R&B singer William Ray Norwood Jr., known professionally as Ray J, has filed new documents in response to a lawsuit filed by reality television stars Kris Jenner and Kim Kardashian alleging that he defamed them. Kim and Kris sued Ray J in October 2025, following his allegations that they were involved in a federal racketeering “criminal enterprise” and under investigation.
Kim K Slapped With Ray J Lawsuit
Norwood’s response is brought under California’s anti‑SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) statute, intended to prevent powerful entities from using meritless, intimidating lawsuits to silence journalists, activists, and critics.
According to Ray J’s SLAPP filing, the singer is asking the court to dismiss the suit on the grounds his comments about alleged violations of the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act are protected speech that he says he believed to be true. Ray J claims a 2006 agreement regarding the tape’s release existed, which he says the Kardashians violated. He is seeking millions in damages, alleging that the lawsuits and actions by the Kardashians damaged his business prospects.
The Kardashian defamation suit argues: “Unable to accept the end of his fleeting relationship with Ms. Kardashian more than twenty years ago, Ray J has repeatedly sought to attach himself to Plaintiffs’ names and exploit their prominence for personal gain.”
Famous For Being Infamous
Kim Kardashian is the daughter of the late Robert Kardashian, an attorney and businessman who gained national notoriety as O. J. Simpson's friend and defense attorney during Simpson's murder trial.
Kim and her family’s television career began with Keeping Up with the Kardashians on E!, which ran for 20 seasons. Following the success of the original show, she began starring in Hulu’s The Kardashians in 2022.
Kim began a four-year law apprenticeship in 2020, and took the California Bar exam in 2025. She did not pass but is continuing to study.
Kim’s mother, Kris Jenner, became successful managing the careers of her daughters, Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, Kendall and Kylie. According to Ray J’s lawsuit, Jenner managed Kim’s career by negotiating the sale of their infamous sex tape. Kim K became a media star soon after the tape’s release. Good work, mom!
You Can Call Me Ray J
Fame came to Ray J through a mix of his own hit R&B songs "Wait a Minute" and "One Wish," early acting roles, including the sitcom “Moesha”, starring his sister Brandy, “The Sinbad Show”, and reality TV shows like “For the Love of Ray J”, and “Brandy & Ray J”: A Family Business. His connection to his famous sister Brandy and cousin Snoop Dogg also played a role in his career development.
As of 2024, Norwood has been involved in television projects like “College Hill: Celebrity Edition”.
The Unhappy Former Couple
Kardashian met Ray J when she was working as a stylist for his sister, Brandy. Kim dated the singer-songwriter and record producer for nearly three years in an on-again, off-again relationship. The couple finally separated in 2007 when their sex tape was released by Vivid Entertainment.
A Long and Sordid Tale of Kiss, Tell, and Sue
Such colorful lives are the stuff celebrity news outlets like TMZ thrive on, in addition to making good reality television. They can also be the stuff of melodrama:
- 2003: The pair began dating when Kardashian separated from her first husband, Damon Thomas. The sex tape was filmed the same year in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
- 2006: The relationship ended after approximately three years.
- 2007: The tape, Kim Kardashian, Superstar, was released, leading to a lawsuit against Vivid Entertainment that was settled for a reported $5 million.
- 2013: Ray J released a single titled “I Hit It First,” proudly telling the tale of the his sexual exploits with Kim, with barbs aimed at her later romances and her then husband, Ye.
- November 2018: Ray J, while out in London, boasted that he and Kim had "fun times — marathon sessions" during their relationship from 2003 to 2006 which included a red Louis Vuitton trunk of sex toys.
- 2022: Ray J began alleging the tape was a coordinated effort, which Kardashian disputed. Norwood asserted that the tape “has never been a leak. It’s always been a deal and a partnership between Kris Jenner and Kim and me, and we’ve always been partners since the beginning of this thing”.
- In a Sept. 2025 livestream, that according to the lawsuit had millions of viewers, Norwood proclaimed that “The federal RICO I’m about to drop on Kris and Kim is about to be crazy” and “the feds is coming.” He added that the racketeering case would be “worse than Diddy.”
- October 2025, Kardashian and Jenner filed a defamation lawsuit against Ray J, accusing him of engaging in a "campaign of harassment and defamation" following his claims that they were involved in a federal RICO investigation.
- November 2025: Ray J retaliated by filing legal action against Kardashian and Kris Jenner over claims made about the tape. Among his allegations, the suit claims Kardashian and Jenner defrauded him into agreeing to stop publicly referencing the sex tape and that they worked with Vivid Entertainment to defraud the public and engaged in racketeering‑style conduct
Do You Really Want AI As Your Attorney?
Just prior to filing the SLAPP action, Ray J queried ChatGPT: “You know, we’re about to file a lawsuit on the Kardashians out here for federal RICO and for civil RICO and coercion and everything else you have in all the files?”
After this consultation with his “counsel” Ray J raised as his first defense: “Norwood is also widely known as a successful ’troll’ — a person who engages in provocation, insults people, and talks a lot of smack online or on streaming platforms. Trolling’ is not slander; rather, it is a skill that streamers (like Norwood) wield to generate public discourse and create chaos, which, in turn, increases viewership, online following, popularity, and influence."
Norwood’s other defense is that he relied on ChatGPT for research. He claims the chatbot reinforced his belief that his RICO case was “strong,” which he cites to argue he did not act with “actual malice.” ChatGPT is currently being sued over allegations it practiced law without a license. Maybe it can be Ray J’s next target?
Related Resources
- Kim Kardashian’s Unconventional Path to Becoming a California Lawyer Continues (FindLaw's Practice of Law)
- RHOA Peter Thomas Is Out of Prison: What’s Next in His Tax Evasion Case? (FindLaw's Legally Weird)
- The Beckhams' Trademark Drama (FindLaw's Legally Weird)
