Jay-Z’s attorneys have accused Tony Buzbee of telling employees to modify Wikipedia pages as part of a larger scheme to tarnish Jay’s and Roc Nation’s image. This allegation, first noticed by independent journalist Meghann Cuniff, appears in an updated complaint where Buzbee is more generally accused of pushing a Jane Doe to come forward with what Jay’s legal team calls “a false, malicious lie.”
In the document, filed May 5, Buzbee and other defendants are accused of working to damage Jay and Roc Nation’s connections, especially in entertainment and sports circles. As a specific example of this alleged behavior, newly added to this version of the complaint, are instances of Wikipedia editing that Jay’s lawyers claim were carried out under Buzbee’s direction.
The document states it like this: “For example, in violation of Wikipedia’s rules, Buzbee directed his employees to edit Wikipedia pages to enhance Buzbee’s image and damage Mr. Carter’s and Roc Nation’s reputations. Users with an IP address directly linked to the Buzbee Firm made over 100 positive edits to Buzbee’s Wikipedia page.”
In fact, Wikipedia isn’t mentioned at all in an earlier version of the complaint that Complex reviewed. A claimed $20 million income loss appears in both versions, with Jay’s attorneys arguing that Buzbee and Jane Doe’s choice to proceed with a “false lawsuit” and spread “false public statements” resulted in this financial hit.
What’s more, Jay’s legal team claims the defendants’ initial filing and related statements caused Jay to be turned down for a $55 million personal credit line. The complaint also alleges that Jay’s 50-percent owned consumer brand business couldn’t secure a $115 million loan because of these actions.
Complex has reached out to Buzbee’s team for their response. This story could be updated.
The freshly amended complaint offers a more comprehensive picture of Jay’s accusations against Buzbee, whose name has been making frequent headlines lately.
Buzbee, previously called a “fraud” by Jay, is also representing the accuser in Shannon Sharpe’s widely discussed sexual assault and battery case. In an April video statement, Sharpe specifically mentioned Jay, claiming that Buzbee had “targeted” Jay in the earlier lawsuit.
“This is all being orchestrated by Tony Buzbee, who has targeted Jay-Z,” Sharpe stated at the time. “Tony Buzbee targets Black men and I believe he is going to release a 30-second clip of a sex tape that tries to make me look guilty and plays into every stereotype you could possibly imagine.”
After saying this, as shown here, Sharpe challenged Buzbee to release the entire video instead.
