Woman Who Accused Jay-Z of Rape Recants in Sworn Declaration

The woman who accused Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter of raping her when she was 13 years old has recanted her allegations in a sworn declaration, stating that her claims against the rapper and mogul were false.

The woman, identified by the pseudonym Jane Doe in legal filings, filed an 11-page declaration on Thursday, obtained by Rolling Stone. "Shawn 'Jay-Z' Carter never raped me," she stated. "I have never met or spoken to Mr. Carter. Mr. Carter never engaged in any inappropriate conduct toward me whatsoever."

"There is no truth to any of my claims against Mr. Carter," she continued. "I understand my false accusations have caused Mr. Carter immense pain, suffering, and damage that can never fully be undone." Jane Doe claimed in the declaration that she had not been paid to make the new statement.

The case began in late 2024, when Jane Doe sued Sean "Diddy" Combs, alleging that at a 2000 VMAs after party, Combs and "another male celebrity" raped her while an unnamed celebrity watched. Later that year, she refiled the case with Carter named as the alleged co-assailant. Both Carter and Combs have consistently denied all allegations made by Jane Doe.

In February 2025, Jane Doe filed to voluntarily dismiss her lawsuit with prejudice, meaning she cannot bring the same complaint again. Carter responded with a lawsuit of his own. His lawyers accused her of "willful defamation per se and her malicious prosecution of knowingly false allegations."

Carter has since dropped Jane Doe as a defendant in that suit. He is maintaining his legal action against her lead lawyer, Tony Buzbee, and Buzbee's law firm. Pitchfork has reached out to Buzbee's lawyers for comment.

The declaration marks a significant reversal in a case that tied Carter to the wider wave of litigation surrounding Combs, but the recantation does not end the legal fallout: the dispute now moves to Carter's defamation claims against the attorney who brought the original complaint.

If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual assault, support is available through the RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline at rainn.org or 1-800-656-HOPE (4673), or the Crisis Text Line by texting "HELLO" to 741-741.