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By Robert Alexander
Senior Crime & Court Reporter
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A Tennessee court has dismissed a lawsuit filed by an Arizona woman who alleged she was Miley Cyrus’s biological mother.
The ruling ends a monthslong legal effort that attorneys for the star's father, Billy Ray Cyrus, described as "false and absurd," and which the judge dismissed with prejudice, closing the case permanently.
Newsweek contacted attorneys for Cyrus for comment via email outside of normal office hours on Monday.
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Why It Matters
Despite the sensational nature of the allegations, the case underscores a more consequential issue: how quickly unfounded claims about public figures can spread and how the courts respond to legally baseless attempts to insert celebrities into manufactured narratives.
By dismissing the lawsuit with prejudice, the judge affirmed that the claims had no merit, offering a rare window into the challenges high-profile individuals face from frivolous legal actions and the importance of clarifying misinformation before it overshadows legitimate news surrounding their lives.
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What To Know
The Cyrus Family Background
Billy Ray Cyrus, 64, is an American country singer and actor best known for his hit "Achy Breaky Heart", while Miley Cyrus—his 33-year-old daughter—is a Grammy-winning pop star and actress who rose to fame on Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana.
Tish Cyrus, 58, is an American manager, producer, and media personality best known as the mother of Miley Cyrus and the longtime manager of her career. She has produced several of Miley’s film and television projects, including The Last Song and So Undercover, and has worked across entertainment as a talent manager and executive.
Tish was married to Billy Ray Cyrus from 1993 to 2022, and the two share five children together; she has since remarried actor Dominic Purcell.
The Allegations Made By Jayme Lee
Jayme Lee, 45, first filed her complaint in May, asserting that she had given birth to Cyrus in 1992 at age 12 and entered into a "private adoption agreement" with Billy Ray and Tish Cyrus-Purcell.
She claimed the agreement allowed her to select Cyrus’s name and to work as a nanny and piano teacher.
Lee further alleged that Billy Ray "wrongfully assumed the role" of father without her consent and "misrepresented the circumstances" surrounding the alleged adoption.
The filing accused the couple of breach of contract, fraud, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and interference with parental rights.
In June, Lee submitted an amended complaint that expanded her allegations to include "child abuse and endangerment," arguing that making Cyrus a public figure placed her in harm’s way. She also asserted that "no valid adoption papers were ever lawfully signed" because she had been a minor and therefore "lacked capacity to consent."
The amended filing further alleged that the Cyrus family had cut off contact with her after the birth.
Lee sought court-ordered DNA maternity and paternity tests for Miley and her parents.
She also attempted to draw several public figures into the case, naming Dolly Parton as a defendant and listing Julia Roberts, Hillary Clinton, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, and Neil Patrick Harris as purported eyewitnesses.
In November, she issued a subpoena to Taylor Swift requesting the return of an alleged childhood scrapbook.
None of these individuals publicly commented on the filings.
The Legal Response And Case Dismissal
Billy Ray responded on November 20 with a motion to dismiss, calling the accusations "false and absurd" and arguing that the lawsuit was "clearly brought for the purposes of harassing" his family.
His attorneys emphasized that Tennessee law does not permit adoption without a court order and noted that the statute of limitations for contract and emotional-distress claims had long expired.
On December 1, Billy Ray filed an additional response opposing Lee’s amended complaint, stating he had never been properly served. He asked the court to award him attorney’s fees if the case was dismissed.
According to his attorney, Chase LanCarte, the Davidson County Circuit Court "dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice this morning (December 5) and awarded Mr. Cyrus the recovery of his reasonable and necessary attorney’s fees and costs."
Tish Cyrus has not publicly responded to the allegations.
Lee did not comment following the dismissal.
Billy Ray and Miley Cyrus have long shared a sometimes publicly strained father—daughter relationship, shaped by their personal bond and years of working together in the spotlight.
The lawsuit unfolded as Miley Cyrus, 33, recently announced her engagement to musician Maxx Morando.
That milestone has been largely overshadowed by the highly publicized but legally unsupported claims surrounding her parentage—claims now formally rejected by the court.
In an emailed response Mr. Cyrus’s counsel, Chase LanCarte explained to Newsweek that the Court has already granted “the recovery of his reasonable and necessary attorney’s fees and costs,” and confirmed that Mr. Cyrus “took necessary action to address the frivolous suit filed by Jayme Lee by motioning the Court for the dismissal of the lawsuit with prejudice, which was granted.”
He added: “The Court made the appropriate rulings last Friday to dismiss Jayme Lee’s lawsuit with prejudice and to further grant Mr. Cyrus the recovery of his reasonable and necessary attorney’s fees and costs. Ms. Lee’s allegations to draw an association to my client and his family were entirely false and harassing, and her frivolous action was nothing more than an attempt to gain publicity. Mr. Cyrus is looking forward to celebrating the upcoming Christmas holiday season with his family and all his loved ones.”
What People Are Saying
Billy Ray Cyrus, through his legal team, called the claims "false and absurd."
Jayme Lee, in her filed complaint, says that after the alleged adoption, she was "cut off" by the Cyruses and reportedly "threatened … with police action."
What Happens Next
With the case dismissed with prejudice, the lawsuit cannot be refiled, and Billy Ray Cyrus is now entitled to recover his attorney’s fees, which the court will determine through a separate process.
Miley and Tish Cyrus have no further legal obligations, and the ruling sharply limits Jayme Lee’s options, leaving only the unlikely prospect of an appeal requiring proof of judicial error.
Practically, the decision closes the matter legally and shifts the focus back to Miley’s current life and career, while curbing the spread of unsupported claims about her parentage.
Update 12/08/2025, 13:54 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from Chase LanCarte, attorney for Billy Ray Cyrus
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