Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner sued R&B singer Ray J on Wednesday, alleging he defamed them when he claimed they were under a federal RICO investigation.
The lawsuit alleges that Ray J has attempted to exploit the Kardashians’ fame ever since a “fleeting relationship” with Kim that ended 20 years ago.
The suit alleges that Ray J first floated the idea that the Kardashians should be criminally investigated on a TMZ special in May, when he said that racketeering charges would be “appropriate.”
He revisited the topic on a Sept. 24 livestream, when he said, “The federal RICO I’m about to drop on Kris and Kim is about to be crazy,” and “the feds is coming,” the lawsuit states.
“Ray J’s public statements are blatantly false,” the lawsuit states. “No such federal investigation exists… Ray J’s conduct represents an egregious abuse of social media and public platforms to weaponize lies about nonexistent criminal investigations while fully aware that such allegations, even when baseless, carry the power to damage Plaintiffs’ livelihoods and hard-earned reputations.”
The suit alleges that the recent comments fit a pattern of sensationalized and inflammatory comments from Ray J over the years.
To qualify as defamation, Ray J’s statements would have to go beyond merely hostile opinions and instead assert a provably false statement.
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The suit alleges that Ray J’s comments on the livestream were intended as “factual assertions,” and not his speculation.
In the complaint, he is quoted as saying “The feds is coming, there’s nothing I can do about it,” and “Anybody that is cool with Kim, they need to tell her now, the rain is coming, the feds is coming.”
He also said, “It’s worse than Diddy,” referencing the federal trafficking and RICO charges against Sean “Diddy” Combs.
His comments were picked up by TMZ. As a result, the lawsuit states, the Kardashians have “been at the center of a media storm speculating as to their alleged criminal behavior.”
Kardashian and Jenner are represented by Alex Spiro, who has handled several other celebrity cases.
From Variety US