Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner have hit Ray J with a defamation lawsuit for falsely stating in a recent livestream that federal authorities are investigating the mother and daughter pair for criminal racketeering.
The lawsuit, submitted to Los Angeles court on Wednesday (Oct. 1) by powerhouse lawyer Alex Spiro, claims Ray J’s recent falsehoods are just “the latest salvo in a deliberate and malicious campaign of harassment and defamation intended to defame plaintiffs while reviving his own fading notoriety.”
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The R&B singer (William Ray Norwood Jr.), who dated Kardashian in the early 2000s, said during a Sept. 24 social media livestream that authorities were investigating Kardashian and Jenner for racketeering. Ray J stated, “The feds is coming” and “It’s worse than Diddy,” referencing the Racketeering Influence and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act charges against Sean “Diddy” Combs.
“Ray J’s public statements are blatantly false,” reads the lawsuit. “No such federal investigation exists; no law enforcement agency has initiated any criminal proceedings or investigations related to racketeering charges against Ms. Kardashian or Ms. Jenner; and no credible evidence whatsoever supports these inflammatory allegations.”
Kardashian and Jenner say Ray J has been publicly attacking their family for more than two decades as he’s “repeatedly sought to attach himself to the plaintiffs’ names and exploit their prominence for personal gain.” They allege that Ray J is motivated to lie so he can stay relevant, arguing that he’s “utterly forgotten as a figure without Kardashians.”
The lawsuit claims that Ray J’s allegedly false statements about the RICO investigation — his “latest and most malicious defamatory conduct” — have significantly harmed Kardashian and Jenner’s businesses and reputations. The complaint cites Kardashian’s successful shapewear brand SKIMS, valued at $4 billion, and Jenner’s reputation as the matriarch behind “one of the most successful family business empires in entertainment history.”
“Due to Ray J’s defamatory statements, plaintiffs have been at the center of a media storm speculating as to their alleged illegal behavior,” the lawsuit reads. “As a direct consequence, plaintiffs have suffered reputational harm that has affected and will continue to affect their professional relationships.”
The complaint seeks unspecified monetary damages from Ray J, stating that the exact amount of financial harm will be proven at trial.
In a statement to Billboard, Spiro says, “Kris Jenner and Kim Kardashian have never brought a defamation claim before nor have they been distracted by noise — but this false and serious allegation left no choice.”
A rep for Ray J did not immediately return a request for comment on Wednesday (Oct. 1).
This story was updated on Oct. 1 at 3:12 p.m. ET to add a statement from Spiro.
