Sheppard Mullin Wins Defamation Suit Against Jay-Z
The firm’s Brand and Reputation Management practice secured a complete dismissal of defamation and extortion claims brought against Texas attorney Tony Buzbee and The Buzbee Law Firm in a highly publicized lawsuit filed by American music mogul Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter in connection with pre-litigation demand letters and public statements relating to sexual assault allegations against Carter and Sean “Diddy” Combs.
After extensive litigation, Judge Mark H. Epstein granted the firm’s special motion to strike pursuant to California’s anti-SLAPP statute. In a comprehensive 65-page ruling, the court found that pre-litigation demand letters and public statements made by Buzbee and his firm were protected by the litigation privilege and did not constitute extortion or actionable defamation.
The court also rejected Carter’s defamation claims, holding that the public statements and social media conduct at issue either did not identify Jay-Z or meet the legal standard for “actual malice.”
This significant victory reinforces protections for robust legal advocacy and First Amendment rights.
The Sheppard Mullin attorneys representing Buzbee and his firm are partners Camille Vasquez and Sam Moniz and associates Randy Boyer and Melissa Mikail.
The case is Shawn Carter v. The Buzbee Law Firm et al., case number 24SMCV05637, in the Superior Court of the State of California, County of Los Angeles. Read the order here.