Kim Kardashian & Kris Jenner receive big victory In Ray J defamation lawsuit
- By Maria Lopez -
- Aug 14, 2026
Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner have come out on top in a high-profile court case, as a judge threw out an attempt by R&B singer Ray J to dismiss their defamation suit.
The decision means the mother-daughter duo will be moving toward a scheduled trial, pushing their several-year-long dispute with the singer forward in the legal system.
Backstory of the defamation suit
In October 2025, Kardashian and Jenner filed their defamation and false light lawsuit against Ray J (William Ray Norwood Jr. On paper) over recent statements made during a media interview and an accompanying Twitch livestream. They alleged that during the public address, the singer suggested that both of them were under a federal racketeering investigation and that their actions were “worse than Diddy.”
Ray J countered with an Anti-SLAPP motion (Strategic lawsuit against public participation) to strike the complaint. He maintained that his claims about the criminal probe were his First Amendment protected opinion, hypothetical, or uttered unintentionally by himself off-camera while he had no idea, he was even live on Twitch at the time.
The ruling by the judge
Ultimately, Los Angeles County Superior Court judge ruled that because his alleged utterances could be taken as factual assertions regarding his claims of criminal activity, a person of reasonable discernment would reasonably understand what was being said to carry a level of criminal implication and cause of damage.
- Court Conclusion: Accusing individuals of federal racketeering constitutes a serious criminal charge that can reasonably cause reputational harm.
- Trial Timeline: The judge set a preliminary trial date for March 2028.
- Defense Response: Ray J’s legal team announced plans to appeal the decision, arguing that the court failed to recognize First Amendment protections for personal opinion.
The ruling allows Kardashian and Jenner to continue pursuing their claims through the discovery and trial phases while the appeal moves through the courts.