Kim Kardashian Secures Trial Date in Defamation Case as Ray J Claims Headed to Arbitration
A Los Angeles judge has issued a split ruling in the ongoing legal dispute between Kim Kardashian, her mother Kris Jenner, and Ray J, formally setting a trial date for the women’s defamation claims while directing the musician’s competing lawsuit into private arbitration.
The decision, handed down Friday by Los Angeles County Judge Steven A. Ellis, allows Kardashian and Jenner’s case to proceed in court. At the same time, it compels arbitration for Ray J’s cross-complaint, which alleges breach of a prior settlement agreement between the parties.
The dispute stems from an October 2025 lawsuit filed by Kardashian and Jenner, in which they accused Ray J, whose legal name is William Ray Norwood Jr., of making false and damaging statements about them. According to the complaint, the alleged defamation occurred during a 2025 interview with TMZ and in a subsequent livestream, where Ray J suggested that the two women were, or should be, the focus of a federal racketeering investigation.
Ray J has denied the allegations of malicious intent and responded by filing his own legal action in November 2025. His cross-complaint centers on an April 2023 settlement agreement that included a non-disparagement clause. That agreement followed remarks made by Kardashian during a 2022 episode of The Kardashians, in which she accused Ray J of sexual assault, distributing non-consensual explicit material, and attempting extortion.
As part of the settlement, Ray J has claimed that Kardashian agreed to pay $6 million and refrain from making further public statements about their past, including references to a sex tape involving the two. The tape, recorded in 2003 and released in 2007, has been a longstanding point of contention between the parties. Vivid Entertainment has previously stated that it obtained the footage legally from a third party.
In his cross-complaint, Ray J alleged that Kardashian and Jenner violated the settlement agreement shortly after it was finalized. He claims that within a month, Kardashian, Jenner, Kanye West, and Kendall Jenner discussed the tape in another episode of The Kardashians. According to Ray J, this constituted a material breach of the agreement’s non-disparagement clause.
Lawyers for Ray J argued during Friday’s hearing that if his claims were subject to arbitration, then Kardashian and Jenner’s defamation claims should also be handled privately under the same agreement. His attorney, Heather Pickerell, contended that the contract was intended to govern all disputes between the parties and that the plaintiffs were attempting to bypass its terms by framing their allegations as defamation.
Counsel for Kardashian and Jenner rejected that argument, emphasizing a distinction between contractual and tort-based claims. Their attorney, Alex Bergjans, argued that defamation claims require proof of falsity, which falls outside the scope of a standard non-disparagement clause and therefore can be pursued in court.
After reviewing the arguments, Judge Ellis sided with Kardashian and Jenner on that issue. In his ruling, he determined that the obligation not to defame or place someone in a false light exists independently of the contractual agreement between the parties. As a result, the defamation case will move forward in court, while Ray J’s breach-of-contract claims will be resolved through arbitration.
The judge scheduled a post-arbitration status conference for February 9, 2027, to assess the outcome of the private proceedings. He also set a trial date of March 6, 2028, for the defamation case, indicating that the dispute could continue for several years before reaching a final resolution.
The legal battle revisits a relationship that dates back to the early 2000s, when Kardashian and Ray J were romantically involved. The release of their sex tape in 2007 coincided with the debut of the Kardashians' family on a reality television show, marking a pivotal moment in their rise to public prominence.
