Shawn Carter, known professionally as Jay-Z, is fighting back against the rape allegation against him.

The rap mogul’s attorney Alex Spiro, who previously represented Alec Baldwin in his manslaughter case, held a press briefing on Dec. 16 with handpicked reporters at the Roc Nation headquarters in New York City. Spiro told reporters there that Carter “did not rape a child” and presented a slideshow that he said showed alleged holes in Carter’s accuser’s story, according to Us Weekly, one of the outlets in attendance.

An amended civil lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York on Dec. 8 alleges that Carter raped a 13-year-old girl alongside Sean “Diddy” Combs at a 2000 MTV VMAs after-party. Both Carter and Combs have denied the allegations.

At the roundtable, Spiro also distanced his client from Combs.

“Mr. Carter has nothing to do with Mr. Combs’ case or Mr. Combs,” the lawyer said, according to Us Weekly. “They knew each other professionally for a number of years. Just like in all professions, people know each other. At the music awards, they support each other. If you go to the NBA All-Star game, they support each other. That’s just how professions work. There is no closer association between any of them. That’s also a matter of fiction.”

In November 2023, Combs’s ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura filed a civil lawsuit against him alleging rape, abuse and sex trafficking. One day later, Combs settled the lawsuit, admitting no wrongdoing. That opened the door to more than a dozen sexual misconduct lawsuits against Combs — as well as federal prosecutors charging him in September with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs has denied the allegations, pleaded not guilty and is in jail awaiting his May 2025 trial.

Here’s what’s happened since, including Carter’s involvement becoming public this month.

Oct. 20: A civil lawsuit was filed by a Jane Doe against Combs alleging that he and another male celebrity (identified as “Celebrity A”) raped her when she was 13 while an unidentified female celebrity (“Celebrity B”) watched. The Alabama woman said the alleged assault took place at a 2000 MTV VMAs after-party held in a white house a 20-minute limo ride from NYC’s Radio City Music Hall. She said she was made to sign a nondisclosure agreement to enter the party and thinks she was drugged with a spiked beverage.

Combs denied the allegations.

Nov. 18: An anonymous celebrity filed a lawsuit against Texas attorney Tony Buzbee — who is representing numerous people claiming to be victims of Combs, including Doe — accusing him of an extortion plot meant to destroy his reputation.

Dec. 8: Doe’s lawsuit was refiled and publicly identified Carter as “Celebrity A.”

Carter denied the “heinous” and “idiotic” allegations in a statement on the Roc Nation X account. He claimed Buzbee tried to “blackmail” him to settle out of court.

Buzbee revealed that Carter was the anonymous celebrity who sued him in November after he sent the rapper a demand letter asking to privately mediate.

Carter’s attorney Spiro called the lawsuit a “sprawling extortion saga” in a court filing. He said Carter was targeted to “force payment of an exorbitant sum of money” — “millions” — and when he “refused to pay,” Doe’s amended lawsuit was filed and the “patently false” and “unfounded” allegations were made public.

Dec. 9: Spiro filed to dismiss the case or identify Doe. In court documents, he wrote, “For the avoidance of doubt, Mr. Carter is entirely innocent. This is a shakedown.”

Carter attended the Mufasa premiere in Los Angeles, putting on a united front with wife Beyoncé, their daughter Blue Ivy Carter, who appears in the film, and his mother-in-law, Tina Knowles. They didn’t take questions from reporters.

Dec. 13: Doe gave an interview to NBC News detailing her allegations.

The outlet reported that there were inconsistencies in Doe’s story, including that she said she talked to Benji Madden at the after-party. Madden’s rep said he was on tour with his band Good Charlotte in the Midwest at the time.

Doe also said she was driven by a friend from Rochester, N.Y., to Radio City in Manhattan, a five-hour ride, in the hopes of getting into the VMAs. After the alleged attack, she called her father to pick her up. Doe’s father told NBC News that he doesn’t remember making a 10-hour round-trip drive to pick her up. Additionally, NBC News obtained images from the night in question showing Carter and Combs at a NYC club for an after-party, but the outlet noted it’s unclear if they went elsewhere during the night.

“I have made some mistakes,” Doe told the outlet of her recollections from 24 years ago, but she firmly stands by her rape allegations.

Doe also told NBC News she has autism and previously suffered a head injury.

Carter told NBC News, “This incident didn’t happen and yet [Buzbee] filed it in court and doubled down in the press. True Justice is coming. We fight FROM victory, not FOR victory. This was over before it began. This 1-800 lawyer doesn’t realize it yet, but, soon.”

Buzbee said, “Doe’s case was referred to our firm by another, who vetted it prior to sending it to us. 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.”

Dec. 14: NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the allegations against Carter won’t impact the league’s relationship with him or the mogul’s involvement in the Super Bowl halftime show. Since 2019, Carter has been working with the NFL, via his Roc Nation company, to produce musical performances at major NFL events and amplify the league’s social justice efforts. The deal was renewed in October.

Dec. 16: Carter’s attorney Spiro invited members of the press to a roundtable at the Roc Nation New York City headquarters and gave a presentation with slides detailing alleged holes in the accuser’s story, according to Us Weekly, which covered it.

“It’s obvious to everybody that Mr. Carter did not do this,” Spiro told the press. “Obviously, Jay-Z did not rape a child. But what I wanna do today is just sort of walk you through some of this so that you can see the truth and you can see what happened yourselves.”

He said that Doe’s lawsuit “is starting to unravel and the truth is coming out.”

Spiro also said that Carter had nothing more than a cordial professional relationship with Combs and “no closer association.” Further, Carter “doesn’t know anything about the charges or allegations against [Combs]. He has nothing to do with that case and there’s nothing more to say.”

Spiro also promised “dozens and dozens of people” will come forward to say “there was no party in the ‘white house,’” as Doe alleged.

Spiro told reporters that Carter is “upset” about the allegations. “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. He’s upset that his kids and his family have to deal with this. He’s upset and he should be upset.”

Buzbee issued a statement to Us Weekly after the press event, saying, “This client was signed up and referred to our firm by another law firm. That law firm drafted the initial complaint. 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 also said that at least three lawyers from his firm interviewed Doe before filing the amended complaint that named Carter. She has signed two separate affidavits and is adamant about her claim. He also called Spiro a “bully.”