Judge denies Kim Kardashian’s request to seal alleged $6 million sex-tape settlement with Ray J
Judge denies Kim Kardashian’s request to seal alleged $6 million sex-tape settlement with Ray J
Kathleen PerriconeThu, April 2, 2026 at 2:24 AM UTC
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Kim Kardashian and Ray J broke up in 2006Credit: Neil P. Mockford/Getty; Steven Ferdman/Getty
Kim Kardashian is facing a new setback in her two-decade legal battle with Ray J.
A California superior court judge has denied her request to seal a $6 million “confidential settlement agreement” with the singer related to their 2003 sex tape.
As part of the 2023 agreement, all parties — Kardashian, her mother Kris Jenner, Ray J (real name: William Ray Norwood Jr.), and his mother Sonja Norwood — must not “disparage or impugn the character, reputation, integrity, honesty, business or business practices” of each other.
In the new March 30 ruling, viewed by Entertainment Weekly, the court determined plaintiffs Kardashian and Jenner “have not met their burden” to support the requested sealing order.
“Plaintiffs have presented no admissible evidence that disclosure of the settlement agreement and its terms would cause them any harm,” states the ruling by Judge Steven A. Ellis.
Furthermore, the “arguments by counsel” that the settlement’s disclosure would “cause substantial harm” to Kardashian’s “privacy interests” and “private business affairs” were deemed “too vague, speculative, amorphous, and unsupported.”
There is one small win for Kardashian, however: Her bank account will not be made public.
“The motions are denied, except as to a bank account number in certain exhibits,” the ruling states.
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Ray J and Kim Kardashian in 2006Credit: Stefanie Keenan/Patrick McMullan via Getty
Representatives for Kardashian and Ray J did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment.
The latest ruling stems from Ray J’s November 2025 cross-complaint that he and Kardashian had agreed to a $6 million deal to not discuss their 2003 sex tape. The nine-page “confidential settlement agreement” was reportedly filed as part of an ongoing defamation lawsuit that Kardashian and Jenner filed against Ray J.
As Entertainment Weekly previously reported, he countersued the mother-daughter duo in November 2025, alleging breach of contract over a preexisting agreement to never publicly discuss his sex tape with Kardashian.
Ray J’s countersuit claims that Kardashian created “fresh fake Sex Tape ‘controversy’” to promote The Kardashians on Hulu in 2021. After entering mediation, he alleges, Kardashian agreed to pay him $6 million, and he claims that all of the involved parties agreed to “refrain” from “any further public reference to the Sex Tape,” which included on The Kardashians.
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However, one month later, he claims in his court filing, two episodes of season 3 of The Kardashians contained multiple references to the sex tape, thus breaching their contract.
According to the latest March 30, 2026 ruling, “trial has not yet been set in this matter.”
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
