Jay-Z’s lawsuit for defamation and extortion against attorney Tony Buzbee, who filed rape allegations against the rapper, was dismissed by a judge.

He further clarified that “selling silence for money in the civil context is not extortion; it is a settlement with a non-disclosure element.” Regarding the defamation claims, the judge found that four of the counts were based on statements that only vaguely referenced other celebrities Buzbee might be targeting,

Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, has filed an appeal to the California judge's ruling. Carter filed the lawsuit in November, just a few weeks before Buzbee filed a federal lawsuit in New York accusing Carter and Sean “Diddy” Combs of raping a 13-year-old in 2000.