by Mary Spiller
November 8, 2025
A judge dismissed Rymir Satterthwaite’s paternity lawsuit against Jay-Z with prejudice, meaning it can’t be refiled.
A federal judge in California has dismissed with prejudice a paternity lawsuit filed against Jay-Z, putting a definitive end to a years-long legal battle brought by a man named Rymir Satterthwaite claiming to be the rapper’s son.
Court documents obtained by Page Six show that the judge granted the music mogul’s motion to dismiss the case, which had been filed by Rymir Satterthwaite, 30, through his legal guardian and paralegal, Lillie Coley. The ruling means Satterthwaite can no longer bring the same claim or request a DNA test from Jay-Z, whose legal name is Shawn Carter.
Satterthwaite alleged that his late mother, Wanda Satterthwaite, had a relationship with the “99 Problems” rapper in the 1990s and that Carter fathered him. Jay-Z, 55, has consistently denied the allegations.
Satterthwaite appeared to concede earlier this year that he was stepping back from the case. “I did withdraw my case,” he said in a July 27 Instagram post, adding that he had “plenty going on behind closed doors.” Still, he insisted that his pursuit of the truth was not over, saying, “We got to step back and play chess, not checkers.”
Attorneys for Jay-Z described the repeated paternity claims as baseless. “The fabricated allegations and claims have been addressed — and rejected — in multiple other courts,” they said, calling the filings “the latest” in a “decades-long” pattern of harassment.
In previous filings, Satterthwaite maintained that his intent was not to seek back child support but to recover damages for “reputational and emotional distress.” He also accused Carter of manipulating the court system to suppress his paternity claims.
The legal dispute dates back to the early 2000s, when Wanda Satterthwaite filed a child support case in New Jersey that was ultimately dismissed for being filed in the wrong jurisdiction. The claim resurfaced in 2014 when Satterthwaite and Coley renewed their petition.
In a 2023 interview, Satterthwaite told the Daily Mail, “This is not going to be over until justice is served.” Jay-Z’s attorney responded that “the allegations have been previously reviewed thoroughly by the courts and have been refuted.”
The dismissal also extended to a related lawsuit filed by Satterthwaite’s godmother and legal guardian, Lillie Coley, who accused Jay-Z of neglect. Coley’s case was thrown out by U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett earlier this week, effectively preventing her from bringing the same allegations again. The ruling also opened the door for Jay-Z’s legal team to seek sanctions and recover attorney’s fees.
However, the legal fight may not be entirely over. According to a report from AllHipHop’s Grouchy Greg Watkins, Coley has already filed a notice of appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Her filing, submitted on November 5, signals an effort to continue challenging the decision. In her response, Coley said the new appeal will center on “issues not previously considered” by the court, shifting her approach from a standard amendment appeal to a motion for reconsideration.
For years, Jay-Z and his attorneys have repeatedly denied the claims that he secretly fathered Satterthwaite, describing them as unfounded and previously rejected in multiple courts. Despite the string of legal defeats, Coley’s latest move suggests she is not ready to close the chapter just yet.
Jay-Z shares three children — Blue Ivy, 13, and twins Rumi and Sir, 8 — with his wife, Beyoncé.
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