US rapper Jay-Z has hit back at a lawsuit which alleges that he, along with Sean “Diddy” Combs, drugged and raped a 13-year-old girl at a party in 2000.
The anonymous accuser alleges she was assaulted at a house party after the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) in New York and that an unnamed female celebrity was in the room at the time.
In a statement, Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, dismissed the legal action as a “blackmail attempt”.
Mr Combs – who is in jail awaiting trial after being charged in September with sex-trafficking and other offences – denied the latest accusation.
The lawsuit was originally filed in October, and was refiled on Sunday to list Mr Carter as a defendant.
The BBC has contacted Mr Carter’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, and his publicist for comment.
The legal action was filed under New York’s Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act, by a Texas-based lawyer, Tony Buzbee.
Mr Buzbee has filed several lawsuits in recent months accusing Mr Combs of assault and rape. The hip-hop artist is due to face a criminal trial on 5 May.
Mr Carter said in a statement posted to social media: “My lawyer received a blackmail attempt, called a demand letter, from a ‘lawyer’ named Tony Buzbee.
“What he had calculated was the nature of these allegations and the public scrutiny would make me want to settle.
“No sir, it had the opposite effect! It made me want to expose you for the fraud you are in a VERY public fashion. So no, I will not give you ONE RED PENNY!!”
A statement from Mr Combs’s legal team said this amended lawsuit was the latest in a series of “shameless publicity stunts, designed to extract payments from celebrities who fear having lies spread about them, just as lies have been spread about Mr Combs”.
The statement emphasized that the judicial process would prove Mr. Combs’ innocence regarding all the allegations against him. He is currently facing 30 other lawsuits.
In the legal filing submitted on Sunday, the accuser, identified only as “Jane Doe,” claims that in 2000, when she was 13 years old, a friend dropped her off at the MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan.
She attempted to gain entry to the event by approaching limousine drivers outside the venue, according to the lawsuit. One driver, who stated he worked for Mr. Combs, allegedly told her she “fit what Diddy was looking for.”
Later that evening, the driver took her to a party at a white house, as described in the lawsuit.
Jane Doe claims that upon arriving at the party, she was asked to sign a document, which she believes to have been a non-disclosure agreement. The lawsuit states that she recognized several celebrities at the party and witnessed extensive drug use, including cocaine.
A waitress allegedly offered her a drink that made her feel “woozy,” prompting her to lie down in a room, according to the legal action.
The lawsuit continues, stating that shortly after, Mr. Combs and Mr. Carter entered the room with a female celebrity, referred to as Celebrity B. “Plaintiff immediately recognized all three celebrities,” the legal filing says.
The legal action says Mr Combs approached her “with a crazed look in his eyes”, grabbed her and said: “You are ready to party!”
Mr Carter held her down and raped her, before Mr Combs did the same, all while Celebrity B watched, according to the lawsuit.
Jane Doe fought back during the assault and when Mr Combs backed away in surprise she escaped, the legal action says.
The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, says the plaintiff still suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and depression as a result of the alleged rapes.
In his statement, Mr Carter, who is married to Beyoncé, with whom he has three children, said: “My only heartbreak is for my family.
“My wife and I will have to sit our children down, one of whom is at the age where her friends will surely see the press and ask questions about the nature of these claims, and explain the cruelty and greed of people.”