Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner have won another legal round against Ray J.
A Los Angeles judge rejected the singer’s attempt to throw out the mother-daughter duo’s defamation lawsuit and declining to dismiss their claims.
Ray J, whose real name is William Ray Norwood Jr., had argued that the case was a meritless attempt to silence him, but the judge ruled his defence did not meet the criteria for California’s anti-SLAPP law—a statute meant to quickly dismiss frivolous lawsuits targeting free speech.
Judge Steven Ellis ruled that Kardashian and Jenner provided enough evidence to show that Norwood’s allegedly "malicious" remarks were not shielded by litigation privilege. The judge found that the statements could be reasonably interpreted as a criminal accusation against the women.
In their October 2025 lawsuit, Kardashian and Jenner alleged that Norwood defamed them during an interview and a subsequent livestream. They claim he falsely suggested the mother-daughter duo was, or should be, the target of a federal racketeering investigation.
“A statement that accuses a plaintiff of committing a crime is defamatory on its face. A reasonable person would be offended by a false accusation that they had committed a crime,” Judge Ellis wrote.
“On this record, Plaintiffs have submitted evidence sufficient to show that their causes of action have at least minimal merit. That is sufficient to defeat Defendant’s special motion to strike,” he ruled. He said the trial remained set for March 6, 2028.
Also read: Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner sue Ray J for defamation
“We will promptly appeal the ruling which failed to recognise Ray J’s First Amendment right to publish his opinion about the despicable behaviour of Kim Kardashian. The appeal freezes the proceedings, so it is unlikely there will be a trial in 2028 or ever,” Norwood’s lawyer, Howard King, said in a statement on Wednesday.
Norwood denies any malicious intent and filed a countersuit in November 2025 alleging a breach of a settlement agreement. However, the counterclaims have been separated from the defamation suit and sent to arbitration.
According to Norwood’s cross-complaint, the parties signed a private settlement in April 2023 that included a strict non-disparagement clause. This agreement followed a 2022 episode of ‘The Kardashians’, where Kim accused Norwood of extortion, sexual assault, and distributing revenge porn. Norwood threatened a lawsuit, resulting in a deal where Kardashian allegedly agreed to pay $6 million and promised never to reference their sex tape on her show again.
Norwood claims that within a month of signing the contract, Kardashian and Jenner—along with Kanye West and Kendall Jenner—violated the non-disparagement clause by discussing the explicit tape on another episode of ‘The Kardashians’.
When Norwood flagged the conversation as material breach of the pact, the family reportedly countered that the agreement did not cover Season 3 because those episodes were filmed before the contract was officially signed.
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