Lawyer Alex Spiro shared new insight into how his client Jay-Z reacted to the recent rape allegation against him.
“He’s upset,” Spiro, 41, said of Jay-Z, 55, during a roundtable with press at Roc Nation’s NYC offices on Monday, December 16, which Us Weekly attended. “He’s upset that somebody would be allowed to do this, would make a mockery of the system like this. He’s upset that this distracts and dissuades real victims from coming forward.”
Spiro added that Jay-Z was also hurt over how the accusations have affected his family, including wife Beyoncé and their three children: Blue Ivy, 12, and twins Sir and Rumi, 8.
“He’s upset that his kids and his family have to deal with this,” Spiro continued. “He’s upset and he should be upset.”
During the Monday roundtable, Spiro began by stating that Jay-Z “did not rape a child” before giving a presentation that detailed alleged holes in the accuser’s story. (The woman came forward last week acknowledging the inconsistencies in her account but stood by her claims.)
News broke earlier this month that Sean “Diddy” Combs and Jay-Z were named in a civil lawsuit where an anonymous woman, who has been referred to as Jane Doe, accused the two rappers of raping her in 2000 at an MTV Video Music Awards afterparty when she was 13. The lawsuit was initially filed in October with only Diddy, 55, named in the paperwork.
Attorney Tony Buzbee — who is representing more than 100 people claiming to be victims of Diddy — refiled the lawsuit on December 8 to include Jay-Z. Both musicians have denied the “heinous” allegations, and the Roc Nation founder has already filed to dismiss the court case. Jay-Z has also slammed Buzbee multiple times for his involvement with the case, and Spiro offered more criticism on Monday.
“This lawyer took advantage of this. That’s what’s going on here. And you can see here now that this is starting to unravel and the truth is coming out, he’s starting to walk away from it,” Spiro claimed. “He’s saying, ‘Oh, sorry. This case was referred to our firm by another firm, so I didn’t really check it out.’ It’s basically what he said, right?”
He continued: “He brings an accusation like this, attacks a man with the integrity of Mr. Carter, and all he has to say for himself now is, ‘Well, I didn’t really check on this. I got a referral trying to make a little bit of money. So we just went live with it.’”
Spiro was seemingly referring to a statement Buzbee gave to NBC News about the case after the accuser came forward for an interview.
“Jane Doe’s case was referred to our firm by another, who vetted it prior to sending it to us,” Buzbee said on Friday, December 13. “Our client remains fiercely adamant that what she has stated is true, to the best of her memory. We will continue to vet her claims and collect corroborating data to the extent it exists. Because we have interrogated her intensely, she has even agreed to submit to a polygraph. I’ve never had a client suggest that before.”
After Spiro’s roundtable, Buzbee refuted what he called the “baseless allegations” detailed in the presentation.
“This client was signed up and referred to our firm by another law firm. That law firm drafted the initial complaint,” he told Us in a statement. “However, four individuals at our firm have also interviewed the client and checked details after accepting the referral. A background check was run on the client. We also engaged a seasoned investigator to vet some details she disclosed to us. Those results were consistent with what the client had told us.”
Buzbee continued: “We sent a letter to Mr. Carter’s counsel and offered to sit down to discuss the claims confidentially. Rather than accepting that offer, Mr. Spiro chose to file a public lawsuit accusing me personally of extortion. He made that claim knowing that we made no demand at all for money and out it in the public sphere. That case is utterly frivolous. Further: At least three lawyers from our firm interviewed the client prior to filing the amended complaint naming Mr. Carter. The client also has signed two separate affidavits. Our client remains adamant about her claim. Mr. Spiro tries to be a bully. But we won’t be bullied. Our conduct has been beyond reproach and will continue to be. We will be raising some of the conduct of our adversaries in due course that is extremely troubling.”
With reporting by Brody Brown
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
