Mary J. Blige Wins Dismissal In Lawsuit Filed By Ex-BFF Misa Hylton

Mary J. Blige won the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by her longtime friend and stylist Misa Hylton, with the case thrown out without prejudice.

Mary J. Blige scored a legal victory after a judge dismissed the lawsuit filed by her former friend and stylist, Misa Hylton, without prejudice.

In a Jan. 6 ruling, a New York judge dismissed the case in response to Hylton missing the deadline to defend her claims that Blige tried to steal rapper Vado from her management roster, Rolling Stone reports. Because the suit was dismissed without prejudice, Hylton still has the option to pursue sanctions against the Grammy winner.

When making her ruling, Judge Phaedra F. Perry-Bond sharply warned Hylton that her failure to respond to Blige’s motion to dismiss “constitutes the abandonment” of her claims. Perry-Bond stopped short of imposing sanctions on Hylton but expressed her frustration with the stylist’s inaction.

“The court in no way condones parties filing lawsuits claiming millions in damages based on inflammatory accusations, only to have those very same parties abandon their allegations when faced with a motion to dismiss and sanctions,” the judge wrote. “Plaintiffs and their counsel shall consider this a warning to refrain from engaging in similar patterns of behavior in the future. This written warning may serve as weighty evidence on a future application for sanctions if plaintiffs and/or their counsel continue to engage in similar bad faith litigation tactics.”

The lawsuit, filed by Hylton in April 2025, accused Blige of interfering with her record label dealings involving her top client, rapper Vado, shocking many in the industry. The pair’s friendship dates back to the early ’90s, when Hylton—then dating Sean “Diddy” Combs—began styling Blige during the promotion of her 1992 debut album What’s the 411? and continued to work with her throughout her career.

In recent years, the relationship soured, with Hylton accusing her longtime friend and client of trying to ‘coerce’ Harlem rapper Vado—whom Hylton managed—into ending his management deal. She claimed Blige wanted to move Vado to her own company, Beautiful Life Productions, where he also held a recording contract.

Blige moved to dismiss the “frivolous” lawsuit, with her lawyers arguing Hylton’s company, M.I.S.A. Management, wasn’t a valid corporation since Hylton lacked a talent agent license. They added that the suit was filed with the “sole purpose of harassing and causing malicious injury to [Blige] based on Hylton’s personal animus towards Ms. Blige.”

There’s no word yet on the parties’ response to the dismissed suit, but Hylton now has her hands full as her son Justin Combs prepares to release a docuseries with his brother Christian, exploring how their family is navigating media scrutiny amid their father’s federal prostitution incarceration.