Jay-Z, the 55-year-old rapper and businessman, has taken a significant step in a legal battle against an Alabama woman accusing him of sexual assault more than 24 years ago. The accuser, identified as Jane Doe, claims that Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs assaulted her during an MTV Music Awards afterparty in September 2000, when she was 13 years old.

On January 2, Judge Analisa Torres granted Jay-Z’s legal team permission to file a motion to dismiss the case. This decision came after attorney Alex Spiro, representing Jay-Z, argued that the case lacks legal standing due to timing and technical issues.

One key argument is that the Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act, under which the accuser is suing, wasn’t enacted until December 2000—three months after the alleged incident. Jay-Z’s team asserts that the law cannot be applied retroactively, making the lawsuit invalid.

In a letter sent on December 19, Jay-Z’s lawyers outlined several issues with the case, including missed deadlines and jurisdictional challenges. They claim the accuser’s legal team failed to address these concerns within the required five-day window.

Court deadlines have now been set. The accuser has until February 28 to file her opposition to the dismissal motion, and Jay-Z’s team has until March 14 to respond. Legal experts have noted that dismissal motions focus on legal issues like statutes of limitations, rather than the factual accuracy of the claims.

This legal argument highlights a significant technicality: Jay-Z’s team insists that applying the law retroactively would violate both state and federal due process protections. The outcome of this case could hinge on these legal points, as the court evaluates whether the case can proceed.

As this story unfolds, it remains a critical example of how timing and legal frameworks can shape the course of justice.