Jay-Z asks court to dismiss rape lawsuit over inconsistencies

Rape support providers say it is common for survivors of such assaults to misremember some details, especially if they have been allegedly drugged.

The litigation is part of dozens of sexual assault lawsuits filed against Mr Combs, who is in custody awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges in New York. He was denied bail a third time last month. Mr Combs denies all the allegations.

Jay-Z’s attorney, Alex Spiro, asked the court to dismiss Jane Doe’s case, saying in a statement to the BBC: “It is stunning that a lawyer would not only file such a serious complaint without proper vetting, but would make things worse by further peddling this false story in the press.”

The rapper, whose real name is Shawn Carter, issued a statement to the BBC saying the lawyer, Tony Buzbee, had filed the legal action “in pursuit of money and fame”.

“This incident didn’t happen and yet he filed it in court and doubled down in the press,” his statement said.

“True Justice is coming. We fight FROM victory, not FOR victory. This was over before it began. This 1-800 lawyer doesn’t realize it yet, but, soon.”

The BBC is contacting Mr Combs’s lawyer for comment.

Warning: This story contains details that some readers may find distressing.

Mr Buzbee said his firm was continuing to vet his client’s claims.

The woman says in the lawsuit a waitress offered her a drink at the party that made her feel “woozy”, so she went into a room to lie down.

Soon afterwards, the legal action says, Mr Combs and Mr Carter entered the room with a female celebrity, described as Celebrity B.

The legal action says Mr Carter held her down and raped her, before Mr Combs did the same, all while Celebrity B watched.

However, photos from that evening show Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs at a different location to the one described by the accuser. It is not clear if their whereabouts for the entire evening have been accounted for.