Jay-Z’s Paternity Case Officially Dismissed 10 Years After Man Claimed Rapper Was His Father

Jay-Z’s Paternity Case Dismissed After a Decade of Allegations

After years of speculation and legal filings, a California judge has officially dismissed the long-running paternity case against rapper Jay-Z, born Shawn Carter.

The case, filed by Rymir Satterthwaite, who alleged that Jay-Z fathered him in the early 1990s, has been dismissed with prejudice, meaning it cannot be re-filed. The ruling effectively closes a 10-year legal saga that spanned multiple jurisdictions and generated widespread media attention.

Background: Decade-Long Legal Battle

Satterthwaite, now in his 30s, first claimed that his late mother, Wanda Satterthwaite, had a romantic relationship with Jay-Z in the early 1990s.
He alleged that he was the product of that relationship and spent the last decade attempting to obtain a court-ordered DNA test to prove paternity.

Over the years:

Several cases were dismissed due to jurisdictional issues or lack of evidence.
A federal lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California in May 2025.
That suit was voluntarily withdrawn in July 2025, and the most recent filing was dismissed with prejudice in November 2025.

According to Page Six, the court ruled that the case could not proceed and barred Satterthwaite from bringing it again.

Jay-Z’s Legal Response

Jay-Z’s legal team has consistently denied all claims, calling the accusations “frivolous and baseless.”
They have characterized the repeated filings as a “campaign of harassment” spanning over a decade.

Court documents reviewed by XXL and Rolling Out show that Jay-Z’s lawyers emphasized previous rejections of similar claims, maintaining that the rapper has no biological connection to Satterthwaite.

The rapper, who rarely comments on personal legal matters, has not issued a public statement since the dismissal.

Rymir Satterthwaite’s Reaction

Despite the court’s decision, Satterthwaite has said he intends to continue seeking acknowledgment:

“This is not about money; it’s about the truth,” he stated earlier this year.
“I have not stopped my fight — and I won’t until I have closure.”

However, the dismissal with prejudice means his current path through the courts has effectively ended.

What ‘Dismissed With Prejudice’ Means

In legal terms, a case dismissed with prejudice prevents the same claim from being filed again.
It signifies a final judgment on the matter, bringing closure for the defendant — in this case, Jay-Z.

For Satterthwaite, this ruling blocks further paternity claims of the same nature unless new and compelling evidence arises.

Public Reaction and Legacy

The story has reignited public debate about celebrity privacy, legal persistence, and DNA testing in high-profile cases.

While some sympathize with Satterthwaite’s quest for answers, others argue that the court’s decision validates Jay-Z’s consistent denial of the claims.

For Jay-Z, the ruling represents the end of a chapter that lingered for over a decade — one that never produced concrete proof but attracted massive media scrutiny.

Conclusion

After more than ten years of filings, speculation, and courtroom drama, the Jay-Z paternity case has officially been laid to rest.
The legal dismissal with prejudice provides finality to one of hip-hop’s longest-running rumors — and reaffirms the rapper’s denial of paternity.

Whether Satterthwaite will pursue other non-legal avenues remains to be seen, but in the eyes of the court, this story is officially closed.