Tony Buzbee, the ultra-media lawyer at the heart of the complaints against the two rappers

UNITED STATES – His name or his face may not mean anything to you, but Tony Buzbee plays a vital role in the complaints piling up against Sean « Diddy » Combs, aka P. Diddy, accused of running a violent sex trafficking and extortion scheme for years. Since Sunday and the modification of a complaint by this Texan lawyer to officially reveal the name of Jay-Z, the case has taken on a new dimension by targeting the renowned American rapper and producer.

According to the complaint filed by Tony Buzbee, Jay-Z is accused of raping a 13-year-old girl with P. Diddy after the MTV Video Music Awards in 2000. In the previous version of the complaint, the artist was described as “John Doe” (name of an unidentified person in the United States) and only described as a “celebrity and public figure”as recalled by New York Times.

Accusations that Jay-Z denies outright, as he made known through a press release which violently accuses the media lawyer. The producer calls it“deplorable human being”but above all mentions “ an attempted blackmail (…) from a 'lawyer' named Tony Buzbee.”

Supporter of collective actions

A lawyer attacked like this inevitably attracts attention, especially when it involves Jay-Z in front of him. So why is the rapper so sharp about it? Tony Buzbee's journey provides some food for thought in this regard. As a lawyer, he is known for ” his aggressive legal tactics, ability to attract media attention, and knack for turning complex legal battles into public narratives », Underlines AP, citing the website of his law firm.

Son of a high school canteen and a butcher, Buzbee, who grew up in Texas and went through the Navy, carries high-profile cases on the other side of the Atlantic. Like the one against Cleveland Brown quarterback, Deshaun Watson, accused of sexual assault on around twenty complainants. Among these other feats of arms, note his $750 million lawsuit against rapper Travis Scott, on behalf of 125 victims of the tragedy that occurred during a concert by the American star at the Astroworld festival in 2021. Or his short-lived political career to become mayor of Houston in 2019, which ended in failure.

However, several legal actions have been brought against him in recent years. THE Los Angeles Times cites one case in particular, which echoes Jay-Z's accusations, as he is accused of extortion after writing letters containing ” Horrible, completely false allegations » on an unidentified person, accused of having raped minors during P. Diddy parties.

Controversial methods

Now, Tony Buzbee is clearly identified as the lawyer representing more than 150 people who accuse P. Diddy of sexual abuse and exploitation. Complaints that his office has been collecting using a telephone number for several months.

The New York Times however, reports disturbing details concerning the relationship between Jay-Z and Tony Buzbee in this very broad file. According to the artist, Tony Buzbee had “ calculated that the nature of these allegations and the public attention would push him to accept an amicable settlement.

According to the newspaper, Jay-Z received a letter several weeks before the complaint was amended. A letter which offered the rapper two choices. “ Either he must repeatedly pay an exorbitant amount of money to prevent the defendants from widely publishing completely false allegations of sexual assault that would expose the plaintiff to opprobrium and cause irreparable harm to his reputation, his family , to his career (…) or he must face the threat of countless civil suits and financial and personal ruin “, they summarized.

In response, Tony Buzbee responded Monday that “sending a simple letter of formal notice” did not constitute extortion or blackmail, but that it is simply ” legal practice”.

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