Los Angeles, CA — In an unprecedented move, reality television matriarch Kris Jenner, 69, and her daughter, business mogul Kim Kardashian, 44, have initiated a defamation lawsuit against recording artist Ray J, 44. The legal action, confirmed by PEOPLE on Wednesday, October 1, stems from recent public allegations made by Ray J suggesting the duo is under federal investigation for racketeering.
This lawsuit marks the first time either Kardashian or Jenner has pursued a defamation claim, signaling the gravity with which they view Ray J’s accusations. Their attorney, Alex Spiro, highlighted the seriousness of the situation in a statement to PEOPLE, asserting, “Kris Jenner and Kim Kardashian have never brought a defamation claim before nor have they been distracted by noise — but this false and serious allegation left no choice.”
Allegations of ‘Malicious Defamatory Conduct’
The lawsuit specifically cites two instances of alleged defamation by Ray J, whose real name is William Ray Norwood Jr. The first occurred earlier this year in TMZ’s Tubi documentary, United States vs. Sean Combs, where Ray J was quoted saying, “If you told me the Kardashians was being charged for racketeering, I might believe it.”
The second, and more direct, incident unfolded during a livestream on September 24, where Ray J allegedly “falsely declared to millions of social media followers” that federal racketeering charges had been launched against the Kardashians. Spiro unequivocally condemned these statements as “the most malicious defamatory conduct.”
A ‘Sustained Campaign of Harassment’ Spanning Two Decades
Court documents filed by Spiro paint a picture of a “sustained campaign of harassment and defamation” waged by Ray J against Kardashian and Jenner for “more than two decades.” The filing suggests that Ray J, “unable to accept the end of his fleeting relationship with Ms. Kardashian over twenty years ago,” has “repeatedly sought to attach himself to Plaintiffs’ names and exploit their prominence for personal gain.”
Kardashian and Ray J dated in the early 2000s, a relationship that ended around 2005. Their contentious past became irrevocably linked in 2007 when a private sex tape they had filmed together was leaked to the public, propelling Kardashian into an unforeseen level of global fame.
Since then, their history has been punctuated by several public spats. In 2013, Ray J released the song “I Hit It First,” widely interpreted as a direct jab at Kardashian and her then-husband Kanye West, even featuring a pixelated image of the reality star as its cover art and a Kardashian lookalike in the music video. Years later, in 2018, British tabloid The Sun reported Ray J making explicit comments about his past intimate relationship with Kardashian during a night out in London, claims Kardashian swiftly denied on Twitter, labeling her ex a “pathological liar.” Ray J later refuted the tabloid’s reporting.
“Blatantly False” Allegations and “Reckless Disregard for the Truth”
Spiro strongly asserts that Ray J’s current public statements are “blatantly false.” He emphasized that “no such federal investigation exists; no law enforcement agency has initiated any criminal proceedings or investigations related to racketeering charges against Ms. Kardashian or Ms. Jenner; and no credible evidence whatsoever supports these inflammatory allegations.”
The attorney further argues that Ray J’s presentation of these serious accusations as factual, without any attempt to verify or corroborate them with legitimate law enforcement sources, demonstrates a “reckless disregard for the truth under the actual malice standard.” Spiro concluded that Ray J’s reliance on “unsubstantiated assertions” without factual basis “demonstrates a fundamental disregard for truth and a willful intent to harm Plaintiffs’ reputations.”
As of this report, PEOPLE has reached out to Ray J’s attorney for comment regarding the lawsuit, which promises to be another high-profile chapter in the long-running saga between these prominent figures in popular culture.
