledged the impact of her previous statements in the court document. "I understand my false accusations have caused Mr. Carter immense pain, suffering, and damage that can never be fully undone," she stated. Carter's legal team had previously described the case as frivolous and based on an impossible timeline.

The recantation detailed how Jane Doe came to file the initial lawsuit. She stated that she saw a Facebook advertisement in late September or early October 2024 seeking people with sexual assault claims against Sean Combs. The advertisement triggered memories of being raped as a teenager, according to her declaration.

After contacting the entity behind the advertisement, she was connected with the Buzbee Law Firm. Jane Doe stated that the initial lawsuit filed in October 2024 was filed by Tony Buzbee and his firm without her knowledge. She also stated that her allegations were filed in court by attorneys without conducting any independent investigation.

Jane Doe stated that her lawyers asked her to take a polygraph test after the interview due to discrepancies in her story. She stated that she never received the results of the polygraph test. She began to doubt her claims against Jay-Z in January 2025 and began doubting that she ever attended a party with celebrities.

Jane Doe voluntarily dismissed her entire complaint against Jay-Z and Combs in early 2025. She dropped her lawsuit with prejudice in February 2025. In her recent declaration, she stated she did not receive any compensation for the recantation and never received any threat from Shawn Carter or anyone acting on his behalf.

Tony Buzbee stated via email that he had not seen Jane Doe's new declaration. "We have multiple lawyers (at least four) who dealt with Ms. Doe long before she met me," Buzbee said. He added, "If for some reason now she is claiming she lied to us and the court, that's new information." Buzbee had claimed in February 2025 that Carter's investigators had repeatedly harassed, threatened, and harangued Jane Doe.

Carter had sued Jane Doe, Tony Buzbee, and the Buzbee Law Firm, accusing them of conspiring to pressure him into a secret financial settlement. Carter alleged that Buzbee sent an extortionate demand letter in October 2024. He alleged that the lawsuit was amended to include him after he refused to pay the demand letter.

James Blair Newman Jr. a lawyer representing Jane Doe, issued a statement regarding the recantation. "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," Newman said.

Carter expressed his reaction to the situation in previous statements. "The trauma that my wife, my children, loved ones and I have endured can never be dismissed," Carter said. He also stated, "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."

Why It Matters

The recantation resolves a high-profile legal dispute that involved allegations of sexual assault against two major music industry figures. Combs was convicted by a criminal court in July 2025 on prostitution-related charges involving his two ex-girlfriends. Victims represented by Tony Buzbee have alleged abuse at parties in New York, California, and Florida.

Combs' lawyers have described Tony Buzbee's lawsuits as shameless publicity stunts designed to extract payments from celebrities. Tony Buzbee and his co-counsel described Jay-Z's lawsuit as a malicious prosecution.

Timeline

In late September or early October 2024, Jane Doe stated in her declaration that she saw a Facebook advertisement seeking people with sexual assault claims against Combs. In October 2024, Shawn Carter alleged that Tony Buzbee sent an extortionate demand letter. Also in October 2024, Jane Doe stated that the initial lawsuit was filed by Tony Buzbee and his firm without her knowledge. In December 2024, Jane Doe disclosed certain mental health conditions to her legal team before they publicly named Jay-Z in her lawsuit. Also in December 2024, Jane Doe stated that her lawyers gave her $1,200 in cash when she traveled to Houston for an interview with NBC News. In early 2025, Jane Doe voluntarily dismissed her entire complaint against Jay-Z and Combs. Also in January 2025, Jane Doe stated that she began to doubt her claims against Jay-Z. In February 2025, Tony Buzbee claimed that Carter's investigators had repeatedly harassed, threatened, and harangued Jane Doe.

What's New

Later reporting includes the full text of the recantation filed on Thursday, September 24, 2026. She stated in a 12-page declaration filed in Manhattan federal court that Shawn 'Jay-Z' Carter never raped her, that she had never met or spoken to him, and that he never engaged in any inappropriate conduct toward her whatsoever. This declaration was filed on Thursday, September 24, 2026. Jay-Z filed a notice on Thursday, September 24, 2026, stating he was voluntarily dismissing Jane Doe as a defendant in his ongoing malicious-prosecution lawsuit against Tony Buzbee and his law firm. He claimed in February 2025 that Carter's investigators had repeatedly harassed, threatened, and harangued Jane Doe. She stated under penalty of perjury that there was no truth to any of her claims against Mr. Carter. This declaration was filed on Thursday, September 24, 2026, in Manhattan federal court. She stated in a declaration filed in Manhattan federal court that she understood her false accusations had caused Mr. Carter immense pain, suffering, and damage that could never be fully undone. She stated in a declaration filed in Manhattan federal court that Mr. Carter never engaged in any inappropriate conduct toward her whatsoever.