Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner Win Ruling in Defamation Lawsuit Against Ray J
A Los Angeles judge has cleared Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner to proceed with their defamation lawsuit against Ray J, declining to throw out the case and setting a trial date of 6 March 2028.
Judge Steven Ellis of the Los Angeles County Superior Court denied Ray J's motion to dismiss on 12 August 2026, ruling that the rapper and reality star, born William Ray Norwood Jr., did not qualify for protection under California's anti-SLAPP statute — a law designed to shield people from lawsuits that merely punish them for speaking out on public issues. Judge Ellis found that Kardashian and Jenner had presented sufficient evidence showing Ray J's statements were "malicious," not protected by a litigation privilege, and could "reasonably be interpreted" as accusing the women of a crime (Rolling Stone).
"A statement that accuses a plaintiff of committing a crime is defamatory on its face," Judge Ellis wrote, adding that "a reasonable person would be offended by a false accusation that they had committed a crime."
Kardashian and Jenner filed the lawsuit in October 2025. They allege that Ray J defamed them during a 2025 TMZ interview and a subsequent livestream by suggesting they were, or should be, subjects of a federal racketeering investigation — specifically, that he falsely claimed he was working with federal investigators on a racketeering case that would soon lead to an indictment (First Amendment Watch).
Ray J had pushed back hard. In a March 2026 filing, his legal team argued his statements were "trolling," not slander, and asked the court to dismiss the suit outright (Courthouse News). Judge Ellis disagreed.
The defamation case is not the only legal fight between the parties. Ray J filed a cross-complaint on 13 November 2025 accusing Kardashian and Jenner of breaching a settlement agreement. According to Ray J, the two sides reached a settlement in April 2023 that included a non-disparagement clause, under which Kardashian agreed to pay $6 million and make no further public references to a sex tape on her reality show. Ray J alleges that within a month of that agreement, Kardashian, Jenner, Kanye West, and Kendall Jenner discussed the sex tape on another episode of "The Kardashians," which he considers a material breach. That cross-complaint, which followed statements Kardashian made during a 2022 episode accusing Ray J of sexual assault, distributing revenge porn, and attempting extortion, has been sent to arbitration — a private dispute-resolution process outside the courtroom.
Ray J's lawyer, Howard King, said the defence would promptly appeal Judge Ellis's ruling and that the appeal freezes the proceedings. If that holds, the March 2028 trial could be delayed.
Neither Kardashian, Jenner, nor Ray J has publicly responded to the ruling beyond the court filings.
