For nearly two decades the name Rymir Satterthwaite has trailed Jay-Z through courthouses like a stubborn refrain—an assertion, never proven, that the rapper born Shawn Carter fathered him during a brief 1990s relationship with his mother, Wanda. Lawsuits sprouted in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and finally California, each dismissed or redirected on procedural grounds. Wanda died in 2019, yet the case refused to die with her; her godmother, Lillie Coley, picked up the baton, filing new complaints that accused Carter of suppressing evidence and inflicting intentional emotional distress.
On November 4, 2025, the Central District of California lowered the curtain. Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett dismissed Coley’s complaint “with prejudice,” meaning it cannot be refiled, and she did so without oral argument—an indication the court found the claims legally threadbare. The ruling leans on California’s anti-SLAPP statute, a shield against lawsuits deemed meritless and designed to silence or harass. A day later Coley initially signaled an appeal, then withdrew it, closing even that escape hatch. Earlier this year Rymir himself dropped a separate paternity suit, forfeiting any future attempt to litigate the issue.
Jay-Z’s attorneys greeted the decision as a final period at the end of a very long sentence. “The fabricated allegations have been addressed—and rejected—in multiple courts,” they wrote in July. “This decades-long harassment must end.” For the 54-year-old mogul, the victory is less champagne celebration than deep exhale; the cloud that hovered over family milestones and business deals has, at least in court, lifted.
Yet Rymir, now in his early 30s, insists the fight merely changes shape. “We got to step back and play chess, not checkers,” he told reporters this summer, hinting at media strategy or advocacy rather than fresh litigation. Whether that means a documentary, a memoir, or continued social-media campaigning remains to be seen. What is clear is that the courthouse door has slammed shut; any future moves will be played on a board of public opinion, not legal filings.
