Jay-Z won an outright dismissal in Los Angeles federal court and then chose not to collect attorney fees from Rymir Satterthwaite, who claimed to be his son, ending a decade-long paternity battle in Los Angeles federal court.
The hip-hop mogul did not seek reimbursement of legal fees within a court-imposed deadline, according to newly filed court records.
Earlier this week, the judge formally closed the case, confirming that no further action would be taken and the window for seeking costs had expired.
Weeks earlier, U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice on Nov. 4, effectively blocking any future attempts to revive the same claims in federal court.
The case was filed by paralegal Lillie Coley, the legal guardian and godmother of Satterthwaite, a New Jersey resident. Curley claimed that Jay-Z avoided taking a paternity test for years and manipulated the legal system to evade responsibility.
Her complaint reflects Satterthwaite’s long-standing claim that his late mother, Wanda, had a relationship with the rapper in the early 1990s.
They argued that Wanda was underage at the time, which made the situation more serious. The case had been pending in New Jersey state courts for years before arriving in California.
Wanda initially tried to file a paternity lawsuit there, but a judge ruled that the state did not have jurisdiction to force Jay-Z to participate. Coley and Satterthwaite later filed documents accusing New Jersey officials of shielding a high-profile defendant and mishandling their claims.
Satterthwaite filed his own federal lawsuit earlier this year but withdrew it in July citing prejudice. Corley continued to sue in Los Angeles, but Judge Garnett ultimately dismissed the suit.
By mid-2025, the courts were fed up. A July 31 order gave Jay-Z 30 days to apply for attorney fees or risk the case being permanently closed. A new order confirms the billionaire never filed the motion and the court closes the case.
Jay-Z’s legal team has previously argued that the allegations are part of a “decades-long” pattern of harassment, highlighting that multiple courts have dismissed the claims.
Still, he declined to seek financial penalties against Satterthwaite, effectively sparing him from huge legal bills.
As for Rymir Satterthwaite, he seems to want to keep poking the bear, but he doesn’t seem to be getting the message from the courts as he continues to rail against Jay-Z and the legal system.
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