Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner suffered a setback Monday in their legal efforts to keep details of a settlement they reached with Ray J, linked to the reality star's notorious sex tape, under wraps.
The 45-year-old reality star's sexploits from her 22nd birthday in Cabo San Lucas in 2002 with her ex, now 45, were famously released by Vivid Entertainment in a 41-minute DVD titled Kim Kardashian, Superstar in 2007.
While the tape cemented The Kardashian family's status as household names, it has sparked legal drama between the exes - leading to a 2023 settlement.
The motions from Kardashian, and her mother, 70, were 'denied, except as to a bank account number in certain exhibits,' read a ruling issued by Los Angeles Superior Court and reviewed by the Daily Mail this week.
A previous motion filed by Kardashian and Jenner earlier in March saw the reality stars claim that unsealing certain documents to the public 'would cause substantial harm to the [family's] privacy interests and undermine the strong public policy interest in favor of settlement agreement.'
The court clarified in its ruling from Judge Steven A. Ellis that the case was not about 'Kardashian engaging in sexual activities,' as both 'parties recognize that recording has already been the subject of public disclosure.'
'Rather, the issue is whether the settlement agreement that the parties entered into in 2023 (and documents describing certain terms of that settlement agreement) should be placed or maintained under seal.'
The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for Kardashian, Jenner and Ray J for further comment on the story and has yet to hear back.
Kardashian and Jenner 'have presented no admissible evidence that disclosure of the settlement agreement and its terms would cause them any harm,' according to the court ruling.
The arguments the reality stars presented in their initial petition were 'too vague, speculative, amorphous, and unsupported to support the requested sealing order,' the court ruling read.
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The decision came weeks after the mother and daughter said in court filings that Ray J's prior suggestions the family schemed to put out the footage in a bid for fame amounted to 'a lie.'
Ray J's 'claim that I had a plan with my mother and others to release a sex tape, defraud the public, and file a "fake" lawsuit against the porn company that released it to "create buzz" is a lie,' Kardashian said earlier in March.
Jenner said in her court filing that Ray J's insinuations that she masterminded the sex tape, called Kim Kardashian, Superstar, and its release were 'absolutely false.'
In her declaration, she denied the suggestion she 'orchestrated or produced sex tapes involving [her] daughter.'
Jenner said accusations she had anything to do with the tape were 'not only entirely untrue, but deeply offensive and harmful' and something which has 'haunted [her] for decades.'
Jenner said she never made her daughter 'film any sex tape or decide what tape to release, as [Ray J] further outrageously claimed - adding that 'in no world would I ever be involved in any way, shape or form of peddling tapes of my daughter like this.'
Kardashian, in her declaration, said that she 'incurred expenses to combat [Ray J's] lies and manage [her] well-being and reputation.'
Among the costs 'included participating in therapy and working with communications, legal and strategic advisers,' Kardashian said.
Jenner said in her filing that she racked up bills via therapy and communications professionals in response to Ray J's comments about her and her relatives.
Kardashian claimed Ray J was rehashing previously discredited allegations referring to 2008 litigation involving her family and Ray J's mother, Sonja Norwood.
Ray J is the brother of vocalist Brandy and is frequently associated with the launch of Kardashian's late-aughts reality TV fame with the tape, which was filmed in 2003.
He purportedly memorialized the relationship with his 2016 single I Hit It First, a diss track aimed at her then-spouse Kanye West.
He has also been seen on shows such as For the Love of Ray J, Brandy & Ray J: A Family Business and Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood.
The filings come about five months after the mother and daughter filed a suit against Ray J in October, which he replied to with a countersuit, saying their actions violated the terms of a $6 million settlement over the tape they agreed to.