The Kim Kardashian and Ray J settlement is a $6 million deal signed in April 2023 that was supposed to end nearly two decades of fighting over their 2007 sex tape, and it has since collapsed into dueling lawsuits, a RICO-flavored cross-complaint, and a judge’s refusal to keep the agreement private. Kardashian and her mother Kris Jenner agreed to pay Ray J in installments in exchange for silence on all sides; by late 2025, each side was accusing the other of breaking that silence, and by April 2026 the deal’s terms were in the public record.
What the 2023 Deal Required
The agreement was signed by Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Ray J (William Ray Norwood Jr.), and his mother Sonja Norwood. Kardashian and Jenner committed to paying Ray J $6 million on a schedule: $3 million within 30 days, $1 million by April 2024, $1 million by April 2025, and a final $1 million due in 2026.1TMZ. Kim Kardashian Kris Jenner Millions Demand Revealed in Court
In return, the parties accepted a non-disclosure and non-disparagement clause barring public discussion of the sex tape. The deal specifically pledged no further mention of the tape on The Kardashians, and set liquidated damages of $1 million for any breach of the non-disparagement provision.2People. Ray J Countersues Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner Over Sex Tape Settlement Agreement The text said it was meant to “resolve all past and future claims, disputes, causes of action, defenses and alleged losses concerning the sex tape.”3Page Six. Kim Kardashian Kris Jenner Lose Bid to Keep Ray J Sex Tape Settlement Private
What pushed the parties to the table was a 2022 episode of The Kardashians, in which Kardashian accused Ray J of trying to extort her with a second sex tape and of assaulting her while she slept. Ray J threatened to sue, mediation followed, and the April 2023 settlement closed it out.4The Hollywood Reporter. Kim Kardashian Lawsuit Ray J
How Each Side Says the Other Broke It
Ray J points to Season 3 of The Kardashians, which premiered in May 2023, one month after the deal was signed. According to his court filings, Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Kendall Jenner, and Ye (Kanye West) all discussed the sex tape during that season, including accusations that Ray J had tried to extort the family over a laptop said to contain unreleased footage.2People. Ray J Countersues Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner Over Sex Tape Settlement Agreement
Kardashian and Jenner tell the opposite story. In May 2025, their attorneys sent a demand letter asking Ray J to return the $5 million already paid and to pay another $1 million each to Kardashian and Jenner, a total demand of $7 million. A follow-up letter dated October 3, 2025 alleged Ray J had discussed the settlement on a public livestream, and told him Kardashian and Jenner considered themselves released from paying the final $1 million installment.1TMZ. Kim Kardashian Kris Jenner Millions Demand Revealed in Court5Page Six. Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenners 7 Million Demand to Ray J Over Sex Tape Deal Revealed
The Defamation Lawsuit
Kardashian and Jenner filed a defamation and false-light suit against Ray J in Los Angeles Superior Court on October 1, 2025. They were represented by attorney Alex Spiro.6People. Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner Sue Ray J Defamation
The 13-page complaint focused on two public statements. In a Tubi documentary titled United States vs. Sean Combs, Ray J said that if someone told him the Kardashians were being charged with racketeering, he “might believe it.” Then, during a September 24, 2025 livestream with Chrisean Rock, he said “the feds is coming” and predicted that a federal RICO investigation into Kardashian and Jenner would be “worse than Diddy.”7TMZ. Kim Kardashian Kris Jenner Sue Ray J for Defamation8Rolling Stone. Kim Kardashian Kris Jenner Sue Ray J Lawsuit Defamation
The complaint called this a “sustained campaign of harassment and defamation” and said no federal investigation into Kardashian or Jenner exists. Spiro said his clients “have never brought a defamation claim before nor have they been distracted by noise, but this false and serious allegation left no choice.”9E! Online. Kim Kardashian Kris Jenner Sue Ray J for Defamation
Ray J’s Cross-Complaint
Ray J answered with a cross-complaint on November 13, 2025, represented by attorney Howard King. The core claim was breach of contract: that Kardashian and Jenner had let the sex tape be discussed again on The Kardashians Season 3. He asked for at least $1 million in liquidated damages, attorneys’ fees, and a judicial declaration knocking out the defamation case.10Entertainment Weekly. Ray J Countersues Kim Kardashian Kris Jenner for Breach of Contract
The cross-complaint also went well beyond contract. Ray J invoked the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, alleging that Kardashian and Jenner conspired with Vivid Entertainment to release the tape in 2007, spent years lying about it, and then “tricked” him into signing the 2023 settlement. He further alleged they had “manufactured a fresh fake Sex Tape ‘controversy'” in 2022 to promote their Hulu series.11People. Kim Kardashian Kris Jenner Deny Ray J Claims They Leaked Sex Tape
Both women denied those claims in sworn declarations filed March 10 and 11, 2026. Jenner stated: “In no world would I ever be involved in any way, shape or form in peddling any tapes of my daughter.” Kardashian called the claim that she planned the release with her mother a “lie.”11People. Kim Kardashian Kris Jenner Deny Ray J Claims They Leaked Sex Tape Ray J then publicly accused them of perjury, saying they “completely lied about everything.”12TMZ. Ray J Claims Kim Kardashian Kris Jenner Committed Perjury
Why the Settlement Is Now Public
On March 30, 2026, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Steven A. Ellis denied a motion by Kardashian and Jenner to seal the 2023 agreement. Under California Rules of Court, court records are presumed open, and a party asking to seal them must show an overriding interest and substantial harm from disclosure.13California Courts. California Rules of Court – Rule 2.550
Judge Ellis found that Kardashian and Jenner “presented no admissible evidence that disclosure of the settlement agreement and its terms would cause them any harm,” and called their arguments about privacy and private business affairs “too vague, speculative, amorphous, and unsupported.” He ordered unredacted versions filed, allowing only Kardashian’s bank account number to be masked except for the final four digits.4The Hollywood Reporter. Kim Kardashian Lawsuit Ray J14Entertainment Weekly. Kim Kardashian Request to Seal Settlement With Ray J Denied by Judge The ruling stripped the confidentiality out of a deal designed to keep both sides quiet.15WFMD. Kim Kardashians 6M Deal With Ray J Explodes as Judge Refuses to Keep Secrets Sealed
Where the Case Stands Now
On April 24, 2026, Judge Ellis split the dispute in two. He granted Kardashian and Jenner’s motion to send Ray J’s breach-of-contract cross-complaint into private arbitration, finding that the 2023 settlement’s arbitration clause covered disputes about the agreement itself. He kept the defamation suit in court.16Rolling Stone. Kim Kardashian Kris Jenner Defamation Ray J Arbitration
Ray J’s team had argued the defamation case should follow the contract claims into arbitration. His associate Heather Pickerell said the settlement was “explicitly written so that it would govern all disputes” and accused Kardashian and Jenner of trying to “circumvent a non-disparagement clause by cloaking their claim as a defamation claim.” Judge Ellis disagreed, holding that the duties not to defame or place someone in a false light “exist entirely independently from both the agreement and the relationship created by the agreement.”16Rolling Stone. Kim Kardashian Kris Jenner Defamation Ray J Arbitration Spiro said: “We expected the court to rule in our favor and we’re pleased with the decision.”17TMZ. Ray J Countersuit Against Kim Kardashian Kris Jenner Going to Arbitration
Ray J has also filed an anti-SLAPP motion to dismiss the defamation claims, arguing his statements were “trolling” rather than factual assertions. At a June 16, 2026 hearing, Judge Ellis took the arguments under submission and asked for additional briefing on whether the statements caused Kardashian emotional damage.18Courthouse News. Trolling Is Not Slander Ray J Asks Court to Dismiss Defamation Suit Brought by Kim Kardashian
A post-arbitration status conference is scheduled for February 9, 2027, and the defamation trial is set for March 6, 2028.16Rolling Stone. Kim Kardashian Kris Jenner Defamation Ray J Arbitration