A woman who previously accused American rapper and businessman Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter of raping her when she was 13 has formally withdrawn the allegation, saying in a new court declaration that the claims against the music star were false and that she had never met or spoken to him.
The woman, who has remained anonymous and is identified in court documents as Jane Doe, made the latest statement in a legal declaration filed in New York on Thursday.
Her new account directly contradicts the allegations contained in a civil lawsuit filed in 2024, in which she claimed that Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs sexually assaulted her at a party following the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards.
In the latest declaration, she said Carter never raped or sexually assaulted her and never engaged in inappropriate conduct toward her.
She also acknowledged that the allegations had caused significant harm to Carter, his family and his reputation, and expressed an unconditional apology for making the accusations.
The woman had originally alleged that she was 13 when the incident occurred. Her lawsuit claimed that she attended an after-party following the MTV Video Music Awards and later became unwell after consuming a drink.
She alleged that she went into a bedroom where she claimed Carter and Combs assaulted her while another celebrity was present.
The allegations were strongly denied by Carter, who repeatedly described the claims as false.
The woman eventually voluntarily withdrew the civil case in 2025, preventing the same lawsuit from being refiled.
Carter subsequently launched legal action against the woman and lawyers involved in the case, accusing them of malicious prosecution and other wrongdoing.
The latest declaration was filed as part of that continuing legal dispute.
In explaining how the original allegation came about, the woman said she encountered a Facebook advertisement seeking people who had information or claims involving sexual assault allegations against Combs.
She said the advertisement triggered memories of an assault she says occurred when she was 13.
After responding to the advertisement, she was connected with lawyers who eventually became involved in the lawsuit.
The woman now claims that she later developed doubts about her identification of Carter and questioned whether she had ever attended the celebrity party described in the original complaint.
She also alleged that she was not shown a draft of the lawsuit before it was filed and said she did not give permission for certain aspects of the complaint to be submitted.
She further claimed that the lawyers representing her did not adequately investigate or corroborate the allegations before filing the case.
Her new legal representative has maintained that she may have experienced a sexual assault but was mistaken about identifying Carter as the person responsible.
The lawyer said the allegations specifically linking Carter to the alleged assault were false and that the woman had never met him.
The latest declaration also addresses questions surrounding the circumstances of the recantation.
The woman stated that she voluntarily decided to withdraw her accusations and denied receiving financial compensation from Carter or anyone acting on his behalf in exchange for changing her account.
She also said she was never threatened by Carter or members of his team.
Those claims are significant because Carter’s legal action has included allegations that the original lawsuit was part of an effort to pressure him into a financial settlement.
The former accuser’s latest statement provides Carter with a direct rejection of the allegations that had been made against him, although the wider legal dispute involving his former lawyers remains separate.
The case has attracted significant public attention because the original allegations involved two of the biggest names in American hip-hop.
Carter has been married to singer Beyoncé for many years, and he previously said that the allegations had caused considerable distress to his family.
When the original lawsuit was dismissed, he described the dismissal as a victory and said the experience had caused lasting trauma for his family and loved ones.
The latest development now changes the public record surrounding the specific allegation against Carter, as the woman who made it has formally stated in court that there was no truth to her claims against him.
However, her recantation does not resolve every legal issue connected to the case.
Carter’s separate legal action against lawyers involved in the original complaint remains an important part of the dispute.
One of the lawyers associated with the original allegations has disputed aspects of the woman’s new account and indicated that the circumstances surrounding her change of position would require further examination.
The legal disagreement therefore continues even though the woman has withdrawn her accusations against Carter.
The case also illustrates the difficulties that can arise when serious allegations are made in civil court and later challenged or withdrawn.
Sexual assault cases can involve complex questions about memory, trauma, identification and the gathering of evidence, making it particularly important for allegations to be properly investigated before being presented as established facts.
In this case, the woman’s latest declaration acknowledges that her identification of Carter was wrong.
Her new lawyer has nevertheless maintained that she considers herself to have been a victim of sexual assault, while making clear that Carter was not the person who assaulted her.
That distinction is important because the latest filing does not establish that the underlying assault she describes never occurred. Instead, it specifically withdraws the allegations identifying Carter as her attacker.
The original lawsuit also named Combs, who has faced numerous other allegations and separate criminal proceedings.
The allegations involving Combs are distinct from the woman’s latest statements concerning Carter.
Carter’s name was added to the original civil complaint after the case was initially filed against Combs.
The woman now says that her allegations against Carter were based on a mistaken identification and that she had never met him.
The development has renewed attention on the legal battle between Carter and the lawyers who handled the original complaint.
Carter’s legal team has argued that the allegations caused serious reputational and personal damage.
The rapper had consistently rejected the accusation and maintained that the claims were untrue.
The latest declaration represents the strongest reversal yet from the person who originally made the allegation.
For Carter, the recantation removes the central allegation in the civil case against him, although the consequences of the original lawsuit and his ongoing legal claims against those involved remain.
The development is also likely to fuel broader discussion about the responsibility of lawyers when handling allegations involving prominent individuals.
The woman has alleged that her lawyers did not conduct sufficient background checks or seek adequate corroborating evidence before filing the complaint.
Those claims remain part of the wider legal dispute and would need to be established through the appropriate legal process.
The case demonstrates how quickly allegations involving major public figures can attract worldwide attention, particularly when they concern serious criminal conduct.
Once such claims become public, they can affect reputations even when the underlying allegations are later withdrawn.
Carter has argued that he and his family suffered significant harm as a result of the accusations.
The latest filing acknowledges that impact and includes an apology to the rapper and his family.
For now, the most significant development is the woman’s formal declaration that Carter never raped or sexually assaulted her, that she never met him, and that her allegations against him were false.
The remaining legal proceedings will determine the consequences of the original complaint and the claims surrounding how it was filed and handled.
The development marks a major reversal in a case that began with a serious allegation against one of the world’s most prominent musicians and has now shifted toward questions surrounding the accuracy of the original claims and the legal process that followed.
