NEWS
In December of last year, an anonymous woman suing Diddy amended her lawsuit to include Jay-Z. She accused them of sexually assaulting her at a party in 2000 when she was just 13 years old. Both of them vehemently denied her claims. Jay-Z even accused the lawyer who was representing the woman, Tony Buzbee, of blackmail.
Just a couple of months later, the suit was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it cannot be brought back to court. Jay-Z issued a statment via Roc Nation in response. “This civil suit was without merit and never going anywhere,” it read. “The trauma that my wife, children, loved ones, and I have endured can never be dismissed.” He proceeded to sue both the woman and Buzbee for alleged defamation. During a recent interview with VladTV, another lawyer weighed in on all of this, Joe Tacopina. He's previously worked with various celebrity clients like Michael Jackson, Donald Trump, and ASAP Rocky.
"Jay-Z is just a terrific person," Tacopina began. "He's not well-known by many, he's a terrific person. He's got a wife who's an amazing woman, and he's got children ... And imagine waking up one day and your dad's being called the rapist of a child. It's a disgusting allegation, it's a horrific allegation. And you do not make that allegation as a lawyer unless you are 100% sure that happened, because you're hurting someone's life, you're hurting someone's children, and it's despicable."
"Clearly, this lawyer didn't care," he continued. "And I'm glad to see Jay fighting back, but that's Jay. That's Jay and that's Roc Nation." Tacopina went on to praise Jay-Z for defending himself instead of settling with the woman. "He stood on principle and he won on principle," he said. "I get angry and also sad when I think about that case because there's a beautiful family that was also involved in that, that did nothing to deserve that."
Zara Larsson has indicated that she may have cancelled her December 3 appearance at the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The singer initially confirmed that she would not attend, before removing the comment and sharing a more detailed explanation of why the performance no longer feels right for her.
The Swedish star was scheduled to take the stage at Etihad Live on Yas Island during the Yasalam After-Race Concerts. Zara and Lewis Capaldi were due to launch the weekend’s entertainment. However, supporters encouraged her to reconsider the booking because of concerns surrounding the United Arab Emirates’ reported connections to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary organisation accused of committing atrocities during the nation’s civil conflict.
A fan commented: “Please read about what UAE is doing to Sudan then cancel your Abu Dhabi show!” Zara responded: “I will not be going to Abu Dhabi.” Fans later realised that both comments had been removed.
She then shared that she had been considering what it means for her, as an artist, to perform in particular countries.
The Midnight Sun singer explained: “I think about that a lot in my life as an artist… I wanna perform and spread joy and music for people in every country, because no single person is their government.
“I’ve met so many wonderful people from every corner of the world and I know this to be true in my heart. I love people, and I love my fans soooo much.”
Zara acknowledged that her original comment “maybe came off as an impulsive response,” but explained that she had given the booking serious thought. She now believes withdrawing is the decision that “aligns with me the most right now, for many different personal reasons beyond politics.”
She continued: “Maybe I’ll delete both comments and do a better statement soon. I hope to sing with you in the beautiful future!”
