After more than a decade of legal wrangling, Jay-Z can finally close the chapter on one of the most persistent personal battles of his career.
A California court has officially dismissed the final lawsuit connected to the long-standing paternity dispute involving Rymir Satterthwaite, a man who has repeatedly claimed to be the rap mogul’s biological son.
The legal saga, which began in 2010, ended on November 4 when the Central District of California Court dismissed a lawsuit filed by Lillie Coley, the former legal guardian of Satterthwaite.
According to E-News, Coley had accused Jay-Z, real name Shawn Carter, of fraud and intentional infliction of emotional distress, while also seeking compensatory damages and restitution.
Coley, who became Satterthwaite’s guardian in 2011 after his mother, Wanda Satterthwaite, fell ill, alleged that Jay-Z and his legal team concealed evidence and misrepresented facts about his ties to the state of New Jersey, where the original paternity case was filed.
However, after months of motions and counterclaims, Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett ruled in Jay-Z’s favour, citing California’s anti-SLAPP statute, a law designed to prevent frivolous lawsuits intended to intimidate or silence defendants.
“The Court has read and considered the Motion and concluded that it is suitable for decision without oral argument,” the ruling stated. “The Court GRANTS the Motion and DISMISSES the Complaint without leave to amend.”
The decision bars Coley from refiling her claims against Jay-Z. Similarly, Rymir Satterthwaite’s own federal paternity case, filed earlier this year, was withdrawn with prejudice in July—meaning it cannot be reopened.
Coley briefly appealed the ruling the following day but withdrew her appeal within 24 hours, signalling the official end of her involvement in the dispute.
In court filings from July, Jay-Z’s attorneys firmly denied all allegations, calling them “fabricated” and pointing out that similar claims had already been “addressed and rejected in multiple other courts.” They further described the ongoing litigation as “decades-long harassment” against the billionaire rapper.
The saga dates back more than ten years, to when Wanda Satterthwaite first filed a paternity suit in New Jersey in 2010, claiming Jay-Z was the father of her son, Rymir. That case was dismissed in 2012 for being filed in the wrong jurisdiction. Since then, both Wanda and Rymir have made repeated attempts to reopen the case, each time unsuccessfully.
Despite the repeated court dismissals, Satterthwaite, now an aspiring musician, insists that he will continue seeking answers. “I have not stopped my fight,” he said in a July Instagram video. “We got to step back and play chess, not checkers.”
Jay-Z, now 54, has never publicly commented on the allegations, maintaining silence throughout the years-long legal drama. His attorneys, however, have consistently argued that the claims are baseless and damaging to his reputation.
With the court’s latest decision, the “Empire State of Mind” rapper and business mogul appears ready to move on from a chapter that has trailed him for much of his public life.
The ruling marks a decisive victory for Jay-Z, who, after decades of global success as a musician, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, can now finally turn the page on one of the few unresolved controversies in his career.