Overview
- On Friday Jay‑Z filed court papers in Lillie Coley’s bankruptcy case asking the judge to prevent a $119,000 attorneys’ fee judgment from being discharged.
- That six‑figure award was granted after a California court dismissed Coley’s paternity‑related lawsuit under the state’s anti‑SLAPP law and ordered her to pay Jay‑Z’s legal costs.
- Jay‑Z’s lawyers say Coley and her associates pursued a decade of unfounded filings, online campaigns, and public statements that forced him to spend substantial sums defending himself.
- Coley filed for bankruptcy last year and has responded by moving to dismiss Jay‑Z’s bankruptcy petition on procedural grounds, so the dispute is now focused on competing court fights rather than a paternity DNA test.
- If the bankruptcy court agrees with Jay‑Z it could limit the use of personal bankruptcy to wipe out anti‑SLAPP fee awards and the case will proceed on whether the judgment qualifies for nondischarge.