Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner sued R&B singer Ray Jenner on Wednesday, claiming they slandered them when they alleged they were under investigation by the federal RICO.
The lawsuit alleges that Ray J has tried to exploit Kardashian fame since his “flame relationship” with Kim, which ended 20 years ago.
The lawsuit alleges that Ray J first came to the idea that Kardashian should be criminally investigated in the TMZ special in May.
He revisited the topic in a live stream on September 24th. “I’m sure Federal Rico and Kim are going to fall for Chris, and I’m going to be hooked,” the lawsuit states.
“Ray J’s official statement is blatantly false,” the lawsuit states. “There is no such federal investigation… While Ray J’s actions represent the terrible abuse of social media and public platforms and lying about non-existent criminal investigations, we fully recognize that such allegations have the power to undermine the plaintiff’s livelihood and hard-earned reputation, even when unfounded.”
The lawsuit argues that recent comments fit a pattern of sensational and inflammatory comments from Ray J for many years.
To qualify as a defamation loss, Ray J’s statement must instead go beyond hostile opinions and instead assert empirically a false statement.
The lawsuit alleges that Ray J’s comments on the livestream were intended as “a allegation of fact” rather than as his speculation.
In the complaint, he is quoted as saying, “The federal government is coming, there’s nothing I can do about it.”
He also said, “worst than Diddy.”
His comments were taken up by TMZ. As a result, the Kardashians were “at the heart of a storm of media speculation about alleged criminal conduct,” according to the lawsuit.
Kardashian and Jenner are represented by Alex Spiro, who handled several other celebrity cases.
“Kris Jenner and Kim Kardashian were never distracted by the noise, but this false and serious allegation had no choice,” Spiro said.
