Who Is Tony Buzbee? An Explainer Of The Attorney Representing JAY-Z’s Rape Accuser
Tony Buzbee has been thrust into the spotlight after a refiled civil lawsuit accusing JAY-Z of raping a minor in 2000 alongside Diddy. Buzbee originally filed the suit in October but omitted the Brooklynite’s name from the legal document. Shawn Carter and Roc Nation anonymously sued Buzbee in November, claiming they were being “extorted” by the attorney for Carter’s association with Sean Combs.
TMZ reported that Carter claimed Buzbee was threatening to release “entirely fabricated and malicious allegations of sexual assault — including multiple incidents of rape of a minor, both male and female — against Plaintiff if he refuses to comply with their demands.” Then on Sunday (Dec. 8), Buzbee’s refiling revealed the John Doe to be none other than Hov, with the suit detailing how he and Combs allegedly raped a 13-year-old girl at an MTV VMAs afterparty.
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Carter and Roc Nation quickly responded to the lawsuit with a very personal statement, with JAY-Z calling out Buzbee for allegedly “blackmailing” him and looking to “exploit” real victims of abuse for monetary gain. That statement led to another exchange with Buzbee insisting that he hasn’t attempted to “blackmail” or “extort” Carter. Rather, the attorney is solely looking to acquire justice for his client, who he claims was sexually assaulted by the mogul.
The online back and forth between JAY-Z and Buzbee has prompted an inquiry into who the attorney is. Learn more about the man below.
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Buzbee Law Firm Since 2000
Image Credit: Bell/Getty Images Tony Buzbee‘s legal journey began at Susman Godfrey LLP in Houston. By 2000, Buzbee had established the Buzbee Law Firm and made a name for himself, suing and successfully settling with huge corporations such as ERCOT and Entergy.
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Political Connections
Image Credit: Bell/Getty Images Buzbee has a slew of Republican-leaning political connections. In 2002, the attorney ran an unsuccessful campaign to become Texas state representative. During Rick Perry’s failed presidential campaigns in 2012 and 2016, Buzbee donated a healthy portion of bread to Perry’s cause.
2016 saw Buzbee actively supporting Donald J. Trump during his presidential bid, helping raise funds for the nominee. Tony Buzbee then gave $500,000 to Trump’s inauguration committee, per Texas Lawyer. Then, in 2019, Buzbee ran an unsuccessful campaign to become the mayor of Houston.
Tony Buzbee also worked on the legal team for Rick Perry after the politician was indicted in an abuse-of-power case in 2014. Buzbee helped Perry win the case.
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Sued For Assault
Image Credit: Conley/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images Amid his legal crusade, where he claims to represent 120 people accusing Diddy of sex crimes, Buzbee himself was sued for assault by a former client. TMZ reported in November that a Jane Doe accused Buzbee of “flying into a fit of rage” after seeing her in public and shoving a champagne flute into her face. The alleged assault chipped her tooth in the process, and the woman claims to have medical records to support her claims.
“Tony Buzbee is a hypocrite. There is nothing worse than when a black hat masquerades as a white hat,” the woman’s lawyer, Jeremy Bohrer said.
The attorney has vehemently denied any wrongdoing from the woman.
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Controversial DWI Dismissal
Image Credit: YouTube Screenshot The successful attorney was charged with a DWI back in 2015, per the Houston Chronicle. Buzbee was hit with the misdemeanor and arrested but later released after posting his $500 bail. Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson later dismissed the charges as she stated that it was “the right thing to do.” However, the swift dismissal of the charges became the subject of scrutiny as many experts raised eyebrows at Anderson’s decision.
Herman Martinez of the Martinez Law Firm in Harris County spoke to KHOU 11 about Anderson’s decision at the time, calling out the DA for potential corruption.
“From the outside looking in it does not look like he was treated like the average DWI person that’s treated in Harris County,” said. “The fact that he was arrested in late March and finished a pre-trial intervention by the end of the year is uncommon in Harris County.”
“I don’t want a client saying, ‘Well, Mr. Buzbee got treated this way why can’t I be treated this way?’” Martinez added.
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Previous “Extortion” Claims
Image Credit: Stawiarz/Getty Images for The Denali Foundation While he represented various clients against Diddy, and now JAY-Z, Buzbee took on cases against a couple of NFL players to mixed results.
Tony Buzbee filed a lawsuit aimed at Deshaun Watson on behalf of a woman who accused him of “sexual assault and inappropriate conduct during massage sessions,” per ESPN. Buzbee told the outlet that a confidential settlement had been reached with his client on Friday (Dec. 6).
Earlier this year, Buzbee led a charge against NFL kicker Brandon McManus, filing a lawsuit on behalf of two women who claimed that the man sexually assaulted them during a flight to London in 2023. Buzbee stated that he attempted to rectify the situation without the need for litigation and compared McManus to Watson. Attorney Brett R. Gallaway, who worked on McManus’ defense, called out Buzbee’s legal tactics. Gallaway’s team insisted that they vow to “aggressively defend Brandon’s rights and integrity and clear his name” while exposing Buzbee’s “extortion attempt.”
The NFL could not find substantial evidence against Tony Buzbee and moved to close the case.
Recently, Tony Buzbee spoke candidly about his notorious tactics as an attorney in TMZ’s Tubi documentary, The Downfall of Diddy: Inside the Freak-Offs. Tony admits that his strategy is to begin with a demand letter full of embarrassing claims about the person that is so damaging they have no choice but to reach a monetary settlement. Or, as he described it, “legalized extortion.”
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