A long-running legal dispute involving music mogul Jay-Z has officially come to an end with the dismissal of the latest paternity claims and a court order requiring the plaintiff to cover substantial legal costs.
The case centered on allegations by Rymir Satterthwaite — and later by his legal guardian and godmother, Lillie Coley — that Jay-Z, born Shawn Carter, was Satterthwaite’s biological father. Those claims spanned more than a decade and saw litigation filed and dismissed in multiple jurisdictions.
On January 13, 2026, a federal judge in California dismissed the remaining suit with prejudice, closing the door on any future attempts to raise the same claims. The judge found no legal basis to advance the allegations and ruled that the lawsuit fell under California’s anti-SLAPP statute — a law intended to deter meritless litigation aimed at harassing defendants.
Under that statute, the court ordered Coley — who had continued the lawsuit after Satterthwaite voluntarily withdrew his own complaint — to pay approximately $119,235.45 in Jay-Z’s attorney fees and related legal costs.
Jay-Z’s legal team argued throughout the proceedings that the paternity claims were unfounded and amounted to a prolonged campaign of harassment. The rapper has consistently denied paternity, and no court has ever required him to undergo DNA testing.
The dismissal and cost award mark a clear judicial rebuke of the plaintiffs’ litigation strategy and bring an end to one of the most persistent legal disputes involving the Roc Nation founder.
