HOUSTON — Prime-profile criminal battles are not anything unutilized for Texas legal professional Tony Buzbee, together with his untouched being a lawsuit he’s filed in opposition to Jay-Z, accusing the long-lasting rapper in addition to Sean “Diddy” Combs of sexually assaulting a minor at an awards display after-party in 2000.
The lawsuit in opposition to Jay-Z is a part of a sequence of civil instances the Houston-based Buzbee has filed in opposition to Combs, who remainder jailed in Unused York as he awaits trial on federal charges that he coerced and abused ladies for years.
In his criminal occupation, Buzbee has represented a lot of purchasers. He helped acquit Texas Lawyer Common Ken Paxton at his impeachment trial within the Texas Senate utmost moment. He represented greater than two batch ladies who accused Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexual misconduct and assault. Buzbee has additionally made a few unsuccessful runs at elected place of business, together with a bid to be Houston’s mayor.
His critics say he’s stuffed with bluster and bombast. Jay-Z said the lawsuit in opposition to him is a part of an extortion aim. Buzbee’s regulation company has mentioned he’s labored to enlarge the voices of the marginalized and to “pursue justice against powerful figures.”
“We’re a society where we typically don’t believe the accuser. We blame the victim and by proxy we blame her lawyers,” Buzbee mentioned all the way through a March 2021 information convention.
Right here’s what to find out about Buzbee, his involvement within the complaints in opposition to Combs and what alternative instances he’s treated.
Buzbee is a important identify in Texas courtrooms who has received billions of greenbacks in settlements for his purchasers.
He grew up in northeast Texas, the son of a butcher and a highschool cafeteria workman. Next graduating from Texas A&M College, he served within the U.S. Marine Corps. Buzbee upcoming going to regulation faculty and based his personal company.
His taste is “characterized by his aggressive legal tactics, his ability to command media attention and his knack for turning complex legal battles into public narratives that resonate with juries and the public alike,” according to his law firm’s website.
Buzbee has said his firm is representing more than 150 people, both men and women, who allege sexual abuse and exploitation at the hands of Combs.
Buzbee’s firm, which has set up a 1-800 number for accusers, has filed a wave of suits against the hip-hop mogul. Buzbee’s lawsuits allege that many of the people he represents were abused at parties in New York, California and Florida where individuals were given drinks that were laced with drugs.
Combs’ lawyers have dismissed Buzbee’s lawsuits as “shameless publicity stunts, designed to extract payments from celebrities who fear having lies spread about them, just as lies have been spread about Mr. Combs.”
On Sunday, Jay-Z issued a statement in which he accused Buzbee of trying to blackmail him by getting him to agree to a legal settlement over allegations he and Combs raped a woman when she was 13 years old.
“I have no idea how you have come to be such a deplorable human Mr. Buzbee, but I promise you I have seen your kind many times over,” Jay-Z said in his statement. “You claim to be a marine? Marines are known for their valor, you have neither honor nor dignity.”
Buzbee said in a Sunday Facebook post he “won’t be bullied or intimidated.”
“Sunlight is the best disinfectant and I am quite certain the sun is coming,” Buzbee said.
In 2009, his firm won a $100 million settlement for 10 workers who were sicked by a chemical release at a refinery in suburban Houston.
Buzbee has also represented politicians, including Paxton and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry in an abuse-of-power case.
In 2013, he settled lawsuits for 10 teenagers who had accused eccentric Texas millionaire Stanley Marsh 3 of paying them for sexual acts.
Buzbee has also settled lawsuits that he filed on behalf of 25 women who had accused Watson, when he was with the Houston Texans, of exposing himself, touching them with his genitals or kissing them against their will during massage appointments.
“I’ve handled some of the largest cases in this state,” Buzbee mentioned all the way through the 2021 information convention.
___
Practice Juan A. Lozano on X at https://x.com/juanlozano70