Things got even messier in 2025 when attorney Tony Buzbee criticized Jay-Z for denying the sexual assault allegations against him.
The case stems from a 2000 incident involving an unnamed plaintiff named Jane Doe, brought by Buzbee.
Responding to Jay-Z’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit, Buzbee, according to AllHipHop, said that the rapper’s legal approach was just “misguided efforts” and that it “failed the intent of the law.” He claims the law is on his side and is ready to fight Jay-Z every inch of the way.
Jay-Z’s team insists on this as its central argument, arguing that New York City’s Gender Motivated Violence Victims Protection Act (GMV Law) cannot be applied retroactively to the attack. allegedly took place in September 2000 before the law was enacted. .
Buzbee disputed that interpretation, saying the law was intended to provide a way for victims to pursue justice, even if their incidents occurred before the law was passed.
For his part, however, Buzbee challenged Jay-Z’s reliance on lower court decisions on GMVA retroactivity as unpersuasive, stating that neither the New York Court of Appeals Neither York nor the New York Court of Appeals decided the issue definitively.
Jay-Z’s lawyers also say that anything subject to the GMVA is governed by the Child Victims Act (CVA), and not only are the GMVA claims untimely, but the CVA supersedes Conflicting statutes.
But Buzbee disputes that argument, noting previous rulings in cases where the court has rejected such preemption claims.
Buzbee, in defending his client, said, “GMVA is designed to help survivors, not create loopholes for alleged perpetrators.”
Jay-Z’s defense also disputed where the so-called attack took place. His team says it occurred outside New York City and therefore does not qualify under the GMVA.
This argument, according to Buzbee, is also premature and procedurally incorrect, and he also urged the court to reject Jay-Z’s motion on that basis.
The case is still in its early stages, discovery has not even begun. Buzbee and Jay-Z’s lawyers are still arguing over the law of this highly publicized case.
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