The legal battle between Jay-Z and Texas attorney Tony Buzbee, who represents clients who claim they were sexually assaulted by Sean “Diddy”‘ Combs, took an unusual turn Wednesday when the lawyer filed a lawsuit against Jay-Z’s company and its agents. conspired to offer money to his former clients to sue him.

The suit, filed in Texas, alleges that Roc Nation funded an effort, orchestrated by two lawyers, to hire “shadow agents” to illegally seek out more than two dozen current and former clients of Buzbee’s firm and induce them to bring what the lawyer says are frivolous charges against him.

In one case, according to the lawsuit, the group offered $10,000 to a former Buzbee client to sue the company. In some cases, they pretended to work for the state of Texas and showed fake badges when approaching former Buzbee clients, according to the lawsuit.

“These people have stooped to an even lower level in an attempt to intimidate the attorneys at Buzbee Law Firm and prevent them from doing their important work,” Buzbee said in a prepared statement. “This conduct was specifically aimed at our firm so that we would not pursue matters related to the Diddy litigation. But we will not be cowed or intimidated. Defendants overstepped the bounds, were negligent, and foolishly allowed themselves to be caught in their illegal registered scheme on tape.”

A spokesperson for Roc Nation called the lawsuit “nothing but another sham,” in a statement to the Times. “This is a pathetic attempt to distract and divert attention. This spectacle will not change the end result and true justice will soon be served.”

Lawyers named in the lawsuit did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Learn more:Jay-Z embroiled in Combs sex scandal after weeks of nasty behind-the-scenes legal maneuvering

Jay-Z, real name Shawn Carter, was identified earlier this month as the mysterious celebrity accused in a anonymous civil suit for rape of a 13-year-old girl with Combs at a party after the MTV Video Music Awards in 2000. Jay-Z has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with any crimes.

In the months since federal prosecutors indicted Combs in a sex trafficking investigation, numerous civil suits were filed by people claiming to have been victims of the artist.

In a sweeping indictment unsealed earlier this year, prosecutors allege that Combs for decades used his empire to coerce his victims into having sex at gatherings known as “freak-offs.” Combs, who has denied any wrongdoing, was arrested in September after nearly a year of investigation by federal authorities.

Some have suggested that other big names will be drawn into the scandal. Although federal prosecutors have not named any co-conspirators, they have repeatedly stressed that their investigation is still ongoing.

The war between Jay-Z and Buzbee began in October when the Texas-based lawyer sent the case manager a cease-and-desist letter making allegations of misconduct and suggesting a meeting. Buzbee later filed a lawsuit in New York on behalf of a woman, identified only as Jane Doe, who says she was 13 when she was raped by Combs and an unnamed male celebrity during an after-party after the VMAs.

After drinking a drink — a concoction of orange juice, cranberry juice and something bitter, she said — at the celebration, the woman says she began to feel dizzy and found an empty room to rest. Combs entered the room with two celebrities, a man and a woman. He approached her “with a crazy look in his eyes, grabbed her and said ‘You’re ready to party!'” the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit alleges that the male celebrity — identified by Buzbee as Jay-Z — raped the girl, while Combs and an unidentified female celebrity watched. Combs then raped the girl as the two other celebrities watched, according to the lawsuit.

Jay-Z responded by filing his own anonymous complaint against the lawyer last month, accusing the lawyer of trying to extort a sum of money in exchange for not identifying him as a sex offender linked to Combs. Lawyers representing Jay-Z said the demand letters contained “horrific and extremely false allegations.”

Buzbee fought back by amending his October civil complaint to add Jay-Z as a defendant.

Jay-Z requests dismissal of lawsuit after accuser recently admitted that there were several inconsistencies in his memories of the alleged incident. In an interview with NBC News, The 38-year-old said she generally stands by her allegations, but said she “made a few mistakes” when it came to her recollection of the night.

Learn more:Sean “Diddy” Combs faces allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation from 120 people, including minors

Buzbee alleges in the lawsuit that around the time he filed the anonymous suit against Combs and the unidentified celebrities, current and former clients of his law firm began receiving solicitations from investigators asking them to join a class action lawsuit against the firm.

“Often, investigators used false names, or showed badges or identifying information, but did not allow customers to see them,” the lawsuit states. “In some contacts, investigators were persistent and, in at least two cases, claimed to be acting on behalf of the State of Texas.”

Gerardo Garcia, a former client, was recently contacted at his home by two people who identified themselves as investigators and asked if he was unhappy with a settlement he received in 2020. The individuals showed a badge and told Garcia they were from “the state.” according to the lawsuit.

They explained, according to the lawsuit, that they could connect Garcia with a private attorney so he could sue Buzbee’s firm, telling him repeatedly that there was “money in there for you “. According to the lawsuit, one of the individuals was caught on video revealing to Garcia that they worked for a Mississippi attorney, Marcy Croft, who has been associated with Roc Nation’s philanthropic arm, Team Roc.

The investigator told Garcia that 70 people signed the class-action lawsuit, according to a transcript of the recording reviewed by The Times.

Croft could not immediately be reached by The Times for comment, but told Newsweek in a statement that “Tony Buzbee has now raised fantastical allegations against me and my company – well-known corruption fighters – in an attempt “desperate to distract from its growing legal problems. We look forward to responding to these false allegations and having them dismissed.”

It is unclear whether a class action lawsuit has been filed against Buzbee. However, two former clients filed lawsuits this month in Louisiana against the Buzbee Law Firm.

One of them was a former ship captain, Adam Guidry, who alleged that Buzbee failed to explain the expenses incurred in his case and that he obtained only a fraction of a settlement of more than $300,000. Guidry hired Buzbee’s company in 2020 after he was injured working on a dredging vessel. After the case was settled, Guidry received only $5,123, according to the lawsuit.

The Buzbee Firm collected the rest in attorney fees, expenses, loan repayment and interest, according to the lawsuit. The suit alleges that Buzbee’s company charged Guidry more than $23,000 in interest on an $85,000 “loan.”

Another former client, Matthew Ray Thompson, alleges in a lawsuit that Buzbee overestimated the expenses of his case and took more than 60 percent of his settlement. According to the lawsuit, the law firm allegedly deposited its checks into the firm’s operating account and issued funds to Thompson and his wife via Venmo in the form of high-interest loans.

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This story was originally published in Los Angeles Times.