“False and serious” — Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner escalate legal fight with Ray J

Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner have escalated a long-running dispute with singer Ray J by taking the fight deeper into court, accusing him of defamation over claims that they are tied to a federal racketeering investigation — allegations their attorney called “false and serious.”

Kardashian and Jenner filed a defamation lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court after Ray J, whose legal name is William Ray Norwood Jr., made repeated public statements suggesting the pair were facing federal scrutiny and potential criminal exposure under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, commonly known as RICO. The complaint says no such investigation exists and argues that Ray J’s comments were made without credible evidence and caused reputational damage.

The lawsuit points to a series of public remarks, including media appearances and a livestream, that Kardashian and Jenner say pushed the accusations further into the mainstream. Their attorney, Alex Spiro, said they had not previously pursued defamation claims but felt compelled to respond given the severity of what was being alleged.

Ray J and Kardashian dated in the early 2000s and were later tied to a highly publicized sex-tape scandal after a private video they recorded during their relationship was released commercially in 2007. In the years since, Ray J has periodically claimed the release was orchestrated, while Kardashian’s camp has strongly disputed that framing.

The court battle widened in November 2025, when Ray J filed a cross-complaint responding to Kardashian and Jenner’s defamation suit. In that countersuit, he alleged they breached a settlement-related agreement tied to the sex-tape dispute and argued they continued to reference the matter publicly despite restrictions he says were part of a mediated deal. Ray J sought monetary damages and additional relief, effectively turning the case into a two-sided legal war rather than a single defamation claim.

Kardashian and Jenner’s legal team rejected Ray J’s countersuit in sharply worded terms, characterizing it as an attempt to distract from the original defamation allegations. The dispute now centers on dueling narratives: Kardashian and Jenner’s assertion that Ray J fabricated an explosive criminal-investigation storyline, and Ray J’s claim that the family’s public comments and business decisions surrounding the tape damaged him and violated agreements he says were meant to end the matter. Response from Kardashian/Jenner attorney and posture of both sides

Neither side has prevailed publicly in court yet, but the filings show the conflict has moved beyond celebrity back-and-forth into allegations with financial and legal consequences. The case is expected to continue playing out in Los Angeles Superior Court, where judges will weigh whether the statements at issue meet the bar for defamation — and whether any prior agreements between the parties limit what either side can say now.