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Case Intel

• Lillie M. Coley, godmother of Jay-Z’s alleged son, has asked a federal judge to revisit a ruling that allows the rapper’s attorneys to pursue sanctions against her.
• Coley claims the court overlooked over 100 pages of records she says prove the state case remains active.
• If denied, she could face penalties in New Jersey, potentially ending years of legal efforts tied to Rymir Satterthwaite’s paternity claims.

LOS ANGELES, CA - In the latest chapter of a years-long dispute, the godmother of Rymir Satterthwaite—the man who has long claimed that Jay-Z is his biological father—has filed a motion asking U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett to reconsider her October 24 ruling.

That ruling denied Coley’s emergency request for a temporary restraining order, effectively giving Jay-Z’s legal team clearance to seek sanctions against her in New Jersey state court. Coley’s motion, filed October 28 in Los Angeles, contends that the decision relied on an incomplete record. She says Jay-Z’s attorneys submitted just 18 of 135 pages from the state court docket, allegedly leaving out filings that show the matter remains active and therefore within New Jersey’s jurisdiction.

Among those missing pages, Coley wrote, is a “Modification Application” recently filed by Jay-Z’s counsel, which she believes should have altered the federal court’s view. “The court overlooked key facts,” she stated, arguing for a chance to present the full record.

Coley’s plea represents a last-ditch effort in a battle stretching more than a decade. She previously served as Satterthwaite’s legal guardian and has repeatedly sought to compel the hip-hop mogul to take a DNA test.

Courts in multiple jurisdictions have dismissed those claims, and in 2022, a New Jersey judge barred both Coley and Satterthwaite from filing new paternity actions without prior approval, citing a pattern of repetitive and meritless filings. Jay-Z’s legal team is now seeking sanctions in that same court, asserting Coley’s continued efforts amount to abuse of process.

Coley insists she is being punished for advocating for Satterthwaite’s right to clarity regarding his alleged paternity.

The federal court’s decision to permit sanctions proceedings marked a turning point. Coley’s motion to reconsider could delay, but not necessarily prevent, those penalties if Judge Garnett declines to reopen the matter. Such sanctions might include monetary fines or restrictions on future filings, effectively ending Coley’s long legal campaign on Satterthwaite’s behalf.

As of this week, no hearing date has been set on her motion, but filings indicate the court will decide the matter in the coming weeks unless oral argument is requested.

Evidence & Records