EXCLUSIVE: Jay-Z Wins Over $100K From Rymir Satterthwaite’s Godmother As Paternity Battle Backfires

Jay-Z walked away with a courtroom win and a six-figure payout after a federal judge in California ordered the godmother of the man who thinks he’s his son to pay $119,235.45 in legal fees, bringing a long-running paternity dispute to a definitive close.

The judgment ends a drawn-out legal saga that spanned more than ten years and multiple jurisdictions.

The order stated that Lillie Coley “shall take nothing” from the billionaire mogul and awarded attorneys’ fees under California’s anti-SLAPP statute, which targets lawsuits that improperly challenge protected speech or legal action.

The dispute traces back to Rymir Satterthwaite, a New Jersey man who has claimed for years that Jay-Z is his biological father. Jay-Z has consistently denied the allegation.

Coley, who once served as Satterthwaite’s guardian, became the driving force behind the legal campaign.

View this post on Instagram

She first helped file a paternity action in New Jersey, which was dismissed for lack of jurisdiction. Courts later blocked any new filings without prior approval, effectively shutting down that legal avenue.

In 2025, Coley filed a new lawsuit in federal court in California, accusing Jay-Z of neglect and alleging that he and state officials used outdated court orders and liens to pressure her and Satterthwaite.

She claimed those legal moves pushed her into bankruptcy and jeopardized her property, arguing that the state and Jay-Z’s legal team misrepresented earlier rulings.

According to court filings, Coley said a lien tied to the case cost her $25,000 when she sold a home and placed another property at risk.

She also filed an adversary proceeding in bankruptcy court, arguing that state enforcement actions should be blocked and accusing the New Jersey Attorney General of presenting “demonstrably and provably false” interpretations of prior family court decisions.

Judge Garnett dismissed Coley’s California lawsuit with prejudice in late 2025, rejecting her attempt to amend the complaint and clearing the way for Jay-Z’s legal team to pursue sanctions.

The court also denied Coley’s emergency request to stop the sanctions hearing, finding that she failed to meet the legal standard for such relief.

The final should seal Jay-Z’s legal victory and end years of litigation over paternity claims that multiple courts had already dismissed.