HOUSTON - Jay-Z's Roc Nation has filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit against it by a personal injury lawyer representing alleged sexual assault victims in the Sean "Diddy" Combs scandal.
Texas attorney Tony Buzbee's firm added Roc Nation to its lawsuit against the firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan on Jan. 27. Buzbee says he has found about 120 plaintiffs, including 25 minors, who claim they were sexually assaulted by Combs and others.
Jay-Z, one of the "others," retained Quinn Emanuel to file suit in California against Buzbee alleging a shakedown. The suit alleges Buzbee seeks confidential settlements and if he doesn't get them, he will drag the target through the mud in the press.
Buzbee alleged Jay-Z raped multiple minors who had been drugged at Diddy's parties. He told the celebrity he would find other victims if he did not agree to a confidential mediation, Quinn Emanuel says.
"John Doe was faced with a gun to his head - either repeatedly pay an exorbitant sum of money to stop Buzbee from the wide publication of wildly false allegations of sexual assault... or else face the threat of an untold number of civil suits and financial and personal ruin." Quinn Emanuel says.
In return, Buzbee's Texas lawsuit claims investigators went to the residences of his former clients to harass them and propose filing claims against Buzbee for fraud. Family members of firm employees, including Buzbee's daughter, were also contacted, in an effort to drum up fraud clients against Buzbee, he says.
More than a month later, Buzbee amended his complaint to make Roc Nation a defendant. He says the defendants, who now also include MJ Legal and lawyer Marcy Croft, offered up to $10,000 to a former client to sue the Buzbee Law Firm, claiming it was caught on tape.
Buzbee recently withdrew an assault lawsuit against Jay-Z in New York. A Houston state judge refused Buzbee's request for injunction against Quinn Emanuel, and that case has since been transferred to federal court by the new defendants.
Roc Nation says the Houston federal court lacks jurisdiction over it, given it is organized in Delaware and has its headquarters in New York City.
"Plaintiff makes conclusory claims that Roc Nation is 'financing' a scheme to seek out more than two dozen of Plaintiff's current and former clients to bribe said clients to bring claims against Plaintiff," the Feb. 18 motion to dismiss says.
"Plaintiff does not make any allegations regarding Roc Nation actually contacting any of Plaintiff's former or current clients."
Roc Nation was already a defendant in related cases, one of which was brought by Gerardo Garcia in December. In it, Buzbee denies the "shakedown" allegations, saying he only sought a confidential meeting with Jay-Z's lawyers.
Garcia is a former client of Buzbee's in unrelated litigation.
"Nearly five years later, after his case had resolved, not seeking to hire lawyer or file a lawsuit, Mr. Garcia was contacted out of the blue by two 'investigators,'" the case says.
"This contact was an illegal solicitation and was made on behalf of and as part of a conspiracy involving Defendants Croft, Roc Nation and Quinn Emanuel."
Garcia was asked if he was happy with his settlement and claimed they were from the "state," the suit says. Jessica Santiago was caught on tape claiming to work for Croft after offering Garcia money to sue Buzbee, it adds.