Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner’s legal fight with Ray J is moving forward after a judge rejected his attempt to shut down their defamation case.
The ruling came from Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Steven Ellis, who found Kardashian and Jenner had presented enough evidence to keep their lawsuit alive.
Their dispute centers on comments Ray J made in 2025, when he suggested during a TMZ interview and later online that Kardashian and Jenner were, or should be, under federal investigation for racketeering.
Ray J, born William Ray Norwood Jr., argued the lawsuit was designed to punish him for exercising his free speech rights. Ellis disagreed.
“A statement that accuses a plaintiff of committing a crime is defamatory on its face,” the judge wrote.
Ellis also ruled that the statements could “reasonably be interpreted” as accusations of criminal conduct and said Kardashian and Jenner had met the threshold needed to defeat Ray J’s motion.
The case is currently headed toward a March 6, 2028 trial, though Ray J’s lawyer says an appeal is coming.
“We will promptly appeal the ruling,” attorney Howard King said, arguing that the decision failed to protect Ray J’s First Amendment rights.
Ray J has also separately accused Kardashian of violating a private 2023 settlement connected to public comments about their sex tape, claims that have been sent to arbitration.