EXCLUSIVE: Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Seeks Permanent End To Megan Thee Stallion Swimwear Battle Over Ads

Jay-Z‘s Roc Nation wants a judge to dismiss two lawsuits tied to Megan Thee Stallion’s swimwear ads.

In a new filing, the company says models Janelle Delacruz and Tonoia Wade have sued the wrong business over how their photos were used. It is asking the court to end both cases without allowing yet another rewrite.

The women say they signed up for social media ads, then saw their faces on billboards and in other sales pitches. Roc Nation says that fight belongs with the firms that booked the shoot and handled the photo rights.

“Roc Nation was party to neither,” its lawyers wrote of the booking terms and photo deal. Both suits name Roc Nation alone. Neither Jay-Z nor Megan is being sued.

The dispute goes back to an April 30, 2025, shoot for Megan’s Hot Girl Summer line. The models say the deal placed strict limits on where the images could run. Both filed suit that December.

The latest filing puts Delacruz’s pay at $5,000, plus an agency fee. Wade received $8,750, plus a 20% agency fee. The women claim the campaign went far past what those checks covered.

They point to billboards in Times Square, Miami, Los Angeles and Houston. Their claims also cover online store ads, Walmart-linked promotions and a Rolling Stone shopping story.

Megan’s launch announcement set a May 19, 2025, debut for the line’s first 18 pieces. The swimsuits went on sale through nearly 500 Walmart stores and online.

Delacruz asked for at least $25,000, plus an agency fee, for wider use of her photos in June 2025. Her agency sent a cease-and-desist demand in August.

Roc Nation says the woman still hasn’t shown that it chose where the ads ran. It also disputes the claim that copying its staff on an email proves it called the shots.

The models have dropped their contract and federal false-ad claims. Their two claims left in each suit focus on the use of their faces beyond what they say they approved.

Roc Nation says the women agreed to pose for ads and got paid. It argues their fight is over the deal’s limits. “The scope of booking terms is a contract question, full stop,” its lawyers wrote.

The company also says federal copyright law blocks the remaining claims over the photos. It says the photographer’s deal gave Hot Girl Swim Branding broad rights to use the images.

Judge Anne Hwang is set to hear Roc Nation’s request December 2, 2026, at 1:30 P.M. in Los Angeles federal court.