Woman who accused Jay-Z of rape says allegations were false in court filing

A woman who accused Jay-Z of raping her when she was 13 has stated her allegations were false.

In an 11-page filing to a Manhattan federal court by lawyers representing the rapper - real name Shawn Carter - the former accuser said on Thursday that she had "never met" him.

She also said that Jay-Z "never engaged in any inappropriate conduct toward me whatsoever" and added: "There is no truth to any of my claims against Mr Carter."

The woman, identified only as Jane Doe, claimed in December 2024 that Jay-Z and Sean "Diddy" Combs raped her following the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards while being watched by another celebrity, whose name is redacted.

Both men denied the accusations, and the case was withdrawn in February 2025.

In the filing on Thursday, the woman now said that it was a false claim. She said: "I understand that my false accusations have caused Mr Carter immense pain, suffering, and damage that can never be fully undone.

"I sincerely and unconditionally apologise to Mr Carter for the devastating harm I have caused to him, his family and his reputation."

More from Sky News:
City could face biggest punishment in English football history | Harris
Black woman tree hanging 'staged' after drug dispute, US police say

In the filing, she said that her former lawyer, Tony Buzbee - who represented sexual misconduct claims against Combs - and his team paid her $1,000 before an interview with Sky's US partner network NBC News in December 2024.

She also said Combs did not rape her. Her original claim was unrelated to the case that led to Combs' 2025 conviction on two counts of ⁠transportation to engage in prostitution.

At the time, the woman and her lawyers acknowledged inconsistencies in her account of the alleged incident, but said she stood by her allegations overall.

Jay-Z told GQ magazine in March 2025 that he felt "uncontrollable anger" about the suit, and described the claims as a "blackmail attempt" and said they were "heinous in nature".

The 25-time Grammy winner then sued the accuser and Mr Buzbee, the same month for allegedly conspiring to falsely accuse him of sexual assault and causing him to lose $20m.

As part of Thursday's filing in his ongoing malicious prosecution lawsuit, Jay-Z's lawyers said they were dropping the woman from the suit.

In 2025, Combs was sentenced to more than four years in prison over prostitution charges relating to his former girlfriends and male sex workers.

He was cleared of more serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy.

His lawyers are currently appealing to the court that the conviction should be reversed, or the rapper should at least be resentenced.

(c) Sky News 2026: Woman who accused Jay-Z of rape says allegations were false in court filing