JAY-Z Seeks to Preserve $119,000 Legal-Fee Judgment in Bankruptcy Dispute

JAY-Z is asking a bankruptcy court to prevent a $119,235.45 judgment awarded in his favor from being eliminated through Lillie Coley’s ongoing bankruptcy case. According to TMZ, the rapper and business mogul recently filed legal documents arguing that Coley should remain responsible for the six-figure debt despite seeking bankruptcy protection.

The judgment is connected to legal fees and costs JAY-Z accumulated while defending himself against a lawsuit tied to long-running paternity allegations involving Rymir Satterthwaite. Complex reported in January that Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett ruled JAY-Z was entitled to recover exactly $119,235.45 from Coley after his successful effort to have her complaint dismissed.

Coley has been described in court records as Satterthwaite’s godmother and former legal guardian. Satterthwaite has claimed for years that JAY-Z, whose legal name is Shawn Carter, is his biological father following an alleged relationship with his late mother, Wanda Satterthwaite, during the 1990s. JAY-Z has consistently denied the paternity allegations, and previous attempts to advance the claims through the courts have been unsuccessful.

A California judge granted JAY-Z’s request to dismiss Coley’s complaint in November 2025. The court later awarded him attorneys’ fees and related costs under California’s anti-SLAPP law, which is intended to protect defendants from certain lawsuits targeting protected speech or petitioning activity. The January 13, 2026 ruling also denied Coley’s request for the court to reconsider its earlier decision.

In the new bankruptcy dispute, JAY-Z’s attorneys reportedly argue that the debt should not be discharged because it resulted from what they characterized as fraudulent statements and misrepresentations intended to harass and target him. His legal team alleges that Coley has pursued a decade-long campaign involving repeated court filings, online activity, and public statements, forcing the rapper to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars defending himself. These remain arguments presented by JAY-Z’s side in the continuing case.

Coley is opposing JAY-Z’s request and has asked the bankruptcy court to dismiss his petition. According to TMZ’s report, she argues that his filing does not satisfy several procedural requirements. The court has not yet issued a final decision on whether the $119,235.45 judgment qualifies as a debt that can be discharged through bankruptcy.

The latest filing does not reopen or determine the underlying paternity allegation. Instead, the current battle is focused on whether Coley can use bankruptcy protection to erase the legal-fee judgment entered against her. Until the bankruptcy judge rules, JAY-Z’s effort to collect the six-figure award remains unresolved, adding another chapter to a legal dispute that has continued for years.