Federal judge dismisses Jay-Z paternity suit with prejudice

A federal judge in California on Wednesday dismissed with prejudice a longrunning paternity lawsuit that alleged hip hop artist Shawn Carter, known professionally as Jay‑Z, is the biological father of a New Jersey man, court records show. The suit was filed this year by Lillie Coley, who identified herself in filings as the godmother and legal guardian of 30‑year‑old Rymir Satterthwaite; the dismissal bars refiling the same claim and permits the defendant to seek litigation costs.

The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California granted the motion to dismiss and issued a written ruling stating the matter was suitable for decision without oral argument. The order, entered Wednesday, concludes federal litigation that represented the latest chapter in a dispute that has surfaced in multiple states and courts over more than a decade.

Satterthwaite and Coley had sought court orders compelling Jay‑Z to submit to DNA testing to determine whether Carter fathered Satterthwaite in the mid 1990s. Court documents and earlier filings say Satterthwaite was born in July 1993 and that his late mother, Wanda Satterthwaite, alleged a relationship with Carter in the early 1990s. A...